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Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad
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Score: 60%
ESRB: Mature
Publisher: D3
Developer: Tamsoft
Media: DVD/1
Players: 1 - 2
Genre: Action
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Graphics & Sound:
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad is to videogame industry what most B-rate horror films are to Hollywood. The premise is beyond weird and the production values aren't that great, but despite it all, there is something magnetic about the title that compels you to play beyond your better judgment.
Both the graphics and sound go hand-in-hand with the game's campy, cut-rate style. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the girls have received the most attention while the rest of the game gets a passable, but basic look. Really, the game looks like it would be more comfortable on the Xbox, though the character models feature a number of smaller details that make it seem like more. The first, and more obvious, of these is the insane amount of chest "jiggle" that is produced by the simple act of taking a step; though there are a few others, such as the characters breathing heavily after a heavy dose of combat, that make a bit of difference. There's even an option to mix-and-match outfits in Dress Up Mode. Still, the game can't escape the flat, overly-used environments.
Onechanbara retains the original Japanese voice tracks. While I can't comment on the quality of the voice acting (it all sounds squeaky to me), I can comment on how the story is conveyed. Story switches between large blocks of poorly-formatted text and in-game conversations. For whatever reason, the spacing between letters and words is exactly the same, causing every instance of on-screen text to look like a giant crossword puzzle. It's decipherable, but it's tough to derive any meaning beyond the basics.
The soundtrack is little more than a collection of guitar riffs while the rest of the sound effects are just sort of there.
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Gameplay:
If anything, Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad deserves a big thumbs-up for its premise. It isn't uncommon in videogames to see scantily-clad women charging into battle. Where Onechanbara differs from the rest is that it not only manages to justify its heroine's attire, but make it a vital part of the game's core.
After a lengthy setup and shower scene, Onechanbara drops you in the role of Aya and Saki (and eventually Anna), girls who are charged with the divine mission of slaying zombies, demons and other evil things. Both Aya and Saki possess Baneful Blood, which gives them the power to take on threats like this. However, the catch is that in order to activate the powers granted by Baneful Blood, their skin needs to come in contact with zombie blood, thus their attire.
From here, the game is a linear hack n' slash action game. While Story Mode is an important piece of the gameplay, it is only one piece of a much larger puzzle. Most of the game is spent in pursuit of Quests that unlock as you perform actions within the game. Quests are hidden at first, though as you meet criteria they unlock, challenging you to complete all three tiers. Some are easy, such as one that challenges you to drench yourself in blood multiple times in a level, while others are incredibly tricky, like one that challenges you to pull off an incredibly hard combo more than once. Completing Quests isn't vital to the overall experience, but chasing them down offers a more complete experience than running through the Story Mode once.
Outside Story Mode, you can enter into Survival Mode, which basically just pits you against swarms of enemies. Any experience and items you obtain in Survival Mode can be brought into Story, making Survival Mode incredibly important if you want to beat the game on Normal difficulty or higher. Both Story and Survival Modes can be played via Tag Play, a co-op feature that lets you swap in-and-out of the game with a friend. It isn't a replacement for a real co-op feature, though like any good B-rate horror flick, Onechanbara is best experienced with a friend. |
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Difficulty:
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad offers a range of difficulty options, though the only major difference between them is the number of enemies the game throws at you and the amount of damage they deliver. Enemies are, at best, mindless automatons and, at worst, brain-dead. There's very little strategy to defeating enemies and most bosses are so stuck in their ways you can usually find an easy way to kill them, like standing behind them.
Another of Onechanbara's issues is a lack of explanation. The instruction manual is only 2 - 3 pages, with most of the booklet's bulk coming from the multiple translations it contains. In-game, you're left to figure out most of the action with little help. This isn't the most complicated of games, but some of the little details will get you. It took me a while to figure out all of the combos and how the gauges work and the driving areas were a nightmare since I had no clue what was going on.
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Game Mechanics:
Mechanically, Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad is a button-mashing hack n' slash. Both Aya and Saki can pull off a number of combos, most of which involve precise timing with on-screen indicators, like blade flashes. If you're working to complete missions (and earn Achievements and clothes for Dress Up Mode), it's a good idea to spend time in Survival and Free Play Mode to learn combos. If you just want to play through the game, you can get by with random button-mashing. This is fun for a while, though it eventually gets a little dull.
You can hack through most enemies without much trouble, though the more you kill, the harder it gets to kill more of them. As you slash though enemies, blood builds up on your sword, dulling it. The duller your blade, the less damage it does. If the blade gets too much blood on it, it becomes useless and will even stick into enemies. You can clean your blade at any time, an action accompanied by a satisfying spray of blood. Though an interesting mechanic, it causes unnecessary problems. If your blade becomes stuck in an enemy, there's no recognizable way to pull it out, so you're left open to damage until you do something to magically excise the blade.
The Baneful Blood mechanic plays an interesting role inside the game. As you slash through enemies, blood will splatter everywhere, filling a blood gauge. Once filled, the girls enter a frenzied state that increases their power but slowly decreases their life points. This creates a neat double-edged sword effect, especially when your character is low on health and needs help. Staying frenzied will also fill up a gauge that allows them to pull off powerful attacks.
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad is a game for players who proudly display games like Earth Defense Force or Operation Darkness on their GamerTags. It's a good hack-n-slash game that should satisfy anyone's craving for all-out action (or a desire to play Barbie), but don't expect anything beyond that. |
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-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker |
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