New Gamer Nation has already reviewed Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed on the PS3, so click here if you would like to read that full review. This review is based off the PS4 version and whether or not it is now worth playing. You’ll have to read on and see if the PS4 version is any better.

Akiba’s Trip takes place in Akihabara, Japan, and for those that don’t know, that city is known for being a haven of sorts for video games, anime and manga fans. Whatever your opinion may be on that, Akiba has recreated the city and done so with great detail. Any fans of the real Akiba will be delighted to walk among the buildings in Akiba’s Trip. The city is fairly large with lots of shops and people to keep it alive. I was thoroughly impressed by all the people and action going on. I was expecting a rather empty city, and got one full of life instead.

akiba

The story is told mostly as a visual novel. A character stands on the screen and blocks of text are read to you. This isn’t a bad thing, but certainly worth mentioning for gamers who aren’t fans of a ton of dialog hitting you all at once. There is a full English cast to voice the characters, but you can stick to the original Japanese dialog if you prefer. Either way, the story won’t really interest you. You may find some characters likeable, but overall the story never hit me like I should care about anyone.

I can summarize the entire premise of Akiba’s Trip in one short sentence. There are vampires hurting people, and you need to expose them to sunlight by ripping their clothes off. The game is well aware of how silly that sounds and pokes fun of itself a lot. I chuckled multiple times throughout the game at the cheeky, and over-the-top way the game handles itself. That being said, it is still very clear Akiba’S Trip is relaying pretty heavily on fan-service.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since many who are interested in this game already are expecting that, and while some may find it weird, it is not all that rare in a Japanese game like this. Maybe if the game felt very serious it wouldn’t blend well, but the cartoony nature of the game and its outrageous situations and characters makes everything mesh well.

akiba-combat

 

The real issue with Akiba’s Trip is the combat, which is about half the gameplay. You can attack high, middle, or low. You damage the enemies’ clothes and when they are weak enough you rip them off. From the very first fight to your last, this combat doesn’t progress or change in any way. The worst part is how the fighting isn’t that fun to begin with. It’s a brawler that feels slow and lacking overall combos.  I mashed one button over and over not feeling any real joy. After a dozen fights I was completely over the combat. I never found it entertaining or fun. It was a drag from the beginning.

Walking around Akiba is far more entertaining. Taking in the Japanese culture, seeing the sites, and speaking with people makes the world come alive. Sadly, this is hindered by constant loading screens. Admittedly, they are very fast and often last less than two seconds. Still, it is a constant break that you will run into one every thirty seconds or less when you’re really moving through the city. You can fast travel so you only sit through one short loading screen, but then you miss exploring the city.

The biggest positive is how surprisingly deep the weapons and equipment is. You can synthesis items and always be on the lookup for a better weapon. Customizing how your character looks is fun, and looting after a battle is as fun as it would be in any MMO. The downside is how unbalanced this whole system seems. Certainly not game breaking, but I often found an item fairly easily that let me destroy anyone in my path. There needs to be some tweaking here or there to make the progress move at a more even pace.

akiba-dialog

The PS4 version doesn’t differ much from the original. It has better graphics and faster loading times of course, but that’s about it. The PS4 version comes with some extra stuff like swimsuit wear for the heroines, but it isn’t anything that will push anyone to purchase Akiba’s Trip if they haven’t yet already. Similarly, if you already own this title, you don’t need to upgrade to the PS4 version. There just isn’t enough of a reason too.

When it comes right down to it I can only recommend Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed to a select type of gamer. You need to be into Japanese culture, appreciate the representation of Akiba, and love long bouts of dialog with little cut-scenes. The combat will grow boring almost immediately and never really strive to be anything more than something to do between the uninteresting story. Being frank, it’s an excuse to rip someone’s clothes off. If that’s what you want, than Akiba’s Trip is worth looking into, but from a gaming standpoint alone, there is no real reason you need to play this title.

This review is based off a review copy of the Playstation 4 version of Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed developed by Acquire and published by XSEED Games.

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Stripped Bare | Akiba's Trip: Undead and Undressed PS4 Review
Final Score5
Positives
  • Earn a Few Laughs
  • Akiba Feels Alive
  • Surprising Amount of Customization Options
Negatives
  • Boring Combat
  • Lots of Loading Times
  • Dull Story
5Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)
0.0

About The Author

Neil has had a passion for video games ever since the Atari entered his life so many years ago. He's been writing about them for over two years and sees no end in sight. Reach out to him on twitter @nconnors13