Capsule Review: Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus
A brawler starring busty schoolgirl ninjas who take clothing damage. Bigger in many ways than its 3DS predecessor, but some of these are mixed bags. As the game area is now 3D, it’s often compared to Dynasty Warriors but this is not entirely fair - while you do take on large numbers of weak enemies simultaneously in a combat system that’s heavy on combos and special attacks, each level is a linear series of rooms that you can’t leave until you mop up all the enemies. Without the sense of freedom and living world provided by Dynasty Warriors, and since none of these enemies really pose a challenge, this combat often feels like rote filler you just have to wade through to get to the actually-interesting boss fights. Similarly, the cast has doubled in size which makes for additional variety of combat styles, but means that character depth is sacrificed as many girls are reduced to their most stereotyped traits in order to stand out from the crowd. But the game looks great on the Vita, which enhances the outfit customization and omnipresent cheesecake.
I Stopped Playing When: I finished the game and all optional objectives, including the DLC characters' stories.
Three Stars: Good. I liked the game enough to finish it (or just play it a bunch, for games that don't end). I recommend it to most genre fans.