Game Review: Senran Kagura Burst
This week finally saw the European release of Marvelous AQL’s Senran Kagura Burst busty brawler 3DS game after its release in North America last November. I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this game last week to write a review for WiiUAndMii, a website I am the editor of. However, I thought I should also let you guys know what I thought of the game.
There has been a lot of talk about a certain aspect of the game due to a rather ill-informed editorial piece that made the rounds in the game industry, but here’s what I’m going to do with that debate: I’m going to place it in a box and leave it outside where it belongs. I’m going to be telling you about the game Senran Kagura Burst, not the debate that has surrounded it.
Last year, an anime adaptation by Artland was aired and simulcast in North America by FUNimation (meaning that we lost out on a legal stream – grr!). However, those of you who were made familiar with the property through the anime will be fairly familiar with the premise of the story. Japan’s Hanzo Academy is the only official school secretly dedicated to the training of “good shinobi” – shinobi who will go on to serve the greater good. This school has five elite students who serve as the main protagonists: the enthusiastic Asuka, the cool class president Ikaruga, the perverted tomboy Katsuragi, the silent Yagyu and the incredibly nervous Hibari. These five soon find themselves mixed up with the rival Hebijo Academy, which trains “evil shinobi” (shinobi who are trained for missions outside of what would be considered good) and as they cross blades over the Secret Ninja Scrolls, they soon discover that there is more to good and evil than once thought.
The game’s narrative is presented in a similar vein to visual novels, with text being imposed over a single static image, or sometimes in what is dubbed “Adventure Mode” – where characters are rendered in 3D in front of a 2D background, with the story focused on their dialogue as opposed to prose and inner thoughts.
The action, however, is presented as an incredibly hectic, combo-driven brawler reminiscent of 2D side-scrollers, but with the environments having 3D depth as opposed to the characters being limited to a particular “track”. In each mission, certain areas will be closed off until you have accomplished the goal of that area (which, 99% of the time, is to kick the butt of every enemy in that current space). These enemies tend to be rather generic with no real variation, but when encountering overwhelming numbers they can become incredibly challenging to deal with (some of the later levels being near impossible). This can be made even more challenging by entering “Frantic Mode” – which sheds the majority of your clothing and exchanges your defences for a massive attack and speed boost.
A part of me wonders if the main combat sections of the game lack the handheld’s trademark stereoscopic 3D effect to allow for these hectic scenes to be allowed to play out in their wonderfully fast and infuriating glory. When the 3D effect is used though, it’s some of the best on the handheld – and I’m not just saying that because it appears during the cloth-shredding cut-scenes, but also for when it appears at the beginning and end of missions and during the visual novel-inspired “Adventure scenes”. The depth it brings is a beautiful sight even three years after the 3DS was launched.
The way this game handles the age-old battle of good versus evil is worthy of nothing but praise. From the outset, we are told which of the two sides we should view as “good” and which we should deem “evil” but as the player delves deeper into the game’s narrative and is given a chance to experience both sides of the fence, the line becomes blurred in a most spectacular fashion. It is worth noting that Senran Kagura Burst is actually two games in one – the first, Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows was released as a standalone game in Japan with a story mode that only focused on the students of Hanzo Academy. With the Senran Kagura Burst enhanced release though, a second story titled Senran Kagura: Crimson Girls was included, giving us a closer insight into the girls of Hebijo Academy. I am glad that XSEED and pQube waited for this version before giving the series an international release, as I absolutely love the duality these two story modes created – seeing the story from one set of eyes is all well and good, but being able to get to know each opposing side intimately is fantastic.
Every one of the characters in this game also has their own touching reason for being where they are now, their own defined personality and their own goals of where they want to be in the future that they are determined to fight for – something that might shock someone who dismissed this game based on first impressions. This splendid individuality is replicated in the gameplay by giving each of the controllable characters their own unique fighting style; Katsuragi for example, focuses on slower and heavier blows as a tank, while Ikaruga is incredibly fast but equally as frail and Yagyu is better as a mid-to-long range fighter.
My only real disappointment with the game would be the lack of a multiplayer mode allowing me to battle my friends with the characters whose levels I have put a lot of effort into raising. A game of this genre really should not be limited to a single player experience.
For the resident fan of Life and Hometown, the game does feature its rather “interesting” trademark mechanic where your characters’ clothes will be gradually torn upon upon taking a certain amount of damage until they are reduced to their underwear, which is presented with 3D sequences as opposed to the rest of combat (after all, the inspiration for this game was the producer’s wish to see breasts in 3D). Once you have completed one of the story modes you unlock the ability to use the Nintendo 3DS microphone to blow up the skirts of the girls in the game’s “Dressing Room” mode, with the girls reacting to your attempts to see their panties. This mode did make me raise an eyebrow when I unlocked it, but upon trying it out I ended up in hysterics – which made me realise the key of this game and its rather shameless fanservice: silly fun. Aside from Katsuragi being the resident pervert and Mirai having boob envy, that side of the game is kept entirely separate from the narrative and honestly, a part of me does wish that the marketing of this title would move away from it, as Senran Kagura Burst’s story and characters are what truly won me over, not the big breasts.
Senran Kagura Burst is an extremely fun, simple yet challenging brawler with a lot of heart. If you’re not put off by the disrobing mechanics of the game and a few breast-related jokes, then you should definitely give this game a go.
8.5/10
Senran Kagura Burst is currently available both at retail and digitally via the Nintendo eShop. The anime adaptation is due to be released this summer in North America by FUNimation Entertainment, but a UK license has yet to be announced. However, Seven Seas Entertainment are currently publishing the Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows manga in English.
