Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact launched with the explosive flair fans hoped for-but it didn’t take long for reality to hit harder than Hisoka in a corner trap. The new tag-team fighter, crafted by the renowned Eighting studio and published by Bushiroad, brings chaotic, flashy battles to the arena, channeling heavy Marvel vs. 
Capcom 3 energy. But the honeymoon phase is already fading as players face a frustrating nemesis: unstable online play.
With only five days since its release on July 16, the Steam reception is split. Although positive reviews outnumber negatives at about a 2:1 ratio, the overall rating sits at a lukewarm “Mixed.” That’s mostly due to netcode issues-rollback problems and frequent desync errors are making online matches nearly unplayable for many. Even glowing reviews admit the online experience is a gamble.
And that’s a shame, because the core gameplay has a lot going for it. Whether you’re combo-looping with Kurapika or zoning out with Hisoka, there’s an undeniable charm to the wild, freeform chaos. The combat system offers a level of expression that fighting game veterans instantly recognize. Watching the cast of Hunter x Hunter beat each other senseless with particle effects flying is, frankly, hype.
Eighting’s pedigree adds to the expectations. Their past work on Marvel vs. Capcom 3 left a legacy of frenetic fun, and you can clearly see its DNA here. Nen x Impact feels like it wants to be the next big thing in tag-fighters. Unfortunately, all the style in the world won’t keep players around if they can’t get through a match without the game throwing a fit.
The devs acknowledged the issues in a statement on launch day, citing problems with excessive rollback and match terminations. They’ve promised fixes and future updates to show connection strength and region info. For now, they suggest playing with a “stable and reliable” connection-which, in 2025, is like telling players to blow in the cartridge.
Meanwhile, competition in the genre is heating up. Riot’s 2XKO and Arc System Works’ Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls are looming, and they won’t be waiting around for Nen x Impact to find its footing. If Eighting doesn’t tighten up the online infrastructure fast, it could miss its moment to shine.
For fans, it’s a painful contradiction: a game that feels incredible in motion but crumbles when played online. Nen x Impact is full of potential. Whether that’s enough to overcome its current flaws will depend on how quickly-and effectively-the devs can clean up their netcode mess. Until then, the game may remain under a very real, very frustrating nen curse.