Otaku culture is one of the most polarizing aspects of gaming fandom in the west. Some people love it, some people hate it, and even more think it is weird/creepy/add your own adjective. But does that stop the Japanese or make them care? Not a chance. Say hello to Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed, one of the more wacky, T&A games to hit the western market from Otakuland.
Right away it needs to be said this is not an adult, triple-X game, despite what the name and advertisements tease. You take over the role of an Otaku who gets tricked into a weird experiment that turns you into a vampire. If you think that is bad, then wait until you’re told there are tons of other vampires walking around. Yeah, just ignore the whole sunlight thing, at least partially. To defeat these artificial creations you’re tasked with beating the clothes off of them. That is not an idiom---we’re 100% serious. While the idea is unique, especially with the idea of stripping enemies to death, it is not a story that will ask deep philosophical questions. It helps you get to point B from A, and a reason why you’re beating random people up on the street.
Obviously there is no nudity in the game; rather, you reduce enemies down to their underwear. One of the game mechanics allows you to try and figure out who is a vampire and who is a human, but anyone can be attacked on the street by simply pushing them, kind of like a reverse Yakuza moment for fans of that series. If it is a vampire they evaporate, but if human they just run away in embarrassment or slap you in the face. These fights are how you get your XP and random loot in a semi-open world environment based around the Akihabara district in Tokyo.
You don’t have to physically strip off the clothes of enemies, as simply mashing buttons will degrade their HP to zero and they’ll tear apart. Stripping them, however, boosts your XP and also allows gives you the ability to take them as your own. An added rouge-like touch is the enemy can do the same to you, as remember, you are also a vampire. Lose your shirt and it is gone forever, adding a bit of tenseness on higher difficulties when wearing the best threads in your inventory. With your partner, players have the ability to do double-team strip attacks which are like instant kills. Once the partner gauge hits full a simple push of the up button on the D-Pad activates it.
Continued overleaf...
Comments