Each ninja girl’s fighting style plays quite differently from the next, from sword users to ladies that attack from afar with guns to those that prefer a more hands-on fighting style with oversized gauntlets. Some are better suited for massive damage but low hit number combos whereas some can deal hundreds of hits in a few seconds but only a sliver of life each time. With each lady having their own fighting style and a story that constantly switches and gives each fighter their own section of air time, it’s not hard to find a character you prefer and sticking with her in free battles or in the online multiplayer.
Every visible thing about the ninja women of Senran Kagura can be customized, from the life-imbuing outfit they wear into battle right down to the accessories they wear underneath. A school shop and lingerie lottery both offer a healthy number of customization items, some less suited for public display than others. Accessories can be freely adjusted and moved around freely, and just as an in-game tooltip mentions, be careful and make sure no one’s looking over your shoulder.
One aspect where Shinovi Versus certainly lacks is the abundance of loading screens. Dialogue segments are occasionally interspersed with loading screens, there’s loading when you go into a menu, loading when you choose a mission, loading between destroying waves of mindless enemies and encountering the enemy shinobi. The waiting to get back in and retry a mission after a shameful defeat can also take away from the experience. Camera control can also sometimes be a bother as in a lot of other similar action titles, and it’s nothing a quick readjustment with the right analog stick can’t fix.
Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus is a title that’s not afraid to be bold about the amounts of fanservice, life, and hometown. Beneath the fleshy exterior lies an amusing little ninja brawler that’s a perfect fit for the Vita’s portable ecosystem. It’s certainly not for everyone and the creator knows that, but if it sounds like the kind of action game that could appeal to you, there’s a healthy bit of life left in this game.
[Editor’s Note: Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus was reviewed on the Playstation Vita. Review code was provided to us by the publisher.]
