SG/ZH Review (PS4)

In SG/ZH, you get a three way collision of epic proportions.  Short for Schoolgirl Zombie Hunters, schoolgirls, zombies, and guns all meet in what could be a dream come true.  Miniskirts, blood, and low intellect are all present and accounted for.  What's right and what's wrong?  Let's see.

The first thing you see is a cute anime girl with a big gun.

This game answers one question that's always been eating me alive (no pun intended) when I play an Onechanbara game.  Is there anyone else fighting for survival in this twisted world or is it just Aya, Saki, and whoever else the creators feel like trotting out?  With this game being set in the Onechanbara world, the answer is yes.  It is kind of neat to see who else is out there killing zombies.

You'll be happy if you like killing zombies.

Now being a part of Onechanbara comes with two things.  The first is zombies.  The second thing is T&A.  You take the role of five schoolgirls, all armed with guns and skimpy outfits.  You can put these girls in a variety of outfits, including just their underwear.  So, if you ever wanted to fight against the zombie apocalypse with five underdressed anime girls, this is your game.  In fact, sometimes you're encouraged to strip to "distract" zombies.  However, these girls aren't nearly as hot as Aya, Annna (or is it Anna?), or Kagura.  Perhaps they beat out Saki (though she still wins in terms personality and fighting style).  If you're looking for eye candy, the main series offers better girls.

You can use the girls as they come...

...trot them out in their underwear...

...or tart them up any way you like.

The gameplay, however, is slight departure from Onechanbara.  Whereas Onechanbara is mainly hack-and-slash action, this game as mostly a shooter.  For those who've play the Xbox 360 game, it like playing as five slightly different versions of Annna.  There is a melee attack, but you be using guns to blast heads for the most part.

As for the shooting, it feels...off.  The gun selection is fine and the guns all feel different, so that's not the problem.  Aiming is the flaw.  The reticle is feels slippery.  It moves too fast and just doesn't seem accurate.  And you can forget tracking down a moving target.  Even slow-moving enemies are hard to hit.  For the fast moving enemies, all you can do is spray and pray.

The melee attack is good for getting enemies off you when you're surrounded.  It knocks enemies down and away.  It can even one-hit kill annoying little bastards a particular type of enemy.  It's useful, but has its flaws.  The first is that there is no combo melee attack.  The second is that it won't knock down big, lumbering types.  The third and most fatal flaw is the stamina bar. which effectively limits the melee attack to a desperation attack.

Use the melee attack to nail zombies that get to close...

...but it doesn't really work on these big guys.

On to the other stuff.  The music is meh.  You may recognize a song or two from an Onechanbara game, but for the most part the music is a step down from that series.  It's not total garbage, but lacks that the charm the main series has.  The main series had catch songs like "Danger In Disguise" and head-rockers Saki's theme.  This game has...yeah.

The graphics are okay.  Some of the zombies look creepy, like the "dog" types who look like two S/Mers torsos sewn together.  You'll recognize some from the main series, like the cops and the ravens.  Some zombies have "buffs", which you can easily be identified by what color they are.  Runners are red, those who explode upon "death" are yellow, zombies who explode and poison you upon death are green, etc.

These "yellow" guys are really dangerous unless you're near them when they "die".

There is plenty of length and challenge to go with it.  Unlike most Onechanbara games, which end right at the peak of fun, this game goes deep.  The challenge picks up after mission 1-7, giving hardcore players something more to look forward to than just girls in their underwear.  Naturally, in a game where you're getting swarmed by endless foes, there are going to be cheap shots and sucker punches.  Be prepare to take plenty of them.

I have a few pressing questions about the game, though.  What exactly is an "oufit"?  Why is there an underwear timer?  Why do some of the girls do something in the story that's completely stupid or totally lacking in logic?

This is where you change a girl's "oufit" and view the underwear timer.

In the end SH/ZH is just meh.  The action is intense, the graphics are decent, and heck, the girls are even kind of cute.  There are, however some flaws that keep it beneath Onechanbara.  The aiming is trash sometimes, the music is weak, and cheap shots are aplenty.  There is nice length and decent challenge and the gameplay isn't bad.  It's worthy of playing.  Give it a try.