OneChanbara is one game that, while unintentionally humorous and entertaining, it’s blatant lack of innovation and substance either grants me a lot of leg room to kick-it down or a serious reason to blabber-on about all it’s overlooked potential. It’s fun or nothing.
OneChanbara is the story of two half-sisters who, very conveniently, bare a great curse and a powerful gift and no, it isn’t what they’re packing underneath their bikini tops—huzzah! As a duo, Saki and Aya are a sexy force to be reckoned with and their lovely city just happens to be at it’s maximum undead capacity. So, take full-on control of these “baneful” babes, their dangerous accessories, and their saucy samurai moves as you hack n’ slash your way through gooey zombie parts!
Whilst I attempted to sit down and write a somewhat thoughtful review on this particular title, I took a second and thought about what I had just spent a ten dollar rental fee on. Then, I laughed and realized this game is either a capital PHAIL or something that I, as a gamer, had been seriously lacking on her shelf.
Just wait, I know it sounds crazy!
OneChanbara is one game that, while unintentionally humorous and entertaining, it’s blatant lack of innovation and substance either grants me a lot of leg room to kick-it down or a serious reason to blabber-on about all it’s overlooked potential. I’m a self-proclaimed optimist and probably the furthest from being a feminist, so I simply won’t be wavered by booby slips in both the real and virtual world. Not to mention, I thoroughly dig seeing female leads that enjoy the simple pleasure of slicing zombie brains in teeny-weeny mini-skirts – I mean, it’s appealing (TRUFAX). Personally, I don’t really mind the typical shower scene here and there or the “pervy” angles that compliment all the sweet eye-candy, you know? In such a case however, all I politely and calmly ask is that the narrative be level with, oh I don’t know, Metal Gear? Call it an impossibility, ‘D3Publisher’, but I call it a challenge that’s reward is pretty self-explanatory – don’t you want to put a big smile on my face and give me a reason to say something nice? Now, onto more serious matters…
The game doesn’t try to be anything that it’s not, which makes it easier on my critique. The graphics are as expected from an arcade title, nothing jaw-dropping or worthy of an honorable mention but so what? No one was really expecting another Heavenly Sword, right?
The cut scenes are a little silly and seemingly act as pointless, space-fillers that attempt to piece together a weak plot. The controls are massively lacking, particularly when playing as Anna, or the chick that wields heavy gun-age (see what I did there?). Specifically, The camera is in constant disharmony whilst fighting and that’s, ironically, the only thing players are able to do in OneChanbara. The bonus features aren’t anything to get worked-up over, as “Survival Mode” acts as a disturbingly long marathon of the same, exact game play found in “Story Mode”; The “Dress-Up” feature has the potential of being cute, but it probably would’ve worked better in another game actually worth playing through more than once. Other than the needless amount of time necessary to unlock achievements, the controls stand face-to-face with the tedious repetitive game play – these two things are what may deem this title as a “scantily-clad, crapfest.”
Plus, what the HELL is with a large, infected whale-thing-a-ma-bob and the funky, J-Pop music in a title where we’re supposed to be saving the world from zombies? I didn’t know whether to sing-a-long or facepalm and yet, this is coming from a girl who continues to play games with giant, infected vegetation.
I WILL say this, I disagree with many people who claim Onechanbara “isn’t even that fun.” Actually, I disagree whole-heartedly; I, for one, truly believe that it’s blatant lack of strategic planning makes for a good quickie when I have five to ten minutes to spare on my 360. Have you ever wanted to kick someone in the head for something? We probably all have, but the good part of our brain would tell us that this would be the wrong way to prove our civility, so instead, pick-up Onechanbara and button-mash through twenty stages of bloody fun and I guarantee all said stress and rage shall be alleviated!
The combos are fun, the gore is at a pretty surplus, and skin is exposed. That being said, it’s important to take a title such as OneChanbara at face value; it was a popular, racy arcade hit in Japan, so what can we really expect it to be once it’s crept it’s way to America? The value is arguably destined to be less than or equal to with the occasional greater than and it’s all dependent on the gamer. Point: this game is made for fun and the sooner we lessen our snarky, in-depth analysis , the sooner we can have some good, harmful fun.
