Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters is a rocked out visual novel adventure game by Arc System Works, that takes players on a mission to uncover clues behind mysterious appearances around parts of the city pertaining to ghosts. You team up with a group of ghost hunters who’ll do anything it takes to exorcise these supernatural beings before they end up possessing people and causing more havoc than they should. You’re a rookie on the team and so throughout the game you’ll need to get used to all of the mechanics to ensure every ghost is defeated, while using trial and error to advance you further.

We happened to do a review for Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters thanks to the team at Arc System Works, so be sure to check it out if you’d like to know more behind the story and gameplay. Without going into too much detail, you essentially work your way through various scenarios that deal with different types of ghosts, all of which come with their own unique abilities. You’ll need to track down and corner the ghosts using your tools and prevent their escape, while avoiding significant damage and dying. The game requires a lot of thinking in order to pull off the right strategy, but the rewards are satisfying enough to have you stick around a little longer.

Xblaze Lost: Memories is the sequel to XBlaze Code: Embryo and stars “Me” as the protagonist, whose sister mysteriously disappears and so now Me runs around frantically trying to find out where she went. Questions ran through the mind of Me, who assumed that her father was perhaps behind all of this since he had performed dangerous experiments on his wife prior. She runs to her father’s laboratory to see if her assumptions were true, only to be casted into a new world known as Phantom Field, with her memories erased. Now Me’s on a journey to uncover the origins of Phantom Field along with restoring her memories, and finding her sister.

Arc System Works as of late has become more notable for their fighting titles, but it came to us as a surprise when we learned that Xblaze Lost: Memories was in fact a visual novel. It’s certainly a step away from the norm that the company is known for, but you can definitely see remnants of the art style leak into the game along with great action the company is known for. If you’re looking for an emotionally moving story along with great visuals, then be sure to give this one a try because you will not be disappointed.

Chase: Cold Case Investigations - Distant Memories is quite the unusual title coming from Arc System Works, since they’re quite known for creating insanely fast paced titles which mainly pertain to fighting. Chase is a detective game which is based around two detectives who must now reopen a case which had been ruled as an accident, but in fact was carried out to mask a murder from being solved. Now, the two of them must head out to investigate the case once again and see who’s truly behind the murder.

While not as upbeat compared to their more action oriented titles, Chase: Cold Case Investigations - Distant Memories does take you on a chase as you try and track down the real culprit. The game at times struggles to find its way pertaining to dialogue, but what’s striking is that it does create a nice setting for the entire story to take place in. So while it’s not all button mashing and flashy combos like other titles on the list, it’s a nice trip away from the fighting and more about the nitty gritty details about coming to a conclusion to solve a crime.

The Arcana Hearts series was one of the earlier titles for Arc System Works that introduced players to fighting games in a more cutesy and approachable way. Those who weren’t entirely familiar with how to play fighting games picked up Arcana Hearts because compared to other fighters which focused on tight execution and hours of time invested to mastering combos, Arcana Hearts felt very lenient while still providing players of any skill level to jump in and take on the competition.

Arcana Hearts 3 seemed to learn a lot from its past predecessors and introduced more features that helped to smooth out the gameplay, while still retaining the very same reputation it had been known for. The game is still fast and exciting to play, both on console and at the arcades, with a very cool assortment of characters all of which come with their own playstyle in battle. With so many strategies to come up with on the fly to outsmart your opponent, along with a stellar combo system that’s been revamped for more versatility, Arcana Hearts 3 is one classic title anyone can enjoy.

Hard Corps Uprising was a title that released on the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox Live for Xbox 360, and while it didn’t grab a lot of attention it still managed to be a very fun game on its own. Taking inspiration from classic platformers like Contra, Metal Slug and Castlevania, Hard Corps Uprising is an action title that throws you into the battlefield where you must fend off enemies with weapons generated on the fly. It’s really a title that feels nostalgic simply because anyone who grew up playing Contra will know just addicting that game was. You dash through the level gathering powerups for your weapons, which makes traversing through each level thrilling, while the boss battles are entertaining and challenging.

While it certainly isn’t a groundbreaking title, what Hard Corps Uprising does is that it takes notes from the best titles of its genre, throws in a little Arc System Works spice and creates a very unique experience that comes with a wicked soundtrack. The graphics are very Guilty Gear-esque, with both main characters sharing some resemblance to other characters from other titles in the Arc System Works catalog. If you haven’t had a chance to pick up this title and play, be sure to check it out on PSN if it’s still up.

Chaos Code is one of Arc System Works anime fighters that managed to collect a dedicated group of skilled players, but didn’t come out the gates as quickly as the other mentions on our list. That isn’t to say Chaos Code is bad, but it certainly didn’t climb to the higher ranks of reputable fighters like some of its cousins. Much like any 2D fighting game, a lot of the gameplay takes place in a 2D battlefield where players must pick their favorite character and duke it out against either the computer or other skilled opponents.

You can maneuver around in the air much like any other anime fighter, traveling in 8 directions using your joystick and avoiding incoming attacks from your opponent. The great aspect about Chaos Code is that it sets itself apart from the rest of the cast by creating unique play styles with each character, while introducing cool features such as Exceed Chaos which removes any sort of limitations on combos while in battle. If you’re new to anime fighting games and want a title to get the hang of things without being too overwhelmed, then definitely try Chaos Code out.

Under Night in Birth Exe: Late is a game that much like Chaos Code, didn’t reach the upper echelon status like its cousins Blazblue and Guilty Gear Xrd, but still managed to reach out to fans who felt the game was superb all around. The awesome aspect about Under Night in Birth Exe: Late is that every character feels so fresh, and their voice acting is spot on. The new emergence of delightfully cool characters made playing the game more satisfying because there was always something new to learn.

Some characters excelled at long range with pokes, while others prefered to play a very up close and personal approach. While that formula is scattered across every title spanning back to the early days of fighting games, Under Night in Birth: Exe Late or UNIEL for short takes you into a much different universe that’s filled with excitement and discovery. The character roster is large and never feels stale, so trying out new combos with the cast is a rewarding experience.

The Persona franchise is perhaps more recognized as the role playing game that takes you on wild adventures, as you solve puzzles and defeat monsters with your persona in battle. It seems that everyone loved the series so much that Arc System Works and Atlus decided to take a step in a different direction and released it as a fighting game, which now puts popular characters of the franchise against each other in battle for the top spot. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax came out with a bang as players flocked to the arcades to sit down and learn the ins and outs of the popular series, dropping every yen they could to play for hours.

It certainly was a blast to sit down and play with your favorite characters from the series, coming up with deadly combos and mind games to outwit your opponent. The brand itself was enough to sell the game and that it did, which helped to keep the game on the radar for a long time. Unfortunately, other fighting titles started to come out and while Persona managed to hold on for a very long time, it just couldn’t keep up with the trends. In spite of that, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax still has a very devoted following. If you ever come to Japan, you’ll get to see the masters at work in person.

The Blazblue franchise is certainly one of Arc System Works’ more notable titles, and certainly deserves all the credit it has been receiving as of late. There’s just something about the lore behind Blazblue that makes it so thrilling to play, whether you’re controlling the environment with Rachel, or rushing people down with Kazuma. Diversity and perhaps art style are the true selling points of Blazblue Central Fiction because every stage is filled with glorious details, and it feels very alive as you watch things interact with one another.

The competitive scene for Blazblue Central Fiction is at the highest it has ever been in years, with more and more players taking a break from Street Fighter V to learn a little more about the anime fighting game scene. The story on its own is interesting enough to peak the interest of any player, while it’s the extremely addicting and fast paced gameplay that makes this title such a thrill to play and watch. Come to Japan if you truly want to see the game played at a high level, or if you can’t afford to make your way over here then be sure to tune into EVO 2017 this year to see the game in action.

If there’s one game that’s been the driving force behind the continuous growth of the anime fighting community, the award would most certainly go to Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator. No one would argue that Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator has some of the best music in any fighting game, let alone any game period and the moment the notes hit your ears you just go into hype mode and play the best game of your life. Guilty Gear has always been a series that’s paid tribute to famous artists in the rock genre such as Guns n’ Roses’ Axl, or Sol Bad Guy’s Queen reference with “Rock You” labeled on his headband.

There’s a plethora of reasons why this game is number one, such as the incredible combo system that anyone can master with enough practice, and the character diversity is always unique. Arc System Works just continues to provide more and more as the series continues to mature, with the latest announcement of Xrd Rev 2 making waves in the fighting community. We’re definitely stoked to hear more about the next installment to the popular series, so be sure to keep it locked here when all the info drops!