Parent's Guide: Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus is a 3rd person action fighting game presented in an anime style, with three separate storylines, all of which intertwine. Each story focuses on a different shinobi (ninja) academy, all fighting against each other - and not just battles of honour, but also battles of the bust. As you may be able to tell from the screens, this is a pretty racy game that features schoolgirl ninjas tearing off their own clothing to essentially 'power-up' their fighting skills.

While "visual novel" sequences punctuate the action (and mean there's a lot of reading to be done here), the main meat of the game is its combat, which is also thankfully pretty easy to get into. Missions are short, hack and slash style affairs in the vein of games like Dynasty Warriors, that pit you against a dozen enemies at a time, although most are easily disposed of. The game's fun lies in using powerful moves to destroy whole waves of enemies at once, or to take powerful boss characters down.

Even those new to fighting games should have no problem getting to grips with the controls. Early fights can be won by button mashing, which goes a long way in helping players figure out what they're doing. However, there is something of an unpredictable learning curve, with random difficulty spikes ending with players essentially trapped in an unbreakable and seemingly endless combination attack from a boss. If you haven't put time and effort into learning about the finer details of combat (such as blocking, transformations and special moves), it can easy to hit a brick wall in terms of progress, but fortunately, players can complete side missions to level up their character and make them stronger, making boss fights that bit easier.

Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus features a lot of suggestive sexual content, innuendos and risqué imagery. Featuring a female-only playable cast, players can perform special moves that magically transform (essentially de-robe) fighters into far more revealing costumes. While there is no full nudity, there is a lot of near nudity featuring impossibly chested depictions of women. The game also actively encourages you to fondle your vita, with touchscreen usage limited to locking onto opponents, tearing off your characters clothing and interacting with the various anime girls bosoms to illicit a squirmy reaction.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: PS Vita