A few years ago, I had the (dis)pleasure to review Shinobi Refle: Senran Kagura, also known as Senran Kagura Reflexions in the West, a “game” that basically revolved around groping huge-chested anime chicks that looked like they had just graduated from middle school. That was my introduction to the wonderful world of Senran Kagura and ecchi (literally meaning “naughty” in Japanese) games in general. Senran Kagura: Peach Ball is the brand new game on the franchise and it’s nothing but more of that weird groping and gratuitous sexualization of young cartoon chicks. But now there’s a pinball mode added to it. Yay?

What I have previously said about Shinobi Refle, and this series as a whole, remains the same. The same “gameplay” present in that title is available here as a bonus. I’m not a saint nor a prude, but to fantasize over half-naked girls clearly designed to look like they have just reached puberty is just unsettling, to say the least. With that out of the way, I’m here to judge if Senran Kagura: Peach Ball is a good pinball game and this is where I’ll try my best to focus. I won’t guarantee anything.

The story mode is Peach Ball‘s main focus. It’s a very long visual novel, complete with a ton of voice acting and a ludicrous plot, with bits and pieces of pinball gameplay shoved in between chapters. The plot goes as follows: after interacting with a mysterious potion, a group of girls begin to transform into animals and it’s up to you to restore their humanity by using the aforementioned Peach Ball on a pinball table. Do you think this is a story about lycanthropy? No. In Senran Kagura‘s world, becoming an animal means that you’re forced to wear erotic animal costumes in a way that makes Brazzers productions look artistic in comparison. This is game all about waifus dressed as furries, or waifurries if you prefer. May I remind you, they are highschoolers, according to Senran Kagura lore.

The pinball bit of Peach Ball, also known as the only bit in which this video game feels like a video game, revolves around hitting girls with said Peach Ball a number of times while listening to them screaming in that characteristic anime style. This is until you unlock what the game refers to as “Sexy Challenges”. These are nothing more than microscopic mini-games in which you constantly hit some targets with more than one ball at a time in order to be graced with a silly animation of the girl being squirted by a rubber duck, hit on the head with a spinning top, and so on.

If you rack up enough points and partake in more than two Sexy Challenges without dying, you’ll be able to partake on something even more important: a Super Sexy Challenge. This is when you’ll be able to save the poor girl’s soul from eternal animalistic damnation. The moment you’ll finally restore her humanity. The way you’ll do so? It’s simple: hit the balls on her buttocks a number of times, until the game tells you to spice things up by ignoring the balls altogether and just slap her back with the pinball flippers until it tells you to stop. The girl’s animal clothes will explode and she’ll be left lying on the floor, naked, wondering what the hell just happened. You and me both, sweetheart. We’ve come a long way since the release of Custer’s Revenge, that’s for sure.

The pinball mechanics themselves aren’t anything spectacular. You only have two very small tables to choose from and they’re pretty devoid of bumpers and actual things to hit besides your female victim of choice. There are some objectives listed on the right side of the screen, but they aren’t very important. The game’s focus is on the waifurry. This is where you should aim your balls. I’m grossed out by what I just wrote.

You can also skip the story bit altogether and play a (barely) more normal round of pinball on the game’s free mode. The objective remains the same and you’ll earn money depending on your score. You’ll be able to spend said money on new outfits for your waifurries because, as I’ve mentioned before, that pathetic groping mode from Shinobi Refle is present in here once again. Thankfully, I played this game on the PC, therefore I didn’t need to test the game’s HD Rumble functionalities once more. I’ll take any solaces of relief I can get.

In the end, Senran Kagura: Peach Ball fails as a piece of erotica as well as a decent pinball game. Its minor gameplay mechanics are shallow and simplistic, offering a ton of questionable spectacles over actual substance. If you’re actually into this type of game, I’m pretty sure you won’t even pay attention to my review and you have most likely already pre-ordered it. In that case, have fun, because I surely didn’t have a lot of it. If you’re not part of this specific demographic, however, this game is definitely not for you. If you’re looking for a decent pinball experience, go play Yoku’s Island Express instead. I can guarantee you that there will be less scantly clad highschoolers in that game.

 

Graphics: 6.0 I can safely say that the developers did spend a lot of time animating the characters’, err, “assets”, even if their jiggle physics go against the laws of nature. The game is also quite colorful and boasts a high framerate, at the very least.	Gameplay: 4.0 The bare bones gameplay you’d find in an average pinball game, but with less creative table designs. The deranged groping gameplay from Shinobi Refle also makes a comeback. Riveting.
Sound: 4.0 If you like loud annoying J-Pop, as well as anime chicks moaning in very high pitches, then you’re in for one heck of a treat.	Fun Factor: 3.0 As a pinball game, there’s not a lot in here, as the amount of tables is ridiculously small. As for the rest, well, it’s as displeasing as that other Senran Kagura game released a few years ago.
Final Verdict: 4.0

Senran Kagura: Peach Ball is available now on PC and Switch.

Reviewed on PC.

A copy of Senran Kagura: Peach Ball was provided by the publisher.