Senran Kagura: Estival Versus is great fun, combining the rawest of Japanese-style raunch humour with a tight and mechanically sound combat system.
Anyone who's interest in Senran Kagura game though, should opt for the portable version, because there's almost no way you can explain owning this on PS4. The excellent localization also helps strike a good balance between the comedy and touching story bits. The gameplay is really hitting its stride now and has quite a bit of good additions this time around, with plenty of characters and variety.
While the gameplay can grow repetitive after awhile, new features like the bombshells and creative finishers help to shake it up just enough to make Senran Kagura: Estival Versus feel like a natural progression and what the series should strive to be moving forward.Įstival Versus continues to build on a formula that's working for the franchise, but is starting to wear thin on its fanservice schtick. The over the top humor is present as always, with the characters playing off one another very well throughout the fun story.
It was quite a disappointment to see the Senran Kagura series backtrack to 2.5D environments in last year’s Deep Crimson, but thankfully Senran Kagura: Estival Versus takes full advantage of being on PS4 with stunningly beautiful 3D locales. The presentation, both in the visual and audio departments, has a cartoon energy that leaps out of the screen and the speakers - it’s just a shame the gameplay comes nowhere close to matching that level of enthusiasm. For everyone else, however, the simplistic beat-’em-up action isn’t likely to be substantial enough for more than a quick laugh or two - barely distinguishable characters and repetitive stage design actually make the teenage titillation quite tedious. If you’re a longtime addict of the tongue-in-cheek T&A action here, you may just find enough to enjoy. Senran Kagura Estival Versus sure has a lot of fanservice…and, unfortunately, not a whole lot else. If you can make it over those hurdles, though, and you’re a fan of the series, then Senran Kagura: Estival Versus won’t disappoint. And then there are those moments that go from crass to downright offensive, which I could certainly do without. Also, I wouldn’t mind seeing the combat introduce something that’s truly unique, rather than feeling like a small step forward from the previous outings. My major gripes are that a lot of the environments, while looking better than ever, are rehashes from previous games.
Those who are able to look past the myriad issues will find themselves feeling like they are injecting dumb fun directly into their veins. When forced to step back and examine it as a whole, a more sober perspective must be taken. Therein lies the issue with recommendation: I adore this thing, bumps and all. Fun and frantic, it’s a game worth revisiting for quite a while. It’s aggressively silly, like a pie fired out of a cannon directly into the face. I wouldn't say it's the best entry in the series with the excessive use of the break mechanic and the story does the game no favors, but the combination of flashy action and fan-service kept me satisfied throughout.įor as many flaws as this game has, it should also be reported that I spent my entire time playing this title with a big, stupid grin on my face. The beat-em-up combo system is just as enjoyable today as it was in the first game, and there is something quite rewarding about studying the move sets of the new characters and also throwing them into a sexy diorama to "study" something else about them. I had fun with Senran Kagura Estival Versus. Release Date: Mar 15th (US), Mar 18th (EU)