I’ve enjoyed the debut of Senran Kagura in the states when Senran Kagura Burst was released for 3DS last year. Now XSEED Games has brought over another game in the series for Playstation Vita titled, Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus. Along with better graphics, the gameplay is brought to a 3D environment, allowing for more freedom of movement and increased over-the-top action. The formula isn’t changed too much, so those who’ve played Burst should already have a good idea of how Shinovi Versus will play.
The story of Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus occurs after the events that happened in Senran Kagura Burst. The girls of Hanzo Academy return with two new schools added into the mix. So in total there are four different academies with their own set of Shinobi characters for you to play as. Just like with Burst, the story is presented in mostly text, with plenty of Japanese voiced dialogue mixed in. Along with multiple story missions(one for each school), there are also character specific events that will provide further insight into all the different characters. So there’s no shortage of content in terms of story if you’re curious about the Senran Kagura universe.
Gameplay for Shinovi Versus is similar to Burst, where you take control of any of the female shinobi and face multiple waves of enemies in combat. With the rule of “taking too much hits will cause your clothing to tear and disappear” being kept intact. The big update to the system is that it’s now in a 3D environment, instead of 2D. Controls are still the same and straighforward. You’re still mashing on two melee buttons for weak and strong, with combinations of either to perform combos. You can launch enemies in the air and follow through to increase your combo limit. Tranforming into Shinobi in order to perform specials is still done the same, along with going into a bikini type mode for added attack power with less defense. With the new 3D arenas, there are added controls for camera movement and locking onto enemies.
An online mode is available where up to four players compete with each other in various modes. The three modes available are Deathmatch, Strip Battle, and Understorm. Deathmatch is all about obtaining the most points by attacking and defeating enemies. Defeating other players will give you their point total. The player with the most points at the end is the winner. Strip Battle is similar to Deathmatch, but has you earning points through tearing enemy clothes by doing lots of damage to them. Lastly, Understorm has you collecting lingerie that rains down from above and attacking others will force them to drop their collection. Highest total in the end wins. Online is a neat way to test your skills with others and helps add some replay value to the game.
The Good: With the gameplay now in 3D, the environments are more detailed than when in 3D, which I felt helped bring more life to the game. It also makes things a little easier since you have more room for movement when trying to avoid getting surrounded or gaining distance from bosses. With the controls remaining simple too, the game was easy to get into and continued to feel satisfying when defeating multiple enemies and bosses. While still repetitive like any other action game presented in this manner, the boss fights provide enough difficulty to keep you on your toes. You can also up the difficulty as well for that added challenge. The various new characters also add more variety since they all feel unique to each other.
With the jump to Vita, the graphics have gotten an upgrade from Burst on 3DS. The characters look more sharper and animate nicely. Thanks to the upgrade in graphics, the special attacks feel more flashy as well and are quite the spectacle to watch. Audio is also better with the sounds having more impact to them and the great music matches up nicely with the overall Shinobi theme. It should be noted that there is no English voice acting present, so voices are only in Japanese.
Another thing that I’ve always appreciated with the Senran Kagura game is the amount of collectibles present. From pictures and music to the huge amount of clothes and accessories you can customize all the characters with. The collectibles need to be purchased from the game’s store with money you earn from completing missions. With more collectibles getting added to the store as you progress further through game. The stories are lengthy on their own, but if you’re one who wishes to accomplish everything, there’s a lot of time to be had in Shinovi Versus.
The Bad: Senran Kagura is pretty much known for being an overly sexualized game and folks have their opinions on that matter. Like with Burst, I had no problem with the typical Anime tropes present. Though, I understand that it will be a turn off for several. I found it matches the overall ridiculous nature of the game and am kind of happy that the series has always stuck with it.
I do have some actual minor complaints though with the game. There is heavy action going on with lots of enemies filling up the screen so slowdowns are bound to occur. It’s not as frequent as with Burst was, but there were a couple instances where I noticed it. Fortunately, a majority of them occurred at moments where I wasn’t actually fighting, so it hasn’t provided much of problem to the overall gameplay. My other complaint is with the load times, which can get lengthy going in and out of missions. Lasting up to around 10 seconds or higher. Not exactly the worst load times ever, but it starts to pile up.
Finally, with the jump to 3D, camera movement becomes more important to deal with. Unfortunately, Shinovi Versus is plagued with the usual problems of cameras sometimes not fully cooperating with you. If the camera hits a wall, you’re eventually going to get odd angles. The lock-in system helps fix some of that, but doesn’t completely solve it. Kind of comes with the territory I’d say, and it’s not bad enough to make the game unplayable.
Overall Thoughts: Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus is a great sequel to Burst and greatly benefits from the jump to Vita. The upgraded graphics bring more life to the characters and the action. The new 3D layout makes the levels feel more detailed and the action feels better overall. Camera controls can be an issue, but doesn’t hurt the game too much. Lots of content available from story aspects to lots of collectibles, even an online mode to test your skills with others. If you’ve enjoyed the combat of Senran Kagura Burst, then you should definitely check out Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus. A very satisfying experience the whole time I was playing.
