In the beginning, there was Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed on PS3 and Vita. And it was ridiculous (But in a good way!).
Now… there will be Akiba’s Trip on PS4. And it will be even more ridiculous. In an even better way.
Starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to find Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed in stores and on PlayStation Store in North America — just in time for Thanksgiving! The PS4 iteration of the game is less “old hat” and more “all that,” with lots of console exclusive features that might just make your holiday season a little crazier in that distinctive way only the best and weirdest Japanese anime and games can.
If you don’t know what Akiba’s Trip is, it’s the story of a customizable dude named Nanashi (which means “no-name” in Japanese). He lives, works, and goes to school in Akihabara, the infamous “geek district” of Japan (which has been recreated as true-to-life as possible in the game). The district is renowned worldwide for its many shops and restaurants centered around anime, manga, video games, cosplay, maids and butlers, and anything else you can think of that falls within the realm of “otaku culture.”
Long story short, Nanashi was lured into a shady back office by the promise of rare goods and transformed into a sort of energy vampire called a “Synthister,” and he must now seek out other Synthisters (male and female alike) with the help of a mysterious girl named Shizuku, as well as his friends in the “Akiba Freedom Fighters” and a handy-dandy vampire-identifying smartphone app… then beat them up with everyday objects and “expose” them to the harsh light of day.
You know… a typical Tuesday afternoon for most of us.
The PS4 version, of course, has all manner of graphical and performance upgrades, running at a solid 1080p without any framerate hiccups, and sporting a new lighting engine as well as enhanced character models.
But this is PS4 we’re talking about, so none of that should be very surprising. The real cool features — the ones that make this the definitive version of Akiba’s Trip — are the livestream chat commands, the Visual Editor, and Toybox Mode.
The first of these features is for those of you who like to play in front of an audience… because now, that audience can actually help you out in battle (or troll the ever-loving snot out of you!). From summoning your little sister to fight by your side, to boosting your battle gauge, to calling the cops on you or making the locals turn violent, to inserting themselves into the game with customized dialogue, the act of livestreaming has gone from a one-way road to a crazy street corner with no stop sign!
The Visual Editor, then, lets you… erm… edit the game’s visuals. Like, virtually all of them. Want everything to have a greenish hue and super-thick red outlines? You can do that. Want to turn the motion blur dial to 11 and add so much pink fog that you can’t see two feet in front of you even while standing still? You can do that, too! One of my coworkers almost made himself sick by turning virtually every setting up to max, then attempting to move around while his avatar was set to a drunken walk cycle and wearing a pink bear suit. The effect definitely looked cool and psychedelic, but would not be recommended for anyone who just ate!
My personal favorite feature, though, is Toybox Mode. This mode literally lets you begin the game with one of every single weapon and clothing item there is. You basically have access to anything and everything the game has to offer from the very start — from the moment you pop the disc into your system — and can just play around to your heart’s content. The only downside is, you can’t earn Trophies or unlock any New Game+ content this way. But I’d say that’s a fair tradeoff, wouldn’t you?
There are a bunch of other things added too, including some incidental street conversations with each of the main female cast members (Assuming you know where and when to look for them!), all the DLC from the PS3 and Vita versions of the game, and PS4-exclusive clothing items to boot.
All in all, if you’re new to this whole Akiba Synthister-busting thing and you own a PS4, this upcoming iteration of Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed is where you want to be. And if you’re an Akiba veteran, all the cool new features might just be a good enough reason to revisit this quirky underworld of dreams and naughty fun.
Whichever way you play it, though, one thing’s for sure: this is one trip that’s definitely worth taking.
November 25th. That’s tomorrow! Mark your calendars, people. It’s gonna be a hell of a ride.
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