Senran Kagura: Estival Versus Preview

Possibly the most pervy thing at E3, stereotypical booth babes included.

There are some games that are simply delightful, even charming. Others are disgustingly adorable, huggable. And still others are aggressively perverted. But the Senran Kagura series is unique: it’s delightfully, charmingly, adorable AND aggressively perverted. And in the next installment of the violently sexual (and simply violent) series, the more-than-tongue-and-cheek beat-’em-up with more jiggling than a room of Jell-O molds. If you thought Dead or Alive or Onechanbara were fan-service-y, the SK franchise might go so far as to make you reconsider that estimation.

The story this time (that’s right, they actually have stories, and solid ones as far as the genre goes) is that the various girls from different schools have been unknowingly transported to an island paradise. While there, primary protagonist Asuka’s grandmother has declared them a part of the "festival," and as a result, they’re swarmed by a flood of beachwear ninjas. Their goal from there is to find out just why they were summoned, which means finding and addressing Asuka’s grandmother somewhere on the island. There are also some new kids around to help cause more trouble.

Playing through in similar fashion to a "Dynasty Warriors: Schoolgirl Fetish Edition", the story is directed through set missions to fight waves of bad girls and even one another. Fighting on the beach or in buildings or wherever, there are multiple attacks unique to each character, from Asuka’s forward-dashing sword slashes to Hibari’s returning ground-shaking butt slam.

There’s plenty of care put into this world to appreciate the view, though that view is probably best kept at home. If you missed it, allow me some context: in my review for the previous game, I pointed out that “while I appreciate the creativity put in, I felt like a professional pervert playing it.” This has not changed… far from it, after the “cheeky” mission titles about butts and bikinis.

But should you choose to share, there is the possibility of up to ten players getting in on the fights in online multiplayer (that’s ten for PS4, only four would be available for the Vita version). And what might be the biggest selling point: there is DLC planned that includes a few characters from Dead or Alive as playable. If you’re curious as to why that fighting game franchise would be included, simply look above the waist and you can figure it out.

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus is currently planned for a Winter 2015 release, so remember to bundle up!