A sort of hack and slash RPG with the aim to expose your vampiric enemies skin to harsh sunlight… By ripping away their clothing!
The Akiba’s Trip franchise has been around for over a decade now, with multiple games and even an anime television series under its belt. After developers Aquire, and publishers XSEED and Marvelous Inc., brought the original title to Switch a few years ago, we are finally graced with a Director’s Cut edition of the second game in the series.
The game starts with our protagonist… tied down to a table?! After some struggling and a chat with a shady boss-like character, It’s revealed that after we answered an odd part-time job advert on Pitter (the in-game social media app), we were kidnapped and turned into a kind-of super strong artificial zombie-vampire hybrid that can only survive by feeding off people’s enthusiasm energy. Just as all hope is about to be lost, and we resign our fate to becoming a mindless puppet, a mysterious young lady breaks in and helps you escape.
The general aim of the game is to defeat these evil vampire-like enemies by removing their clothing – namely from the head, upper and lower body – to expose their skin to the sunlight. You’re encouraged to use anything at your disposal to achieve this goal, with weapons like fans, briefcases and even leeks, in an effort to bring out your inner Vocaloid spirit!
For a bit of yen, the player’s little sister is able to upgrade and combine any weapons and items of clothing you’ve picked up in order to boost their attack and defensive stats. Another amusing cosmetic feature is that you can unlock and change up walking and attacking styles. You can walk around in a drunken style or even like a tourist constantly snapping photos of their surroundings.
Locations are based on the real-life Akihabara from 2012/2013, making this a rather unique gaming experience. You can visit stores like the famous SEGA arcade, which unfortunately closed and moved away in reality, Maid Cafés, and more. A collectable aspect of this game is that you can receive real fliers that advertise actual Akihabara businesses, scanned into the game like a time-capsule.
It’s not just real-life locations in this game, we are also treated to cameos and references to other otaku related media. Certain weapons reference games like Hyperdimension Neptunia and anime like Super Sonico, where there’s more blatant references in the form the three main characters from manga Kodomo no Jikan being represented in the game-universe anime and mini-game “Stripism”, a magical girl style show.
Each music track is a bop in its own right, but can get repetitive and grate on you if you stay in certain areas too long. Exploring Akihabara feels authentic, the sounds of the bustling crowds, advertisement videos and shop interiors all add to this fairly unique experience.
Verdict
One glance and you’re able to tell that this is a remaster of a remaster…of a port. Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed Directors Cut runs smoothly, but graphically it’s dated. It seems that the developers upscaled certain things, like character models, but signage and the environment can be blurry in certain locations. If you can look past these minor issues, you’ve got a mindlessly fun experience, perfectly suited to the portability of Nintendo Switch.
Where to Buy
- Nintendo eShop
Credits
Written by Mark McAllister
Edited by Jen Griffiths, Tash McManus and John Edwards
Graphic Template by Paul L. Russell