The Seven Deadly Sins Origin For Complete Newcomers: Can You Play Without Knowing The Anime?
The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is built so you can play it as a standalone open‑world action RPG, but you’ll appreciate more references and character moments if you know the anime or manga. New players can still follow the main story just fine, because it’s framed as a new adventure centered on Tristan rather than a direct retelling.
How much anime knowledge do you need?
Netmarble’s own description emphasizes that Origin is an “original multiverse storyline” starring Tristan, set after the Holy War and between the anime and movie timelines. That structure lets the game:
- Introduce Tristan, new characters, and key returning heroes (Meliodas, Elizabeth, etc.) as part of a fresh plot, not as a beat‑for‑beat recap.
- Use time‑space distortions and multiverse angles so that meeting familiar faces can be framed as new encounters even for players who have never watched the show.
Game8’s story overview calls out that the narrative is understandable on its own, with cutscenes explaining core relationships and world stakes in‑game.
What newcomers will miss (and what they won’t)
You won’t miss:
- The main conflict: Tristan’s journey, world threats, and your immediate goals are all explained through Origin’s own cutscenes and quests.
- Basic character roles: the game clearly positions who is an ally, mentor, villain, or rival as you play, even if you’ve never heard of the Seven Deadly Sins.
You will miss some:
- Emotional callbacks and in‑jokes tied to the original Sins and their past arcs.
- Extra resonance when the game references specific manga/anime events or relationships that Origin only briefly nods to.
Previews describe Origin as “a whole vibe” for fans, but still accessible enough that non‑fans can enjoy it purely as a slick anime action RPG.
Is the gameplay understandable on its own?
Yes. All the core systems, exploration, combat, co‑op, and gacha, are genre‑standard and don’t require IP knowledge.
- Exploration: roam a big open world, pick up side quests, solve puzzles, gather resources, and clear dungeons.
- Combat: real‑time action with a party of heroes you switch between mid‑fight; the tutorial introduces combos, tag attacks, and ultimates from scratch.
- Co‑op: opt‑in multiplayer raids and shared exploration; other players don’t expect you to know the story to function in fights.
- Gacha: collect heroes and weapons via banners; the system is explained in‑game like any other gacha RPG.
BlueStacks and early reviewer guides present Origin as a full newcomer‑friendly ARPG first, franchise tie‑in second.
Who should watch the anime first (and who doesn’t need to)?
You don’t need to watch the anime if you:
- Mainly care about open‑world exploration, combat, and co‑op with friends.
- Are used to jumping into other anime gachas (like Genshin or HSR) without prior lore knowledge.
You might want to watch at least some of the anime or read summaries if you:
- Enjoy character‑driven stories and want maximum emotional payoff from returning Sins and their dynamics.
- Plan to spend a lot of time (or money) in Origin and want the extra context that makes banners and story updates more meaningful.
In short, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is designed so complete newcomers can jump in and enjoy it as a standalone co‑op open‑world gacha RPG, with the anime acting as a bonus layer of context and fanservice rather than a requirement.
