I’ve played some weird games while working for MonsterVine, but I think Akiba’s Trip is possibly the weirdest. It’s a game where you rip the clothes off of vampires to kill them and learn stripping techniques from a mysterious stripper who works for the government. It’s up there with Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash for the most uncomfortable games I’ve covered here, though I have to admit that like with the former, the absurdity of the concept does make me laugh pretty hard.
In Akiba’s Trip, for those who don’t know, you are a young man who has just become a half-vampire. You must work for the organization known as NIRO to find the vampire who turned you but to do that, you’ll have to fight other vampires. By fight, I mean rip their clothes off so that the sun kills them. You must learn from the enigmatic “Master” how to strip different types of people, from musicians to students. It’s a very odd concept that will likely make a fair number of people a bit uncomfortable, but it’s all presented as silly and wacky rather than serious or anything like that. I can respect how out-there the idea is and that a whole game was based around it, but it doesn’t make me feel any less weird when playing it.
“Akihabara feels lively and bustling, making the setting feel like a highlight of what I’ve played so far.“
From what I’ve experienced so far (the first two chapters, specifically,) the gameplay is very simple. The camera often gets lost in the shuffle behind poles and obstacles, and your character will frequently swing at nothing instead of the enemy you’re facing. Battles just require a few hits on each section of clothing that your opponent wears, followed by a quicktime event to rip off each article. It’s very basic and gets a bit tired quickly, but we’ll see if later sections of the game add a bit more complexity to it.
One thing I find pretty impressive about Akiba’s Trip is how alive the world feels for a PSP game (with very PSP-like visuals to boot.) Characters will bump into each other on the streets and argue, or a cop will arrest a beggar who runs into the nearest NPC. Fortune tellers and charity workers will see you and follow you around, even if you run away from them. Akihabara feels lively and bustling, making the setting feel like a highlight of what I’ve played so far.
So how am I feeling about Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound and Debriefed? It’s complicated. I like how strange the game is, but it’s kind of creepy. I like the world, but the gameplay feels very basic. We’ll see how the full game changes my impressions, as I’ve only played the first two chapters, but what I’ve played so far is a strange game that will appeal to a very specific niche audience. So if you’re part of that audience, this might be the game for you.
