E3 2008: Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers First Look

Women. Bikinis. Zombies. Blood. Gore. The end.

Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers. The title really does say it all. In the game, you play as a bikini-clad woman and kill zombies. See, it's not just a clever name.

Like the cult hit Earth Defense Force 2017, Onechanbara was originally released a few years ago on the Xbox 360 in Japan as part of publisher D3's "simple series." According to the developer, the version that's slated to come to the Wii isn't exactly the same, but we weren't able to spot a whole lot of differences between the Wii and 360 incarnations in our brief time with the Wii game.

The game's not yet translated to English, but the introductory cutscene makes the situation pretty clear. Two sisters, Aya and Saki, are in their apartment. One is watching television and the other is very naked, taking a very steamy shower. She must be really into hygiene, too, because she doesn't miss a spot. A breaking news story flashes onto the screen: Zombies have overrun the city. Concerned about the safety of humanity, the duo gets into their skimpiest bikini-schoolgirl-cowboy-type outfits, grab some swords, and head out to save the day.

Gameplay is pretty standard for a third-person Wii brawler. You move with the Nunchuk's analog stick and attack by waving the Wii Remote. Apparently, different movements will result in different attacks, but the person who showed us the demo of the game stuck with an up and down motion. You can play as either sister, each of whom plays a bit differently. Aya is all about chopping dudes to bits with her katana(s), while Saki prefers a more hands-on approach.

Regardless of the character you choose, there will be lots of violence. Once you enter a new area, zombies appear, and you can't leave until you've killed them. Given the sheer amount of undead and the many ways you can dismember them, there's a lot of blood. Some of this blood splashes onto the camera (a cool effect), but much of it ends up on the sisters, too. As more and more blood gets on them, their rage meter fills. Once it's full, you can activate Rage mode and unleash some ultrapowerful attacks. Be warned, however; your energy goes down while you're raging, so you'll want to pick your spots wisely.

In addition to the single-player story mode, there's offline co-op play, Free Play, Survival, and Quest Modes available. Based on our short time watching Onechanbara on the Wii in action (and our experience playing the Japanese Xbox 360 a few years ago), the game's not going to add any fuel to the "games as art" debate--and it makes no apologies for it. If you're looking for mindless hack-and-slash action featuring girls in bikinis and you own a Wii, put Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers on your radar for early 2009.

100 Comments

  • OminousShadow87

    Posted Jan 22, 2009 3:18 am PT

    Now we just need an AO rating! ;-)

  • cristhiansj_1

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 9:01 am PT

    Sexy!

  • Emandudeguy

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 8:51 pm PT

    SWEET DUDE!

  • chrPL

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 6:39 am PT

    This game will be probably good, I love Japan too .

  • Mattia_Dante_20

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 12:36 am PT

    Well, I think this game it will be so great on Wii.

  • aerisISalive

    Posted Aug 9, 2008 7:50 pm PT

    I love Japan.

  • maxmax1234

    Posted Aug 6, 2008 10:26 am PT

    Soul Calibur 4 meets Dead Rising on the Wii?

    Create new games, dont mix rip-off's

  • SUPER_FLY_

    Posted Aug 5, 2008 12:54 pm PT

    seems dumb

  • bulletwaster

    Posted Aug 5, 2008 10:30 am PT

    The only way it could be better is if it had guns. Guns. Girls. Gore. the rules of gaming.

  • YourNameHere004

    Posted Aug 5, 2008 8:46 am PT

    i have the japanese version for wii called Onechanbara Revolution. Got it a while ago but havent beaten it. its pretty fun at first, but it gets a bit stale if you play it for too long. one cool thing about it is your sword acquires blood as you slash zombies and you have to hold B (i think) and slash down to fling the blood off your sword. if not, your attacks become slower and not as powerful.

  • ironscoug

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 6:11 pm PT

    The only way it would ge any better is if the girls wore no clothes at all!

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 9:04 am PT

    Uhhh... I hope this title won't become a precedent for games from the Japanese emphasizing style over substance too much.

  • omega300

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 12:03 am PT

    i remember this 1 awesome i can't wait until it come out SSS rank

  • jemrax

    Posted Jul 31, 2008 9:33 pm PT

    I already have a japanese port of this on my PS2..... come to think of it..... i cant remember where i found it......

  • roryk666

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 8:38 pm PT

    kitty porn? u like animals? eww

  • tonicmole

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 9:23 pm PT

    Little girls in bikini's.............the japanese need to keep their kitty porn to themselves.

  • Nintendoguy325

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 10:50 am PT

    Hmmm, wasn't expecting that.

  • jdog_129

    Posted Jul 27, 2008 9:59 am PT

    shtinky everyone posting is aware that this zombie slayer game is not a wii exclusive, but it is in north America. Also I just need to say why do you need to be so condescending, wii owners are trying to diversify their gaming experience. Many of my friends own a wii and a 360 and are just as happy to play halo 3 as super smash bros brawl. Great at parties, goes well with jello shooters in university. Man its time for you to grow up and get a wii.

  • eshtebala

    Posted Jul 26, 2008 2:10 pm PT

    Bikinis on the Wii?...... well, thats a start.

  • Shtinky

    Posted Jul 24, 2008 10:03 pm PT

    It's sad that there's so many naive nintendo fanboys commenting here who have no idea this game has come to multiple platforms before. They're acting like this is some brand new exclusive franchise for Wii or something! go do your research!

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