Senran Kagura Estival Versus (PC) Review

A cringe worthy, well playing game.

So, I have reviewed a few Senran Kagura games before, one standard game and one that was a strange offshoot featuring cooking and rhythm action. Needless to say, this is a strange series for multiple reasons. Now, I’m taking on the PC version of Estival Versus, about a year after it hit the PS4. While the gameplay mechanics are sound, it is still a game that has me wincing over and over again due to its visual content.

Estival Versus takes cues from both Dynasty Warriors and some fighting games. Players will run around a map while attacking multiple enemies using light and hard attacks. They will eventually fill up a gauge that can be used to pull off screen clearing super attacks, as well as transform into a more powerful version of the character that deals more damage. Standard stuff, really. Mixing up the attacks, as well as following up with air juggles, is simple to pull off and actually fun to play, and while it is simplistic, it is rather deep in what players can do on the battlefield, and it all plays really well.

Platforms: PS4, PC
MSRP: $39.99
Price I’d pay: I wouldn’t buy it, but if it was for me, $20

Of course, I have to mention the obvious thing here – the visual content and overall content of the game. Every person in this game is a large breasted young woman who, when they take damage, has their clothes rip off. They will also transform and become completely naked for a cut scene while the new clothes materialize on their bodies. And then there’s talk of panty eating and other cringe-worthy things that make me shudder when I see them. Look, I get it. Some people like this sort of thing. It’s not for me nor will it ever be.

It’s a big game too. There are missions just for the individual characters, some of which can be a challenging endeavor. Even some of the main story missions can get rough when taking on multiple different types of enemies at once that seem to stun lock my character constantly. The difficultly can become inconsistent in this sense.

The camera was another issue I had with Estival Versus. It always felt like it was bit too close to my character, making it difficult to see what I was doing in some instances. Of course, I could always lock on to an enemy, but when I’m flying around the map doing air combos it’s hard to just target one enemy while trying to take on an army surrounding me.

Another impressive thing, while there aren’t as many enemies on the screen as a classic Dynasty Warriors game usually has, this one does have a decent amount, and never once did I see it drop a frame. It was buttery smooth and ran like a dream, which really helps out when pulling off those flashy combos.

That’s what gets me about these games. They actually play really well and are fun to take on. I just wish the content of the game wasn’t so sexually charged. It really makes me cringe seeing some of this, and there is no way I would play this in front of anyone even if I told them I was reviewing it. Now, I don’t want to come off like I’m condemning others for liking this game. I like this game. It plays really well, but the sexualized content is not for me at all. If this is your kind of thing, this is a great game to play. If you really can’t get along with the anime breasts, I would say stay far away from this one. Even then, the combat is a pretty well done.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Good combat/combo system
  • Tons of missions
  • Great performance
Bad
  • Overly awkward sexual content
  • Some camera issues
  • Inconsistent difficulty spikes
6.5
Decent
Written by
Drew is the Community Manager here at ZTGD and his accent simply woos the ladies. His rage is only surpassed by the great one himself and no one should stand between him and his Twizzlers.