Senran Kagura: Estival Versus

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus for PS4, PC and PSV is a three-dimensional action adventure/hack’n’slash/beat’em up and the fourth entry in Senran Kagura series, established in 2011 with Senran Kagura for Nintendo 3DS. The series continued with Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson and a number of smaller releases that included a card game and a cooking game. Estival Versus is a sequel of a series’ spin-off called Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus, which was released for PlayStation Vita in 2013. As always, the game was developed by Tamsoft/Marvelous duo led by Kenichiro Takaki, the series’ creator and executive producer. It should be mentioned that Senran Kagura brand has been transferred to a number of other media, including a manga, TV show, radio podcasts, and books.

Plot

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus continues the story begun in previous installments of the series. Once again, we are taken to present-day Japan and are introduced to a group of female ninja warriors. All heroines have appeared in other entries of the series and are divided between four different shinobi schools. The female ninjas are teleported to a parallel dimension that serves as a limbo for the spirits of their loved ones. The host of this strange world leaves the girls with a challenge: if the ninjas will participate in a ninja tournament and manage to emerge victorious, their loved ones will be free to go. In opposition to Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus, Senran Kagura: Estival Versus offers an extended story-driven campaign/visual novel with numerous cut-scenes with additional voice acting. The player can choose from over 20 heroines, each seeing the story from a different perspective.

Mechanics

Estival Versus for PS4, PC and PSV is a fast-paced three-dimensional action game seen from a third person perspective. The player explores huge and often open zones located all over the island. Similarly to the Dynasty Warriors series, we are pitted against large groups of lesser enemies. The heroines are left with a wide range of moves, including dodges, counter-attacks, or jumps, as well as unique combos and abilities that are unlocked by spending experience points. Finally, the heroines can activate the ninja form, a final-effort stance that offers the strongest and finishing attacks. Estival Versus maintains the characteristic trait of the series – the player’s status is represented by the heroine’s outfit, which begin to tatter as the player’s health decays.

Game Modes

Aside from the aforementioned campaign, the players can engage in 1 on 1 duels between the available heroines, as well as take part in a few multiplayer modes which support up to 4 (PlayStation Vita) or up to 10 players (PlayStation 4).

Technical Aspects

The game employs a three-dimensional engine which is used in both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions. Senran Kagura: Estival Versus for PC and PS4 runs in 1080p at 60 frames per second, while PS Vita version received a slight downgrade by introducing less detailed models and special effects.

Last updated on 12 November 2015