The long-running Hunter x Hunter series recently received a new video game adaptation with Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact. With a beloved brand and a notable fighting game developer on board, you might hope this would go off without a hitch.
Yet in the days since launch, Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact has been the subject of discourse and criticism within the fighting game community. Its gameplay hearkens back to the kind of scrappy, seemingly overpowered bouts many enjoy in this particular environment, but several issues have been holding Nen x Impact back; namely, the netcode.
Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact is a tag-team fighting game that went live five days ago on July 16 and, at the time of writing, has a little over 140 total reviews on Steam. While the ratio of positive-to-negative reviews favors the former, it’s at a roughly 2:1 ratio, leaving Nen x Impact at an overall “Mixed.”
Multiple reviews, even the positive ones, note issues specifically with the netcode. While there are issues taken with a slim single-player offering and other points, netcode is a primary concern.
On the flip-side, the majority in positive reviews do enjoy the fighting quite a bit. “I can’t help it man, its my favorite fighting game ever. nothing else comes close in terms of how freeform you can be, how explosive it is, how impressive it feels and looks to do well,” one reviewer wrote.
netcode broke pic.twitter.com/J6NDWuJEzP
— Broskі (@broskiFGC) July 15, 2025
Within the broader fighting game community, Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact is receiving similar criticism. Even those who have been eager to play and compete, who see the potential in Nen x Impact, are hitting a wall with its online play.
Nen impact has some 2011 netcode lol what is this
— dekillsage (@dekillsage) July 15, 2025
just to clarify i still really like the core gameplay of nen impact, had a lot of fun labbing stuff, but the netcode constantly fluctuates 3-6f of rollback even against people close to you, it doesnt work right and i dont think its a good consumer product as of the current patch
— Broskі (@broskiFGC) July 15, 2025
It’s honestly a shame, because Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact does have some incredible potential. It’s based on Hunter x Hunter, for one thing; an anime series that has a wide cast of characters, each with their own unique powers that could make for a rich environment of playstyles and designs. Seeing Biscuit Krueger, Hisoka, Kurapika, and more face-off is already fun, especially since shonen fighting games can range from stellar to less-than-stellar.
Nen x Impact also inherits a legacy from its developer, Eighting. It’s a studio known in fighting game circles for its contributions to the craft, most notably with its work on Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. Watch some clips of Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact, and it’s not hard to see the MvC3 influence.
— PO1 | ピチカート (@pizzicatokai) July 19, 2025
This should be a match made in Hunter x Hunter heaven. But instead, Nen x Impact has struggled to find a foothold due to online frustrations. It’s the kind of issue that is, as fighting game commentator Sajam put it, thankfully an outlier these days, but can still be a major blocker for any game trying to keep an audience. In-person and local competition is still huge for fighting games, but online play has been a core part of keeping a game’s community alive and thriving. Bushiroad and Eighting even pushed the original 2024 launch date of Nen x Impact back in order to implement rollback netcode.
The developer published a statement on July 16, confirming both an issue where “excessive rollback frames occur during matches” and one where “matches forcibly terminate due to desynchronization errors.” The team confirms it’s investigating these issues and is working on a resolution. Meanwhile, the studio is recommending players fight under “a stable and reliable internet connection whenever possible,” and will introduce a feature in an upcoming update to view “more detailed information” regarding an opponent’s connection quality and region.
The question now is whether these fixes can arrive fast enough, before other games steal the spotlight. The tag fighter genre is starting to get a little crowded, as both Riot’s 2XKO and now Arc System Works’ Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls loom on the horizon. It would be exciting for MvC3 fans and Hunter x Hunter fans alike to see Eighting get Nen x Impact to a stable place, but it seems like the road there could be longer than some would hope.
Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.
