Akiba's Beat

Akiba's Beat is an action RPG set in the streets of Tokyo's Akihabara district, which for several years has been a mecca for various hobbyists, as well as obsessive fans of anime, electronics and video games. The Japanese studio Acquire is responsible for the development of the title. Established in 1994, the developer is known for its Way of the Samurai, Tenchu and Shinobido series. Akiba's Beat is the third part of the Akiba series, which started in 2011 on the PSP console. The second installment of the series, titled Akiba's Trio: Undead & Undressed. appeared on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita and PCs in 2013 and 2014. Akiba's Beat gives up the original beat 'em up formula with loose adventure elements in favor of a full-fledged jRPG.

Story

The main character of Akiba's Beat is Asahi Tachibana, who leads a carefree life of a typical NEET, a young person who is not looking for a job, is not studying or training in a profession. Asahi spends most of the time locked up in four walls, spending parents' money on various gadgets and pleasures. One day, the protagonist discovers that he is trapped in a time loop, as if taken out of a science-fiction novel. He quickly learns that six other people have also fallen victim to this phenomenon. Everyone decides to join forces to solve the mystery of their strange affliction. While searching for answers, the group discovers that in various places in Akihabara there are strange labyrinths inhabited by monsters, which were created from the fantasy of people visiting the district.

Mechanics

The devs of Akiba's Beat borrowed in spades from the Persona series, as well as other influential jRPGs such as the Tales of series. During the game, players cross freely 3D streets of Akihabara, which have been recreated with great attention to detail. Many places have been reconstructed in a 1:1 scale and others contain actually existing shops and landmarks. Players are looking for dungeons, which we have to overcome in order to help their unfortunate and unhealthy "creator", who is controlled by unhealthy fantasies. Each labyrinth is thematically related to a particular hobby or obsession.