Senran Kagura Burst Re: Newal - our review

Version tested: PlayStation 4

Sometimes they come back…

What comes to your mind when you think of Japan? Ninja and "sailor" clothes. Our culture is influenced by what anime and manga have shown us over the years, following this thin red line that connects the laughing land of Japan to our imagination, Senran Kagura Burst Re: Newal appears.

For those unfamiliar with this name, we are talking about the series of video games, manga and Japanese anime that revolve around the adventures of five particularly prosperous kunoichi.

This time, however, we are not talking about those admittedly risque games, despite the fact that the theme is always there for all to see ...

Remake

The game we tested is a remake of Senran Kagura Burst, a Nintendo 3DS game released in "far" 2012. The title was developed by the guys from Marvelous Entertainment who have managed to adapt to the power offered by PlayStation 4, bringing new levels, renewed animations and a much better gameplay than was possible on the Nintendo handheld console.

Censorship

As we all know, Senran Kagura focuses a lot on the more or less hidden perversions of the Japanese, Senran Kagura Burst Re: Newal has the so-called "Intimacy Mode", a mode known to fans of the brand, which will allow you to "have fun" , with the curvy kunoichi. This time around, however, fans of the mode will have to give it up. XSEED has in fact announced that on PlayStation 4 the controversial mode will not be present, the publisher has also specified that this choice was made "to respect the will of the owners of the console".

However, this type of censorship has been widely criticized, I rightly add, not because I am a fan of the genre, but for the simple fact that censorship in some cases takes us back in time, if the content is not to your liking, you do not use it at all. , but in this age of moralists we are often forced to make some pain in the ass happy without a life, rather than follow what the fans love.

The strange thing is that the Steam version of the game hasn't undergone the same treatment.

Two stories: Hanzo Academy vs Hebijo Academy

The game's story is divided into two parts, intertwined so as not to fall into distraction. The adventures narrated in Senran Kagura Burst Re: Newal speak of the adventures of the kunoichi of the Hanzo Academy and the bitter rivals of the Hebijo Academy.

A narrative arc consists of five chapters, each divided into various missions, which will have to be faced with a specific ninja.

The ways in which you complete a mission will earn your character experience points once your ninja levels up, increase the values ​​of the characteristics and learn new techniques.

Once you have finished the various missions, you can face them again with your favorite ninja, you will certainly need to practice and acquire valuable experience points.

It is not just a musou

The essence of the game is mainly musou, as you may have admired from the trailer, but often at the end of the levels, you will find yourself meeting eyes in epic one-on-one clashes.

The voyeuristic pleasure of the private players of the Intimacy Mode can still be satisfied, during these phases of combat in fact the more damage we will do to our opponent, the greater the body portions that will be discovered, the same goes for the girl we control, when emptying herself of the life bar will match the growing nakedness of our kunoichi.

If the opponent turns out to be tougher than expected and there are very few clothes left, you can turn into Shinobi, witnessing a Sailor Moon-style scene, if instead you want to see your heroine fight without the clutter of clothes, you can activate the "Frantic Mode", this mode in addition to showing you your kunoichi in underwear, has the not inconsiderable advantage of enhancing the attack, drastically reducing your defenses.

Victory will only be decreed when your opponent is completely naked.

Ninja Room, a raspberry to censorship

As mentioned a few lines above the title has been subjected to censorship on PS4, a game of the genre, however, always manages to find a way to make the fans of the series happy.

This is the case with the Ninja Room, where is it located? Nothing could be simpler, it is the main menu of the game. From here you can access the wardrobe of the kunoichi, making them dress (or undress) as we prefer, also accessing the iconic Diorama mode that will see us admire the very curvy girls in the poses that most please you.

Artistic sector

The development team of Senran Kagura Burst Re: Newal, however, must be recognized for the work carried out with the artistic sector of the title, the transition from 2.5D to 3D is particularly successful, it is not perfect, but it is a very good result. The music itself is pleasant and never invasive during the game atmosphere, which leaves room for dialogue (in Japanese).