Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed

I could go on, but Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed was another disappointing entry in a series that hasn’t been on a straight path since 2014, following the critically panned ARPG Akiba’s Beat. I was intrigued by the idea of bringing back an overlooked entry in the PSP’s library to modern systems and a new fanbase, but I’d go as far as to say that you’re better off just playing the original or Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed. Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed might be worth sticking through for the experience of feeling like you’re wandering through Akihabara, but the clunky combat, thin plot, and poor performance make this a stripped-down experience. I really hope one day we can get a brand new Akiba’s Trip game that hits all the marks, but at this point, I’m wondering if the developers even want to.

Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound and Debriefed on Switch is an odd little title with some really unique and interesting ideas, but overall falls short with its visuals, combat, and clunky controls.

Akiba's Trip is a poor attempt at creating a tantalizing video game, and it's only the strength of its humor and writing that makes it even worth a look. This is actually the first official English localization of the original Akiba's Trip, though after spending time with it in 2021, it's a mystery why anyone wanted to remaster it in the first place.

Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed is far from perfect. It doesn’t look great and you’re constantly running into annoyances that result from bringing a budget PSP game in 2021. But I suspect that the people who might pick it up will be willing to overlook that. This is about completing a set and seeing the inspiration for other titles. If anyone would want to experience this particular series at its best, I’d point them to Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed in a heartbeat. But this release, flawed as it is, does give people who enjoy the series a way to see how it all started.

It's difficult to understand where the need for this Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed came from. While it's true that ten years since the original release is a lot of time, this remaster does very little in terms of providing a good, fun, enhanced experience. Despite its rather unique concept and some genuinely comical moments, the combat is a repetitive chore, there's very little to the game missions, and even less understandably for a remaster, it's a visually poor job. Overall this is a game that should have stayed in its original place.