One year after the North American release of Senran Kagura Burst for the Nintendo 3DS, XSEED Games has released Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus for the PlayStation Vita. Senran Kagura is series of buxom action games starring rival schools of kunoichi (female ninja) who risk their lives fighting for honor. Whereas Burst was a 2.5 beat-em up with two schools of fighters, Shinovi Versus is a 3D brawler with four schools of fighters and an online multiplayer mode. With 20 characters to pick (22 if you purchased character DLC!), there's a lot of play styles and techniques to master. But does it stack up to the first, or does it fall flat?

Set six months after the events of Senran Kagura Burst, Shinovi Versus opens up with the Hanzo National Academy girls getting ready for their final exams until girls from Gessen Girls' Academy issues them a challenge: The Shinobi Battle Royale! There's a lot at stake with a Shinobi Battle Royale: two rival schools fight each other to the death, with the loser's school being burned down to the ground by the winner. Not being able to graduate without a school to attend, the Hanzo girls accept the challenge and have ten days for training until the fight. Why did Gessen, a known “good shinobi” school, issue a challenge to Hanzo, another “good” school? And why is the “evil” Hebijo Clandestine Girls' Academy revived, exacting revenge on the Hanzo school?

Luckily, all three aforementioned schools can be played from the start and you'll soon learn their motivations for fighting. Despite being a game that was founded on pure fanservice, the storyline is surprisingly serious and all of the girls have personalities and legitimate motivations for their actions. The story mode is a lot more streamlined and main chapter stories are finally separated from the character only arcs and there's less visual novel sections to go through. This is a major improvement over the first game, Burst. 

As for the gameplay, it has been improved from Burst as well. No longer confined to a two-dimensional space, Shinovi Versus has a full 3D environment to fight mobs of enemies in, a la Dynasty Warriors. However, it isn't exactly like Dynasty Warriors, since SV has a lot more emphasis on speed and aerial attacks than DW and there's no territory to worry about. It's just straight up butt kicking with your hometown heroine. Another improvement is the framerate not slowing down at random like Burst. The music and voices are decent.

However, there's some stuff that annoys me too. The main gripe is the loading times. They're frequent and take a long time to finish. For a fast game, this is something that just throws me off. Unlike Burst, the unlockables have to be bought with in-game zeni or bought with actual money as DLC. It's something that just annoys me with this current generation of video games and it isn't exclusive to this game, unfortunately. Still, the loading times don't break the game and Shinovi Versus is still playable. Oh, and the graphics are nice. Very nice. The character models are cute and well-made and the game itself is very clear and colorful. This game is a perfect for the Vita's screenshot function.

Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus was released as a limited physical edition here in North America for those who preordered it and the box included the game's original soundtrack CD and a beautifully illustrated artbook as bonuses. If you can find or order a copy and are interested in playing Shinovi Versus, then do it now. Otherwise, it's normally available on the PSN.

Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus is rated Mature for very obvious (and alluring) reasons, so player beware. A fun, fast-paced brawler with fanservice galore. It's not for everybody, but for those hometown heroes who love life, they'll certainly enjoy this bountiful brawler.

Hint: In the dressing room, hold Square and press left or right and your girl of choice will be featured in full screen mode. Now place each finger on the touch screen and the rear touchpad and slide them back and forth. Have fun. ;)

by Ray n.