Honey ∞ Parade and Marvelous Entertainment brought several new Senran Kagura announcements to YouTube yesterday morning, only to have the live broadcast actively removed for “Sexual Content”.
What started as a humble 2.5D side-scrolling Beat-Em-Up for the Nintendo 3DS, the Senran Kagura franchise has blossomed into a multimedia hit, spanning multiple genre-shifting titles across all platforms, and an anime series now in its second season. The latest title to grace North America and Europe, Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash is a competitive shooter that sets the girls of the Senran Kagura universe in a head-to-head water-gun tournament. The series continued to experiment with other genres last year with the Japanese release of Shinobi Refle: Senran Kagura; available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, Shinobi Refle is a dating-sim featuring Asuka, though other character scenarios may be obtained via DLC. As one would expect from the exponential fanservice of the series, Shinobi Refle‘s plot revolves around “touch” as both a figurative and physical concept; to restore Asuka back to her usual upbeat self, the player must physically interact with her across various, questionable scenarios, courtesy of the Joy-Con’s motion-controls and HD Rumble mechanic.
Yesterday morning, Marvelous Entertainment and Senran Kagura creator Kenichiro Takaki’s new studio Honey ∞ Parade took to YouTube and Nico Nico with a plethora of announcements for the Senran Kagura universe. Despite its tease in early 2017, Senran Kagura: Peach Ball made its official debut during the live presentation. Senran Kagura: Peach Ball brings the franchise into pinball territory, featuring full-3D perspective tables, each with its own unique mini-games. The staples of traditional pinball tables are present, from the multi-ball bonus, to jackpots and table-hazards, but what may be the most perverse variant of an arcade classic, Peach Ball includes special “Sexy Challenge” mini-games, triggered by either scoring a jackpot or hitting the table’s character a specific number of times. These cinematic time-based challenges typically result in the table’s character being humiliated in not-quite-SFW fashion, as shown in the footage below. For those wanting some kind of justification, the events of Senran Kagura: Peach Ball are set in motion when Haruka accidentally creates “Kemonar”, a potion that transforms the ninja-schoolgirls into lustful animal-girls; an antidote exists, but can only be found in pinball tables across various theme parks.
No footage was shown for the upcoming Senran Kagura 7EVEN: Shojo-tachi no Kofuku for the PS4, however Marvelous and Honey ∞ Parade unveiled artwork for Asuka, rendered in their new game engine.
7EVEN and Peach Ball weren’t the only games highlighted in the broadcast: From the realms of iOS and Android, Senran Kagura’s social mobile game Shinobi Master Senran Kagura: New Link will receive an eventual PC release, complete with the option of syncing account data and progress from the mobile versions. The eventual PC release will also feature cross-over content from the Dead or Alive franchise, though the extent of the collaboration has not been revealed. This isn’t the first time the two ninja-centric properties have crossed paths; owners of Dead or Alive 5: Last Round on the current-gen consoles or PC will find a selection of Senran Kagura costumes in the Fighter’s extensive library of DLC content; DOA‘s Ayane also appears as a playable DLC character in Senran Kagura: Estival Versus.
….The presentation was then cut short on YouTube due to the platform’s obscure policies on “Sexual Content”.
Senran Kagura 7EVEN: Shojo-tachi no Kofuku is still expected to release for the PS4 this year, but the PC version of Shinovi Master Senran Kagura: New Link was not given a release window, nor is it expected to release outside of Japan. Senran Kagura: Peach Ball will release exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in Japan on 12/13; fans have the option of purchasing a special “Limited Peach & Reflex Wpack” featuring Peach Ball, two additional DLC costumes and diorama “Dressing Room” actions, and Shinobi Refle: Senran Kagura and all available DLC scenarios and costumes. Both the standard and limited edition versions are available for pre-order through Play-Asia and Amazon Japan. A third Amazon-exclusive version is also available, but this is simply the standard version with an additional “Orange Star” camisole DLC costume.
Senran Kagura: Peach Ball has not been confirmed for NA and EU, however the previous Nintendo Switch title, Shinobi Refle will release in North America under “Senran Kagura Reflexions” later this year.
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