Hunter x Hunter is a renowned manga by Yoshihiro Togashi that has been serialized in Shueisa’s Shonen Jump magazine since 1998. It follows a 12-year-old Gon Freecs on the search for his father. Along with his new friends, he passes the perils of the Hunter exam to follow in the footsteps of his father to become a Hunter.
During this manga’s run, the author, Yoshihiro, fell ill and was unable to work on his story. Since then the manga has gone on frequent hiatuses. However, an anime, OVAs, two movies, and games have been released in the subsequent years. Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact is the recent attempt at a Hunter x Hunter game. In this guide, you learn everything we know about Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact.
What we know about Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact
Hunter x Hunter Nen Impact is a 2D-fighting game being developed by Eighting for PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Those familiar with Eighting might know them from other titles, such as Naruto Clash of Ninja (Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen in Japan) and Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Eighting brings their expertise on those titles to Hunter x Hunter in this tag fighter.
You can watch the announcement trailer here:
Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact Combat System
Similar to Dragon Ball Fighterz and Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact is a 3v3 fighting game with mechanics similar to those titles. Every character has a separate health bar that dwindles when being hit. As this is a tag team fighting game, you can tag characters out when their health is low or when they are at a disadvantage. Hunter x Hunter introduces assists to help out in battle. Use assist to extend combos or to close the gap between you and the opponent.
Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact also features an auto combo called Rush Combos like most modern fighting games do. Pressing one button allows you to perform a combo without having to struggle with complex moves.
Super Attacks
The traditional quarter circle forward motions like in Street Fighter games do not exist in Nen x Impact. Instead, Eighting opted to use single-directional inputs for special moves. Justin Wong of Marvel vs. Capcom fame explains this in his Nen x Impact gameplay video. A good example of this is Power Rangers Battle For the Grid. In both games, pressing right on the analog stick plus a button will give a special move. The same rings true for super moves called Aura Arts.
Aura Arts are cinematic moves that launch a powerful attack against the opponent that does a lot of damage. With a gauge that fills up as you play the game, Aura Arts do more damage the more meters you have. The maximum amount of “aura” you are able to get is four. Another use for the bar is a team super move called Unison Arts. Characters on a team all release their Aura Arts at once.
Over Gear is a gameplay mechanic that gives characters stat boosts to attacks, movement, and other abilities when activated. When in a mode called “crisis,” these stat boosts are amplified. To know when the character is in crisis, their health bar will enter an area wrapped in orange.
Confirmed Characters
Although there will be 16 characters at launch, only 10 are confirmed so far. Below is a list of the launch characters in Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact:
- Gon
- Killua
- Leorio
- Kurapika
- Hisoka
- Netero
- Bisky
- Uvogin
- Machi
- Genthru
Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact is the first Hunter x Hunter game localized in non-Asian regions. In the past, Hunter x Hunter characters were only playable in the West through crossover events and games. Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Hisoka, Biscuit, and Meruem were available in the now-delisted Jump Force. Hunter x Hunter also appeared in several mobile games, including Puzzle & Dragons.
Bushiroad, known for various card games, is publishing the fighting game in Asian regions. With the announcement of Bisky, or Biscuit Krueger, Arc System Works has taken the task of localizing Nen x Impact worldwide. Arc System Works and Bushiroad revealed that Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact will be released sometime in 2024, along with their joint publishing venture.
Though there is no price or preorder available, you can expect to play Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. The anime is available to watch on Crunchyroll. You can also buy the localized manga from Viz Media.
