Review: Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad (2009)

The following is a review of Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad (2009), for the Xbox 360.

Ignore the cover, Onechanbara actually isn't that bad

Honestly, I hesitated bringing this up to the counter to pay for it. However, with the 3-point-something rating, new copies selling for over $60, and the store having it used for $6.30, I had to pick up Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad.

I'll admit it, as I guy who likes girls sex can get me to purchase something, and Onechanbara certainly promises that. However, under that exterior lies a fairly good hack-and-slash game. It's certainly not as complex as other games in the genre, but it sucked up at least 18 and a half hours of my time over the last couple weeks, and I can certainly see myself popping it in to try to unlock a few more achievements.

Right or wrong, at times the game seemed to remind me of Bullet Witch. However, Bullet Witch is extremely quick, a third-person shooter, with much simpler gameplay. However, the developers certainly spent more time on the main characters than on any of the non-female enemies.

Story-wise Bullet Witch is actually fairly good, while when I was playing Onechanbara I felt like I was really missing out having this be the first game in the series I've played.

Button-mashing and grinding will get you past the main story, but a certain skill is definitely required to master the game.

It's no Dynasty Warriors, Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes, Drakengard, Devil May Cry, or Bayonetta, (or perhaps even Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage) but Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad shouldn't simply be overlooked because of the cover.

3 of 5 stars. Ultimately, I'm glad I picked this up. At 18+ hours I certainly got my money's worth and I'll play it again. But there's better games in this genre.