Anime adaptations of video games have become increasingly more frequent as high profile producti♍ons like Netflix's Castlevania have paved the way and shown that it is indeed possible to make good adaptations of🐷 video games. While less critically acclaimed than Castlevania, other Netflix anime like Dragon's Dogma and the recent Dota: Dragon's Blood have still managed to bring video game adaptations further into the mainstream.
However, there have been plenty of anime based on video games over the years that never got the same level of mainstream attention as these recent adaptations. From JRPGs to sci-fi shooters, anime adaptations of video games can be incredibly diverse in subject matter and often quite o😼bscure.
10 🍷 Tales 💮Series
Spanning 25 years with games on w💎ell over a dozen different platforms, the Tales series has definitely left its mark on the video game industry. However, many gamers are unaware of the ser🐼ies' similarly long tradition within the anime industry. Since the first adaptation in 2001, six games in the series have received anime adaptations.
Of those six, Tales of Zestiria the X (2016) boasts some of the highest production quality of any anime adaptation, Tales or not. Made from the studio responsible for anime like Demon Slayer and Fate/Zero, Zestiria the X features similarly gorgeous animation and impressive fight scenes that do justiceꦛ to the original game's exciting combat. For any Tales fans, this anime adaptation is a must-watc♑h.
9 ♏ M💖ass Effect
An American franchise, Mass Effect might not be the first series players would expect to have an anime adaptation, and yet Mass Effect: Paragon Lost, an anime film set during the events of Mass Effect 2, is just that. The anime tells the story of Alliance marine James Vega's troubled past before his debut iౠn Mass Effect 3.
Produced by the anime studio behind Ghost in the Shell and scripted by one of the head writers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, 𝔍Mass Effect: Paragon Lost of course delivers epic sci-fi action and offers insight into some of the less explored aspects of the Mass Effect universe.
8 Kirby
With its bright colors and adorable characters, the Kirby franchise feels like it was made for anime, and Kirby: Right Back at Ya! perfectly captures the cute aesthetic and lighthearted tone of the games. Throughout its impressive 100-episode run, Kirby: Right Back at Ya! follows the childish Kirby, accompanied by br🥃other and sister duo Tiff and Tuff, as he bumbles his way into thwarting the plans of King Dedede and ultimate big-bad Nightmare.
Colorful and🔯 fun, the Kirby anime embodies the best elements of the franchise and prominently features beloved supporting characters like Meta Knight and the Waddle Dees. This anime serves as a great, child-friendly introduction to one of Nintendo's most iconic gaming franchises.
7 🎃 ♒ Star Ocean
With only five installments across twenty-five years, the Star Ocean franchise has never had two games on one console and as such has never cultivated the kind of large fanbase similar JRPG♋s have. While the games were initially critically well-received, the series' legacy survives on𒁏ly within its small cult following.
Like the games, the anime Star Ocean EX (2001) has faded into obscurity. Based on Star Ocean: The Second Story, the 13 episode anime follows astronaut Clau꧑de Kenni who lands on the primitive planet Expel where he meets Rena Lanford, a local who believes he is the legendary Hero of Light destined to save their planet. The two set off on a quest to investigate the mysterious Sorcery Globe and the Ten Wise Men who control it. The anime only covers half the game's story, but for those few Star Ocean fans, the anime does provide an interesting take on the classic franchise.
6 F-Zero
Since the series went on hiatus in 2004, F-Zero has become a cult classic, remembered fondly among fans 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:who earnestly wish for its return, but it has never enjoyed the same recognition as Nintendo's other franchises. Because of its relative anonymity, almost no one has watched its anime adaptation, F-Zero: GP Legend (2003). The anime follows Ryu Suzaku, a policeman who is nearly killed in a car chase but💝 is preserved and revived 150 years later. After waking, Ryu joins the Mobile Task Force, a group of racers dedicated to thwarting the evil Dark Million Organizat𒁏ion.
From the lanky chಌaracter models to the use of flip phones in the year 2201, everything about this series screams early 2000s anime. F-Zero: GP Legend should appeal to anyone who enjoys high speed races and melodramatic storytelling. If nothing else, the anime at least provides an excuse to listen to the epic Mute City track over and over again.
5 Halo
A co-production betw൲een 343 Industries and six different anime studios, Halo Legends (2010) is an anthology film, composed of seven separate shorts set within the Halo universe. The shorts' topics range from intense tragedy to comedic spoofs, and a few shorts elaborate on the origins of Halo staples like The Flood and the Covenant alliance.
Although some shorts include familiar characters like Cortana or Dr. Halsey, they mostly focus on unique characters and their individual stories within the larger Halo universe. While lacking in polish and cohesive narrative structure, Halo Legends does satisfy the desire to see anime-style action set to the Halo series' beautiful score and offers the occasion෴al moment of stylistic brilliance.
4 ꧑ Animal Cr🎉ossing
From the opening scene of Kapp'n in his taxi, t💟here are plen🌄ty of references to Animal Crossing games throughout this anime to amuse fans. Animal Crossing: The Movie (2006) replicates the comforting mood of the games, seamlessly incorporating the music and gameplay mechanics into the story.
Based primarily on Animal Crossing: Wild World, the movie features familiar villagers Margie, Rosie, Apollo, and Whitney and includes cameos from visitors like Pascal, Wendell, and Gulliver. The anime depicts the reality of friends moving away and the struggles of achieving personal goals, all through the lens of Animal Crossing. As such, the movie feels like a comprehensive and genuine love letter🐟 to the franchise that will mak💃e any long-time fan feel nostalgic.
3 Valkyria♉ Chronicles
Valkyria Chronicles remains one of Sega's most critically acclaimed franchises and boasts four games across a number of platforms, as well as a good anime adaptation. The anime💮 faithfully adapts the events of the first game, following Alicia Melchiott and Welkin Gunther of the Gallian citizen-turned-militia 🌺as they resist an alternative history Axis Powers, called the Imperials.
While the anime's plot sometimes deviates fr🐷om the gam🍰e to fit its 26 episode run-time, it accurately preserves the series' atmosphere and tone. There is a big emphasis on humor, romance, and character development just like in the games, so fans of the series will find plenty to appreciate about this adaptation.
2 🔜 Professor Layton
Despite being DS exclusive🍌, t𝓰he Professor Layton series has evolved into quite the successful franchise and has spawned two different anime adaptations. The anime series is loosely based on the spin-off game Layton's Mystery Journey, but the anime film Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva is actually a canon story set between The Last Specter and The Miracle Mask.
The film sees Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke getting caught in a death game where a masked villain offers the winner eternal life. The anime perfectly captures the feel of the series, employing the same art style, highlighting Layton's puzzle🅷-solving process, and slowly revealing a mystery that could easily be the plot to one of the games.
1 𒅌 Fire Emblem
Before Fire Emblem Awakening reinvigorated the Fire Emblem franchise and introduced a distinctly anime art style to the series, there was a little-known, t🐭wo-part original anime released in 1996 that was based on the original game, Fire 💫Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. Like the game, the anime follows Prince Marth as he tries to recl♒aim his stolen throne, restore peace to the continent of Archanea, and defeat the evil wizard Gharnef.
While the anime rushes through and only tells an incomplete portion of the game's story, there are still moments of classic Fire Emblem humor, cheesy drama, and exciting action, all accompanied by the games' iconic score. Most fans of the series will find somet🍬hing to enjoy in this෴ throwback adaptation.
