As in based on existing anime properties (e.g. Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece) or just using an anime/manga aesthetic?

If you mean the former, I recommend DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and 3. And the upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is looking pretty good so far. But if you mean the latter, then Persona 3, 4 and 5 are great, and can be purchased on Steam. I suggest playing them with a controller, as that's what they were initially designed for.

Basically, I'm looking for things in Anime style, so I think the latter. BTW, I forgot that I want them to be free or at least Shareware, as I currently don't have much money.

BTW, I have some PC joysticks at my mother's house, but they have at best two buttons each, and I doubt they'd work on my main laptops. If they are USB controllers, I'd still have trouble using them, as, on my main laptop, all three USB ports are in constant use, and worse, one of them is a mouse, so I'd have to sacrifice something for the controller.

By controller I mean gamepad, so something like Sony's DualShock 4, or the Xbox 360 controller.

Those are useful to have if you're into emulation as well. But yeah, they are connected via USB.

...how long until certain 'elf' games are suggested?

Joseph_Joestar: I can use a gamepad, but I'd have to sacrifice one of my other USB devices. One is constantly used by a floppy drive, and the other a flash drive that holds much of my programming works, so I can sacrifice the floppy drive and swap the flash drive for one that could contain the games. leileilol: I could use an Elf game. 😀

leileilol wrote on 2024-08-01, 20:18:

...how long until certain 'elf' games are suggested?

Darn, you beat me. 🤣

Harry Potter wrote on 2024-08-01, 20:38:

I could use an Elf game. 😀

I'm not quite sure if you fully understand leileilol's comment. 😉 That would turn this thread NSFW in no time. 😁

I wouldn't exactly call it a good game, but Oni was kind of cool for a little bit.

Did anyone call my name ? 😁
- Just kidding.

As far as Anime themed games go, the games from Jast USA or MegaTech come mind.
The Jast USA games also were available on other platforms, such as Windows 3.1/95.

Then there are DOS/V classics such as Rusty, Marble Cooking, Mad Paradox or Totsugeki! Mix..
Their origin is the PC-98 platform, which has a lot of, uhm, "graphic" titles. 😉

Speaking of Japanese games, the game Snatcher, Policenauts or Dead of the Brain are interesting.
A few classic games were translated to English by hobbyists, too. Jesus: Kyōfu no Bio Monster for NES, for example.

The indie game site itch.io has quite some Anime games, too. Many of them are free of charge.
Anyway, these are just my two cents here. I can't go into detail, because I'm afraid that would be NSFW territory. 😁

PS: Some western games had Anime graphics, too. Like Zone 66 or Gem'X.
Also worth a try are diskette magazines, disk mags. For MSX, Sharp X68k or PC-98. Some are in English, more or less.

For DOS, there are also Anime/Manga style games from China. They had their own little world way back in the 90s.
Many games were ported over from other Asian countries to the DOS/VGA platform.

Jo22: I thank you for the link. I found lots of games but none I like for free. 🙁 dormcat: I'm sorry for the stupid question, but what's NSFW?

I remember at some point in the 90's some game called Princess Maker I think caught on in an online group I was in.

Retro Japanese PC games always had a more "adult" connotation to them back in the 90's. Probably because anime in the 90's was always marketed as cartoons with tits and gore, and so the marketing for Japanese PC games followed the same trajectory. I never remember seeing one on the shelf of a software store, only mail order in the pages of Computer Gaming World, and often in the back at that.

Namrok: You're right. While I'm not normally into such, the last few Animes I watched were adult themed. 🙁

Sunrider Mask of Arcadius was (is?) free. Trails of Cold Steel III has a free demo. Can't think of much else that is (legitimately) free and in English. GOG has a lot of $5 anime style games. Elsewhere I've seen a bunch of free VNs which are completely in Japanese.

Harry Potter wrote on 2024-08-02, 12:30:

Namrok: You're right. While I'm not normally into such, the last few Animes I watched were adult themed. 🙁

Hey, I'm not knocking it. I still watch my fair share. Was just sort of pointing out anime games in the 90's, the sort you'd run on retro hardware, where a niche of a niche, especially in the west.

I believe my mother has some money. Maybe the next time I'm at her house, I can look back at itch.io and ask my mother to buy one for me. 😀

I'm surprised no one mentioned Shogo: Mobile Armor Division, that game is basically a love letter to mecha animes.

I admit that, other than itch.io, I only just looked at AppleSauce's suggestion. I believe my mother can buy that game for me. Unfortunately, I have double-vision and would have a hard time playing that game. 🙁

Namrok wrote on 2024-08-02, 12:22:

Retro Japanese PC games always had a more "adult" connotation to them back in the 90's. Probably because anime in the 90's was always marketed as cartoons with tits and gore, and so the marketing for Japanese PC games followed the same trajectory. I never remember seeing one on the shelf of a software store, only mail order in the pages of Computer Gaming World, and often in the back at that.

Because Japanese workplace introduced PC-compatibles much later than other developed countries. Most early computer software were ASCII alphabet-based so Japanese electronic companies started developing proprietary word processor hardware (ワードプロセッサ) capable of Japanese language. Stereotypes quickly formed:

• "Normal" adult salarymen use proprietary word processor in workplaces.
• "Normal" kids and teenagers use consoles for entertainment suitable for all ages.
• Only freakish otaku (nerds) would use "true computers" with DOS/V and play adult-themed games; even fewer would customize hardware.

The progress of MS Windows gradually introduces PC-compatibles to workplaces; the stereotypes still exist, however, leaving Japan with the least proportion of high school students with their own PC-compatibles among developed countries (less than 20%, while in US it's more than 80%). The prevalence of smartphones (iPhones in particular) also contributes this phenomenon: many Japanese companies now complain their new recruits can't even use office suites under Windows and have difficulties using a physical keyboard.

Decades ago, many Western countries started importing Japanese anime and manga with the belief of "proving that cartoons can be an art form that adults can also enjoy" so they deliberately chose titles with more violent and sexual elements, forming another stereotype or "imprinting." Many long-lasting and popular children-themed titles like Doraemon, Anpanman, Chibi Maruko-chan, PreCure, World Masterpiece Theater, etc. have far less exposures or popularities in the West.

The problem is shareware or freeware and here at Vogons we are not allowed to talk about "Abandonware".
Hentai games translated to English from the 90's there are a lot of them floating around the net but of course we would talk about piracy....
Then in the already mentioned Jast USA there are many visual novels, and in GOG too.
On Steam obviously too, outside of visual novels and Hentai games, the genre that has more games with anime aesthetics/style is JRPG.
JRPG games with anime aesthetics that I remember at the moment:
The Tales of saga has a lot of games for PC.
Ni no kuni has two games so far.
The Dragon Quest saga.
The Atelier saga also has several games for PC.
The Sword art online franchise has several games.
The Attack on Titans franchise has several games.
And so we could go on for a long time, but nothing for free.

I don't know, nor have I ever seen, any anime aesthetics/style game that is Shareware or Freeware, maybe because most of the games that are created in Japan don't come out of Japan, as it happens with other things.

Your best option for free anime aesthetics/style games are MMOs.
Genshin impact (I think anyone who watches Anime knows this game)
Snowbreak containment zone
Nostale
Phantasy star online
And many more, but I'm not a fan of MMOs.
And if you are not of age, forget about Hentai games, there are a lot of them. 😉

I like the BlazBlue series (including Entropy Effect). I think it's as anime as a game can get.
Maybe Bladed Fury and Oboro Muramasa.
Also Okami, but it's more thematically anime than aesthetically.
BloodRayne Betrayal and the Shantae series, especially The Half-Genie Hero and The Seven Sirens (for which Studio Trigger made the cut scenes) are also very much anime inspired.