Key points
- Neon Genesis Evangelion has spawned numerous video games, from visual novels to fighting games.
- Titles like 1st Impression and Battle Orchestra offer fans an interactive anime experience.
- Evangelion 64 stands out as the best all-rounder for delivering a solid gaming experience on Nintendo 64.
An anime landmark and cultural touchstone, Neon Genesis Evangelion it is still an enduring presence nearly thirty years after its first publication. The apocalyptic story of giant robots piloted by conflicted teenagers is one of the most beloved and iconic franchises in Japanese animation, and has won new fans along the way thanks to its inclusion on Netflix and a fourth and final Rebuild film released in 2021.
The series lends itself well to video games, and there have been so many titles and spinoffs over the years — including pachinko, dating sims, visual novels, and mobile games — that it's hard to keep track of them all. To make your life a little easier, these are some of the best leading products Evangelion games.
Despite the popularity of the series abroad, many
Neon Genesis Evangelion
the games were never released outside of Japan and, as a result, can only be played in Japanese.
7 Neon Genesis Evangelion first impression
First impressions last in the debut of the series' video games
- Developer: SEGA AM2
- Platform: Sega Saturn
- Release date: March 1, 1996
- Type: visual novel/role-playing game
1st impression sets the tone for most games in the series by prioritizing cutscenes, images, and music from the TV series over gameplay elements. Set shortly after the episode “Asuka Strikes!”, the player takes control of Shinji Ikari after losing his memory following a traumatic battle between angels and must recover by fighting Asuka before once again facing the angel who defeated him .
The gameplay, such as it is, mixes RPG elements with plenty of animated cutscenes and iconography from the show. The whole thing can be completed in a tidy forty minutes, so it doesn't offer the most solid gameplay experience but it's still a cheerful celebration of the anime with some nice visuals from the Saturn era.
6 Shinseiki Evangelion: Typing Project E (PC)
One of the wackiest but funniest entries
- Developer: Gainax
- Platform:PC
- Release date: February 8, 2001
- Type: Typing
Anyone familiar with Sega Typing of the dead will know the practice in this typing game, as the player has to use a special keyboard to type words within a time limit to complete the tasks. By typing project E is on the weirder end of the spectrum Evangelion games, as he comically bounces between serious and less serious scenarios.
For a minute Asuka will battle mass-produced units in a recreation of the unforgettable scene from The end of evangelization. A few seconds later, a friendly Misato will be guzzling beer and preparing bento boxes in her kitchen. The game requires typing Kana and Latin characters, so English speakers might enjoy this colorful and whimsical entry a little more.
5 Neon Genesis Evangelion second impression
Second time's the charm as Shinji continues his adventures
- Developer: Gainax
- Platform: Sega Saturn
- Release date: March 7, 1997
- Type: visual novel/role-playing game
2nd impressionas the title suggests, it does much of the same work as its predecessor. The biggest difference here is that the game uses a choose-your-own-adventure approach and has separate paths the player can take in the narrative, each with their own ending. It contains a completely new story but also has the same structure as an episode of the show, so fans will feel like they're playing an interactive anime.
The game focuses on Shinji's interactions with a transfer student named Mayumi Yamagishi and their infection by an angel. The gameplay refines on the RPG formula introduced in the previous game and adds plenty of animated cutscenes for good measure.
4 Neon Genesis Evangelion: Battle Orchestra
There's no room for teenage angst in this brawler
- Developer: Headlock
- Platform: PlayStation 2, PlayStation portable
- Release date: June 28, 2007 (PS2), March 19, 2009 (PSP)
- Type: Fighting
Epic clashes between powerful beings are recreated in this platform fighting game originally released for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. Anyone Evangelion fans who wanted a chance to battle it out will be over the moon as all the Eva Units and Angels from the franchise are included. Some fan service is thrown in for good measure as characters from Rebuild movies are also included.
The game mechanics don't have the depth of more well-known fighting games like Super Smash Bros. but they are still usable. The game featured fully rendered 3D backgrounds, and each playable character could perform two special attacks that could unleash a devastating special attack.
3 Reconstruction of Evangelion: sound impact
Make sweet music in this rhythm action game
- Developer: Production of locusts
- Platform: Portable PlayStation (PSP)
- Release date: September 29, 2011
- Type: Rhythm
The rhythm action craze of the 2000s has found a home in this PlayStation Portable title, overseen by No more heroes developer Grasshopper Manufacture with Suda 51 as executive producer. The game came out shortly after the first one Rebuild the film was released in Japan. Most of the music in the game was taken from that film.
Original Evangelion composer Shiro Sagisu had his own compositions in the game, along with legendary ones silent Hill the composer Akira Yamaoka. The title maintains Grasshopper Manufacture's style for the esoteric. Stunning visuals combine with unusual gameplay elements to create a unique, if not the longest, experience.
2 Evangelion VR: Throne of Souls
A Truly Spectacular Experience – With a Catch
- Developer: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Platform: VR arcade experience
- Release date: July 14, 2017
- Type: First-person robot combat
Throne of Souls recreates an experience that most Evangelion fans can only dream: a first-person pilot simulation of the Eva Unit, in a VR game no less. Players sit inside a dedicated motion simulator that's supposed to be an Eva cockpit (without immersing themselves in the orange LCL immersive fluid), where they must defend Tokyo-3 from the Tenth Angel, teaming up with two other pilots to banish the foul beast.
The game includes show features like player sync speed tracking and the visuals are cutting edge, making it a once-in-a-lifetime video game show. Unfortunately for anyone outside of Japan, such an experience is only available in some Japanese VR arcades, which means there's a lot of travel expenses involved if you want Shinji to climb into the robot.
1 Neon Genesis Evangelion, also known as Evangelion 64
The best all-rounder offers a solid Eva experience
- Developer: BEC
- Platform:Nintendo64
- Release date: June 25, 1999
- Type: Action/Fight
Evangelion 64 takes the top spot for a few reasons: it's the most playable, it hits the sweet spot between fan service and gameplay, and it offers a longer play time than some of its competitors. Not only that, but it looks noticeably better than several Nintendo 64 games released around the same time, representing something of a technical highlight for the console.
The premise is quite simple; Shinji must pilot Unit 01 and defeat the Angels, but there are unlockable game modes beyond the ability to play as Rei or Asuka. The game's cinematic presentation made it feel like an episode brought to life and included aspects of the story not present in the TV show or films, making it a holy grail for hardcore. Evangelion fans.
