Akiba's Trip: Undead and Undressed, the vampire stripping action game, has made its way to the PS4, and brought along all its DLC with it on one disc. The visuals are noticeably better than the Vita version, as they are much smoother. It's still cel shaded and looks good. There are both English and Japanese for the spoken lines, so both sides can be pleased.
The two biggest improvements for the game are the loading and the included DLC. The DLC for the PS3 and Vita versions was a mix of free and paid weapons and costume pieces, so it's nice to see them all included without having to shell out extra money or wait until they are on the store. They are accessible early, but don't really provide amazing bonuses. That's ok, since the upgrade system makes them as good as you want. My personal favorites are the two handed sword from Ragnarok Odyssey Ace (along with armor fit for female characters), and the prinny. Maybe I'm a bit biased, but swinging around a prinny that explodes on contact is really fun.
However the loading is going to be the improvement most people will be more thankful for. The original game had loading for each area, which added some wait time depending on how far you wanted to go and if you fast traveled. Now, it is much faster. The strange downside to this is you won't see the loading screen ads as often or as long. I'm not really complaining, but I do like the ads, since it's very unlikely that I will get to the actual Akibahara and see them in person.
So those are the differences for any people that have played the first. For the rest, here's a rundown of how the game works. You play as an otaku that has undergone an experiment that grants him enhanced strength, but a weakness to light and increased hunger. You are essentially a man-made vampire, and as a member of the Akiba Freedom Fighters (a collection of otaku wanting to keep Akiba safe), you fight other Synthesters. To defeat them, you have to expose their skin to sunlight. That requires you to rip off their clothes.
It's not near as graphic as you might think. Characters are still in their underwear when fully stripped. Well, unless they are finished with a big enough chain strip. Then their underwear drops and is replaced with shining light. So, no nudity in the game. And it's a pretty even split between male and female opponents, so it's not exploitative, either. It's fairly tongue-in-cheek, since they poke fun of it in the game, too.
Combat is a three button attack system, one for lower, middle and upper clothing items. You get different combo attacks based on your weapon type and weapon. Holding down the corresponding button will attempt to rip that article of clothing off. If you haven't done enough damage, you will get knocked away. If you've done a good amount, but still not enough to rip it off in one go, you will have a button mashing struggle to do some more damage and possibly destroy it. Once all the articles of clothing are off an opponent (or you), they are defeated. You can also block, counter, and even counter strip. If you rip a piece off and there are other opponents with weakened clothing, you will proceed to strip them, provided you press the correct button in time. This is a chain strip, and doing enough in a row will result in a super move that will leave them without any underwear and running for the hills!
The basic flow of the game is to read a little story, then go off and beat some Synthesters, then return for more plot. It's not the most involved game, but it's fun. It's also not very long, as the first time through took me 10 hours (8 on this version, since I've done it before). There are multiple endings and difficulties, with lots of weapons and clothes to collect and power up. This gives the game lots of replay value, for at least the endings.
While the game won't be for everyone, I enjoy Akiba's Trip: Undead and Undressed. It's a silly premise, but fun to go through. There are a few frustrating moments, but not "throw your controller" bad. It's a fairly short game with lots of replay value. If you have already played the Vita or PS3 version, the improved visuals, included DLC and faster loading probably aren't enough to make you buy it again, but I'd recommend this version of the game for those that haven't, and have a PS4. Too bad progress from other versions doesn't carry over!
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