Akiba’s Trip checkup

Let’s check up on Akiba’s Trip for the PlayStation Vita. Is this a game worth picking up? Is this a hidden gem in Sony’s handheld line-up? Should this game even be available outside of Japan? Does Akiba’s Trip go to far and does it cross the line? This and more in our Akiba’s Trip checkup!

What is Akiba’s Trip (and where does it go?

Akiba’s Trip is a 3D beat ‘em up game centered around two groups hunting each other in the Akihabara district (Tokyo). At least, that’s what it wants to present itself as. Some might say Akiba’s Trip is just an immature outing of Japanese gaming culture which has found its niche on the PS Vita. Both statements could be correct in this case, if you think of a 3D Streets of Rage / Final Fight combined with Senran Kagura in which ripping of the clothes of your enemies is completely normal.

Undead and Undressed Gameplay

The gameplay of Akiba’s Trip consists largely of button mashing. The attacks you perform are limited and I never had the feeling I was packing a real punch. After you have landed some punches in a specific area of the body, it’s time to rip the clothes off that body part. Creepy? Kinda. It does help that it’s not just girls that you are harassing, but where I could find this stuff funny and silly in Senran Kagura (a fighting game), I find it a bit distasteful in here, since it’s really in an urban setting and the game basically forces you to grope your enemies. Not a fan. The jumping mechanic is pretty useless and doesn’t really have much of a purpose. I did not get much satisfaction from the gameplay unfortunately.

Akiba’s Visual Trip

Akiba’s Trip Undead and Undressed does look quite good on the PS Vita. The game is colorful and has nice attention to details. The characters are mostly nicely animated and are well designed. The game does have a nice dose of humor and can be really funny at times. The story is nonsensical and has some predictable twists. It serves the game well enough, but can’t cover for the lackluster gameplay. The camera does get in the way of the action in quite a few moments, which is unfortunate. Since it’s all based in Akihabara, it is logical that the camera has to deal with narrow streets and corridors, but it does get annoying after a while. Just like the loading times, which are atrocious. The loading times are better when you jump from one area of the map to another one, instead of actually walking from one place to another. The mission based structure was a bit of a miss for me, especially if you’re playing in short bursts the missions are not exactly clear on what you have to do when you come back halfway through a mission after a day or two.