Developer: Xseed Games
Publisher: Marvelous, Honey ∞ Parade Games
Platform: Switch
Tested on: Switch
Senran Kagura Peach Ball – Review
Over the years many of the Senran Kagura games have passed the revue on our site. Most of the games in the series are simplistic third person brawlers, with some busty ladies in the lead. More often than not, the ladies use their charms to enamor gamers into playing these games. While the many fighting-type games were certainly fun for short bursts, the series has been expanding into other territories by releasing a third-person shooter that’s all about water guns and a relaxation game in which you can massage Asuka, one of the leading ladies. This time we will not be brawling or massaging, but we find ourselves in a pinball setting, with several of the female shinobi finding themselves in quite the predicament.
Story
The game brings together a few of the main characters of the Senran Kagura games to a local arcade, where a tournament is being held. While the tournament is in session, one of the girls discovers a strange concoction on one of the shelves in the bathroom and mistakes it as soap, but it actually is a formula that turns anyone who touches it into an animal. Before long the shinobi warriors find themselves turned into very cute looking animals, and the only way to turn them back is via your help and the use of the ‘Peach Ball’, a special ball made for a pinball game with special powers. Sounds farfetched? It is.
Depending on which girl you choose in the story mode, she will become the lead of a very short storyline. Together with you, the girl of your choice, will do her best as to making the girls remember who they are, while luring them to the pinball machines so you can take command of the actual gameplay. Overall the stories are somewhat cutesy, but never become more than that. The story value is all but substantial, but seeing this game is a gimmicky spin-off, it’s already fun there’s somewhat of a story to be found in the first place.
Graphics
For a Switch game, Senran Kagura Peach Ball looks decent and has a lot of vibrant colors, instantly making the game appealing. The girls look like they dressed up for the occasion and the character models are once again over the top with their boob to body ratios. Nonetheless, fans of the series will love to see the leading ladies take on a ‘furry’ costume while being thrown into different pinball machines. Overall things are a bit on the basic side, but eventually everything looks quite spiffy.
It’ll take some time for you to find the right camera angle though. The game allows you to view things from a few different angles, a few being static, other following the ball into play. The latter can give you a clearer overview of where your ball is headed, but you’ll lack a general overview then, and vice versa.
Sound
The sound design in Senran Kagura Peach Ball is quite decent. You’ll get to enjoy the cute voices of the characters in different types of situations, and there will always be a catchy backdrop for you to enjoy. The sound effects during the actual game are somewhat basic, but there are authentic pinball influences to make the game somewhat more adventurous.
Gameplay
Senran Kagura Peach Ball is a pinball game with a few sexy ladies in the lead. The series has always revolved around beautiful shinobi with somewhat unrealistic proportions. This time the girls will find themselves in the pinball machine, making sure you can ‘bop’ them with the ball you’re using, turning them back to their human forms. Overall you’ll go from one pinball machine to another, with very little variety.
It has to be said there are hardly any different pinball machines available in the game, which is a terrible shame as the ones available are all tiny, somewhat uneventful and truth be told, dull. There are some mini-games that trigger when you reach specific goals or complete a few in-game missions, but other than that, it’s a rather bland game of pinball, with a curvy lady in the middle of the playing field. The game had a few fun ideas but decided to keep them awfully basic, rather than to build on the foundation and come up with some very cool items.
As always in the Senran Kagura franchise, there is a lot to collect, a lot of different outfits for the girls are available, new balls, you can make the girls pose in the diorama mode and so on. In terms of extras there is a lot to explore, but there’s not really an incentive to keep on playing after you’re done with the very short story mode.
Conclusion
Senran Kagura Peach Ball is a fun intermezzo from your main titles, but you’ll notice that the fun will only be its initial shock value. While it is fun to watch the scantily dressed ladies in a pinball machine there is hardly any variety and even less incentive to keep playing to collect all the different items and goodies. If you love the Senran Kagura series and you want to complete your collection, by all means go nuts, if you’re expecting something to keep you occupied for days to come, better to let this one pass by.
Senran Kagura Peach Ball - Review,
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