Onee Chanbara ORIGIN

Main character designer Katsumi Enami breathes new life into the characters, making this silky-smooth 60fps high-speed action game an unmissable treat.

If you love films like Planet Terror, fast-paced, Devil May Cry-inspired combat, and babes in bikinis whose sole purpose is to slaughter as many zombies as possible in the name of revenge, then Onee Chanbara: Origin is a title well worth adding to your PS4 collection. Tamsoft did an incredible job of modernizing these dusty PS2 gems while providing an aesthetically pleasing makeover. While the game may be a bit short, there’s no denying that it’s extremely well crafted and succeeds in delivering an over-the-top, hack-&-slash bonanza of anime-inspired madness.

Tempered at the edges as it might be, Onee Chanbara Origin is still crass and skimpy, and an explicit work of nostalgic grindhouse for anyone that remembers that genre. Additionally, short as it may be, it's genuinely well-made for what it wants to be: a mindless action game. It's just that the tempering at the edges means that it's not as pure as something like School Girl/Zombie Hunter, and therefore won't replace it as the best trash grindhouse this generation has given us. What it is, though is more than enough to remind us that we may well get very little of that in the next generation, and to make no bones about it, that's very disappointing to me.

Onee Chanbara Origin marks the welcome return of zombie-slaying bikini samurai action. With its crazy B movie premise and absurd amount of violence, it delivers a ridiculous formula that will appeal to any gamer who doesn't take things too seriously.

Onee Chanbara Origin is a remaster that goes straight to the point, offering frenetic, bloodthirsty gameplay and a punctual and truly entertaining combat system. The technical side is sadly stuck at the origins of the saga, especially the scenarios, which seem to have really come out of a ten-year-old console. The characters, fortunately, have undergone a remarkable restiling and the protagonists show a full-bodied cel-shading and excellent animations, able to give back a sense of majestic violence. Probably the entry price (49 €) is a bit too high for a shamelessly budget product and the incessant action could saturate the souls of those who do not adore the genre in the long run. Considering this, Onee Chanbara Origin gives the videogame player exactly what it promises: maybe it won't be much, but at least it is clear and honest in its contents and intentions.

This is a fun, gore-y hack & slash starring girls with not enough clothes that can be found enjoyable if you’re happy with lower budget games.

Onee Chanbara Origin is what it is: a remake of a couple of simple and repetitive action games that largely rely on titillation and buckets of gore to keep players’ eyes glued to the screen. Dig beneath its shallow exterior, however, and you’ll find a combat system that’s surprisingly rewarding when the camera isn’t working against you. It’s just a shame that there’s not much content to it. It’s hard to recommend Onee Chanbara Origin at its full price unless you’re really keen to hack and slash zombies as a bikini-clad badass. When that price drops a little, though, it’s worth jumping on if action games are your thing.

Onee Chanbara Origin remains a cathartic, bloodthirsty, and goofy bit of chaos, whose aesthetic charms have been boosted thanks to Tamsoft's excellent audio/visual upgrade. Unfortunately, the passage of time has somewhat dulled Origin's gameplay, which has been far superseded by other franchises. Offering a short campaign, above-average action, and a slim package, Onee Chanbara Origin is for franchise fans only - and not at its $60 asking price.