Summary
It seems like an isekai anime is born every minute, as the genre is more popular than ever before. Since many games are made in Japan, one would think the isekai genre would be more popular in modern video games, but the concept is still a bit rare — unless an isekai anime gets a game adaptation like the variousSword Art OnlineRPGs from Bandai Namco.
There are some other examples to get into, though, and many have appeared on PlayStation consoles as far back as the PS2. What are the best across Sony’s console library? This list ranks these isekai-style video games based on their worldbuilding and overall quality.
Digimon Adventureis an adaptation of thefirst season of theDigimonanime, which is one of the greatest isekai of all time. A bunch of teenagers get sucked into a vortex and transported to a world filled with monsters.
Thankfully, the characters get monsters of their own, and in this dungeon-crawler RPG, players can form parties of three and go through a condensed journey of the anime. The only downside is that it was only released on the PSP in Japan — but good news for fans of patches because there is an English transition out there.
Forspokenmay not gel with everyone as the protagonist, Frey, can be abrasive at first, but she will grow on players. Even if they don’t like her, no one can deny how fun thegame’s flowing magic systemis to experinemtn with and control.
To rewind, Frey is a young woman from New York City who gets transported into a magical world through a gate, and thanks to a talking bracelet, she can wield powerful magic. From fire spells to controlling lightning, Frey has a lot of power behind her, not to mention she can run, speed, and leap through the world like the wind.
Eternal Sonatatakes the real-world composer, Frederic Chopin, into a dream world when he is on his deathbed. Surprisingly, Chopin is pretty relaxed once he gets there, as if anime characters, magic, and monsters wouldn’t frighten a musician from the 1800s.
Despite the darkness of the game’s themes, the world itself is bright and colorful with agreat cel-shaded aesthetic. Battles are action-based with characters able to move around combat arenas during their turn. The premise might sound bizarre at first blush, but there’s plenty here for isekai fans and JRPG fans to dig into.
Infinity Nikkiis one of the strangest open-world games to come out in the last few years — and that isn’t a bad thing. The game begins with Nikki and her cat friend, Momo, discovering a magic dress in her attic that then transports the two into the magical world of Miraland.
Instead of battling monsters, fighting some vague evil force, or climbing towers,Infinity Nikkiis a platformer obsessed with fashion. As a free-to-play game, it’s fully packed with a lot of content, and it just keeps getting better and more whimsical as the months go on. Dazzling new outfits are added to the game regularly, and moving around the charming open world can be a blast, as there’s always plenty to do inInfinity Nikki.
World of Final Fantasyis one of the few isekai examples in theFinal Fantasyfranchise. Things begin with siblings Lann and Reynn as they get transported into a book world known as Grymoire, which is an amalgamation of all the mainlineFinal Fantasygamescombined.
World of Final Fantasyis a fan crossover event that combines the typical turn-based gameplay the franchise is known for with aPokemon-like collect-a-thon that is equal parts fun and weird. The game offers a big world filled with cute characters and squish-able monsters, so there’s not much to complain about.
To start, this entry for13 Sentinels: Aegis Rimwill contain spoilers as the isekai nature is hidden at the start of the game. This narrative-based adventuregame from Vanillawarewants players to think they are going through eras via time travel.
That’s surprisingly not the case, though, as every character players control is trapped in an endless simulation with their bodies stuck in a pod very reminiscent ofThe Matrix. When they “time travel,” they’re just going into another biome within a space station as all of humanity has been dead for thousands of years. Even with that knowledge spoiled, the finer details are still worth investigating in this incredible adventure strategy game.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witchand its sequel,Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom, are two of the greatest isekai examples in video games. Presented in the beautiful Studio Ghibli art style,the first game follows Oliver, a young boy who lost his mother, to another world where he hopes to find his mother’s parallel self. The gameplay is turn-based and largely revolves around collectingPokemon-like entities called Familiars.
The unconnected sequel has Roland, the president of an unnamed country (definitely the United States of America) transported into another world to help a young king, Evan, reclaim his own kingdom through action gameplay. Both games are great, offering two distinct flavors, with the original being the more ambitious and beloved RPG overall.
The entireKingdom Heartsseries is one big isekai followingSora, a young kidwho gets to travel to many other worlds by unlocking gateways with his newly acquired magic Keyblade. Most of these worlds are based on Disney movies, includingAladdinin the first game and most recentlyFrozeninKingdom Hearts 3.Sora isn’t jumping into the literal movies, though, as each planet is presented as real locations, adding to the overall magic of the experience.
Further establishingKingdom Hearts’distinct tone, the games are also heavily infused withFinal Fantasyelements and characters, delivering the bizarre and charming mish-mash of two major IPs that somehow work wonderfully together. It’s an isekai saga that has great anime-style movie or show potential, but for now, action RPG fans can have it all to themselves.
