Senran Kagura Peach Ball

Marvelous and Honey∞Parade Games' biggest mistake with Senran Kagura: Peach Ball was treating it as a budget title because it deserves so much more: more tables, more girls, more everything. Combining the cheeseball sexuality of Senran with pinball is perhaps the most brilliant idea this franchise has ever had and the execution of what is here is nearly flawless. But the lack of a diverse set of pinball tables and a curtailed cast keep Peach Ball from reaching the excellence it could have so easily achieved if the developers had more time and more ideas for what they wanted Peach Ball to be.

We spent a long time mulling over why Senran Kagura: Peach Ball didn't push any of our buttons. If you find anime ladies with animal features highly appealing, you can probably add a couple of points to the score below. Ultimately, though, Peach Ball serves up a tedious, repetitive story with monotonous characters and pinball tables that can be characterised likewise. Despite a polished art style and a genuinely interesting idea of livening up the arcade game in a way only possible in a video game, we found the end result sorely lacking in the pinball department.

All said and done though if you ignore the lure of DLC extras, the core package offers a fun-to-play pinball experience. It’s slightly over-priced though only really appealing to die-hard Senran Kagura fans. Pinball fans can get their fix from other games for less that also provide a little more diverse content. Hopefully Marvelous reduce the price in the future or offer a definitive version with all the DLC extras included.

As a fan of the Senran Kagura series, I have to say that Peach Ball is rather disappointing. Sure, the pinball mechanics and customization are fine, but there's just very little actual substance to the game, so little that I honestly cannot recommend the game even to fans.

As stated in the beginning, Senran Kagura: Peach Ball is hampered by a lack of content. The five different storyline paths are fine, but the presence of only two tables hurts the game. The two tables are designed well, even if they're similar to one another, and the ease with which one can achieve high scores makes it encouraging for both pinball newcomers and veterans alike. At the moment, you need to be a huge franchise fan to pick up this title, but if you're a pinball fan who doesn't mind the overly suggestive look and the ridiculous story, Peach Ball is worth checking out if it goes on sale.

If you’re hankering for some pinball and were looking for something with a little more fanservice than a shiny metal orb, good news is Senran Kagura Peach Ball is available for you to sidle up to.

Senran Kagura: Peach Ball is actually quite well done, it just lacks content.

Senran Kagura: Peach Ball is a really solid pinball game with a Senran Kagura coat of paint. The fanservice on offer certainly won’t be for everyone but if you can deal with that, you’ve got yourself a fun pinball game with highly interactive tables, bright lights and Vegas style visual stimulation. My only negative is that many areas of the game left me wanting more and could have been fleshed out in deeper ways. But this foundation has also left me pretty excited for future add-ons or a sequel game.

The only downside to the game should be clear: It’s a budget title. It’s one that’s meant to be a pick-up-and-go experience. It shows with only two tables, a handful of customizations, and a somewhat uninspired story. However, it’s hard not to admit, the game feels right at home on the Switch and it goes to show, perhaps, this is the best place to play a Senran Kagura game.

While the game is perfect for a quick pick-up and play session, I do wish there was more content to unlock and more boards to play on. It's unfortunate since the foundation set here is definitely enjoyable. It may as well be the best spin-off title the series has so far. If you aren't uncomfortable when it comes to the subject matter, maybe you will also enjoy this bumpy ride.