Gameplay for the new anime 2.5D tag fighter that Eighting is building, Hunter X Hunter Nen x Impact, has surfaced straight from the EVO Japan 2024 floor. The six original revealed characters are seen either in the arena or a forest area so far. Tagging, push blocking, and tag team supers are definitely in. The original six characters seem to be present so far for the demo.
Tagging doesn’t seem to hold a kick or attack each time. There seems to be an X-Factor-esque mechanic called Overgear, which, in turn, buffs attacks and speed based on how many characters you still have left. The less you have, the stronger your character is. According to interviews, the simplified input style seems to be the dominant one, whereas QCFs and HCFs are not needed for two-button moves. It seems to feel more aligned to Under Night 2 with the speed so far.
Some eagle-eyed Twitter handles have already seen the similarities between Nen X Impact and its’ Eight siblings, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Especially with the animations. Chun-Li seems to be picked on alot with these. It’s probably already expected that the company would revisit the tag framework for other games and improve.
Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact vs TvC/MvC3 animation comparison pic.twitter.com/6KKwnyqTvP
— John Crofts (jmcrofts) (@crofts) April 26, 2024
Other Twitter handles have also given the world a glimpse of what to expect in the wild.
【世界最速】『HUNTER×HUNTER NEN×IMPACT』EVO Japan2024試遊版を最速プレイレポート！初心者も格闘ゲームファンも楽しめる傑作の予感https://t.co/RFt8OpXDRC
この難しそうなコンボもボタンだけでできちゃう！？#HxHNI #EVOJ24 #ハンター #ハンターハンター pic.twitter.com/Rg6kChHyxP
— Goziline公式 (@goziline_staff) April 25, 2024
FGC Content Creator and Street Fighter esports champ Justin Wong is already praising the game with comparisons to other tag titles, such as Eighting’s magnum opus, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Dragonball FighterZ.
Like seriously no joke! Yall are going to love playing Hunter x Hunter. If you are a UMVC3, MVC2, DBFZ, Skullgirls, Blazblue, Guilty Gear fan yall gonna be locked in
— Justin Wong (@JWonggg) April 25, 2024
In fact, Justin Wong goes into the Nen x Impact demo in detail with a YouTube video. Spending about 2 hours with the game, he was really hoping for 10.
Hunter X Hunter: Nen x Impact will be released in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. Eighting and Bushiroad are the developers and publishers, respectively.
