Background on Orange Popcorn is bare. From what I could find, they are a small studio based in East Asia. Despite the lack of a company site, the first and only game they put together speaks beyond their meager (English) social media presence.
Although I might be biased after my review of Postal 4 (of which the devs surprisingly take pride in getting a 2/10 from IGN), HunterX was a charmingly enjoyable experience for my first Souls-like game. People who have played actual Souls-like games may find the game too easy. As someone who hasn’t, I found it very accessible after I accepted that the game is supposed to reward technical play (i.e. get good or die).
There’s no fancy cutscenes or cryptic mystery at the start - Tsuki, the protagonist, jumps off a rooftop building while her little totally-not-a-magical-girl mascot comments about how much thicker the moon looks. Then it’s straight into the streets and sewers of a Japanese town. The first thing I noticed was how deliberate the controls feel - they aren’t fancy or overwhelming, but perfectly playable on a controller. Every input felt like it was carefully metered, from my jump height to aerial movements. There is a certain floaty maneuverability that Smash Bros players might find familiar, but unlike tournament johns these controls tell you, “If you mess up, it’s your fault.” The movement options might feel limited at first, but as a metroidvania, you gain abilities like aerial dashes as you explore and level up.
The souls-like combat translates pretty well to 2D, so far as what I imagine a souls-like game would be. Although it would be cool to see flashy effects like Platinum Games titles, the core combat feels fair and well polished. Attacks have weight to them even if I tried to spam slashes, while the slight bullet time from parrying feels impactful, deserved, and never tiring to see. Casting spells seem slightly lackluster since you can’t aim them directionally, but they do their job in-combat admirably.
Aesthetics are the biggest initial draw to the game. People who aren’t into the Western Fantasy/realistic style of many souls-likes might find this an easier entry point, while fans of both souls-likes and anime will probably enjoy HunterX. The Japanese voice acting is well done and doesn’t feel grating. While I did predict that I’d get tired of the Priestess’ quote when she defeats you, it’s more due to insult on top of injury. The artstyle doesn’t feel uncanny, though the background details are pretty simple as far as 3D assets go.
Overall, I would recommend HunterX to people who are looking for a solid entry souls-like experience and are fans of anime. It’s not a flashy game oozing with style like the Persona series, but as far as an indie game goes there’s a lot of quality to like.
HunterX is available on Steam for $15. As of writing it is on sale for 15% off until May 5th.
Side note: one unfortunate part about HunterX is its name - search engines will think you’re looking for Hunter x Hunter, so it’s difficult to just type in “HunterX” and find its steam page. Searching up “HunterX Steam” results in a different game called, “Hunter X Begins.” While this might affect traction, hopefully it gains enough following to be searchable.