The Onechanbara series finally makes it debut on the Wii with its new entry Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers. Although this new entry from publisher D3 was released in conjunction with Bikini Samurai Squad for the Xbox 360, this Wii entry attempts to set it apart form all its other console entries by being built up and designed for the Wii’s unique controls. There will not be many button presses here to slice up your zombie woes; just hand swipes and thrusts to keep these zombie hordes at bay.
The game premise is straightforward. There are scantily clad women with swords who must slice up zombies in Tokyo while their bodies slowly become drenched in zombie blood. If you are attempting to look for any deeper meaning, don’t bother. This series’ origins began as budget titles in Japan; through the years, it has continued to grow adding a slew of new features along the way as the games became more popular.
At first glance this game may seem openly sexist with a simple concept of using the Wii remote as a sword. However with the Wii gaming library severely lacking in the action games department, Bikini Squad Slayers may be just a taste of what Wii owners have been looking for; especially when Bikini Zombie Slayers is priced for $29.99. A little over half the price of a full game sounds a lot more tempting than paying up to $49.99 for the latest mini-game collection. But let us venture forth and see how much game you can get out of $29.99 that involves slaying zombies.
A lot of time, effort and Wii processing power were placed in the character models. The environments may be bland and linear but the main characters, zombies not included, look smooth and detailed. From the tribal tattoo on Aya’s lower back, to the noticeable constant breast jiggle physics placed upon all the females and to the alternate outfits you can have them all wear, you notice where the staff was more focused while creating this game.
The game features four separate story lines to play through each with its one main heroine and several more outfits to unlock and dress your character in. Completing both main character’s storylines will unlock two other character story lines to play. The outfits do nothing to change gameplay, but do satisfy your desire to alter how much (or how little) clothing you want your character to be wearing as you play.
The first two main stories involve the main female protagonist Aya, and her little sister, Saki either trying to protect the other, or protect themselves from those after Saki. All character stories are told through voice narration accompanied with slow scrolling text, or very sparsely used short in game cutscenes. It is important to note that there are no English spoken words though out the whole game with the exception of the intro song. The dialogue is all in its native Japanese. This game has only been given the bare bones translation from its original release in Japan as well.
Regardless of all its simplicity, the main attraction of Bikini Squad Slayers is when you combine swordplay and the Wii remote and nunchuck. This is where all the fun goes to and will leave you giddy for more zombie massacres.‚ There are four characters you can play each with there own unique fighting styles and weapons. Each character actually has two different fighting stances that add variety to you moves.
The main protagonist Aya, the one with the cowboy hat, by default has one sword out and one sword sheathed. The Wii Remote is swung to slice with her sword and the Nunchuck can be shaken to send out a swift kick. Accurate swings produce combos that slice up all the zombies in your way, and you can even finish up your combos with a fun sword lunge straight through the zombie.
Leave a Reply