XSEED Games

Hey everyone, rev up those chainsaws, ‘cause we’re less than a week away from the release of Onechanbara Z2: Chaos! If you’re looking for a fast-paced, pure action brawler that doesn’t bog you down with distractions, Onechanbara is right up your alley. Tom already wrote about Onechanbara in an earlier blog post, but I’m here to go a bit more in depth on the combat system and other features you’ll find in the game.

The leading ladies are as good a place as any to begin, so let’s take a look at our four main characters. For starters, each pair of sisters have skills unique to their bloodline. The “Baneful” sisters Aya and Saki have the ability to counter-dodge their way out of trouble, while the “Vampiric” sisters Kagura and Saaya have an ability called “Blood Recovery” that, as its name implies, offers a bit of healing. Of the blood variety.

The quotation marks above are intentional, as this game’s whole plot revolves around the war between Banefuls and Vampirics – so for members of the two factions to work together against a common foe, not only do you know things must be serious, but you can probably also imagine there’s going to be a lot of infighting, name-calling and just plain entertaining confrontations all around. Fighting is in Onechanbara’s blood, and blood is very much in its fighting as well. So much so, in fact, that you’ll be shaking blood off your weapons regularly. That’s just the kind of game this is!

Outside of their inherited abilities, each girl also wields a variety of weapons:

Kagura: Wields both dual blades (katanas, specifically) and wire-extended daggers (similar to Kratos’ chained blades from God of War), with a boomerang as her sub-weapon. Kagura is a quick character that can attack enemies either from up close or from afar.

Saaya: Kagura’s half-sister fights with a chainsaw (named Jason), knuckles, and a flail. Compared to her sibling, she’s slower and more limited in range, but her attacks feel more solid and have more “oomph” to them, making her really fun to play as.  Saaya is also considered the easiest to use in regards to performing her combo moves.

Aya: A master of blades, Aya utilizes both single and dual swords. She can also summon knives to hurl at enemies. She has trickier timing to her combos, though, making her a more “technical” character.

Saki: Saki can either take down foes with a sword or with her fists. She doesn’t have a sub-weapon, but can instead perform counters (not to be confused with the aforementioned counter-dodge).

You can only control one girl at a time, but you can instantly switch between characters using the D-pad, even in midair. And you don’t have to fight all by yourself, either! The other three characters you’re not playing as can be called in using the touch pad, allowing them to fight alongside you for super-sweet multi-person carnage!

Combat itself can either be simple or complex, depending on your play style.  When I first started playing the game, my go-to tactic was to button mash my way to victory (I’m not proud of it, don’t look at me like that, yes I can see you through your screen, no I am not a wizard!). If you want to play the game the way it was meant to be played, though (and look really cool while doing it), you’ll want to learn all the different combos inside and out – a feat which the game’s training mode can help you accomplish.

It might sound a little weird to be talking up a training mode, but Onechanbara’s is incredibly helpful for coming to grips with zombie slaying. Not only does it show you how to time your attacks to lead into bigger combos, but you can also throw up to 100 zombies into the training room with you to see just how many enemies you can tear up at once.

Now, those of you who play a lot of action games might be thinking “Timing? In my brawler? What’s going on here?”, but Onechanbara’s coolest combos (appropriately named “Cool Combos”) require some very precise timing to execute. If you can pull them off, though, you’re rewarded with a cool slow-mo visual effect…which is also your cue to swap characters and continue your combo. You can get all four characters in on the action in one combo if you’re good enough! But don’t be too scared off by all the technical talk – there’s definitely depth to be found here if you’re looking for it, but if you just want to hack and slash your way through some zombies, that’s a good time, too!

Ultimately, this is just a fun game for anyone who enjoys a good brawler, whether they’re into complex fighting mechanics or are just the world’s okayest gamer like me (yes, I saw those shirts at E3, and I was all over that). It’s a fun game that has a little something for everybody, and I recommend checking it out next week on the 21^st. It’s developed by the same studio that worked on the Senran Kagura games, so you know it’s going to have a lot of high-speed action.

And really, what more could you ask for? There’s no downside I can think of to kicking zombie ass and looking awesome while doing it. It’s pretty much a win for everybody! And it can be your win, very soon.

Check out our newly launched website for the title and get ready to slay! http://www.onechanbaraz2chaos.com/

-Danielle