Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash - Summer! Swimsuits! Some light yuri maybe?

Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash is a third-person shooter game developed by Tamsoft and published by Marvelous in 2017. This follows the usual formula that has made Tamsoft famous, which involves hordes of enemies coming your way along with a few stronger, boss-like enemies. Yes, as you might have guessed, it is another musou game.

The story this time around is even lighter than usual and follows a water gun tournament which, apparently, has been held by ninjas since ancient times. Two mysterious (well, not really) announcers manage the activities as the girls from various schools participate in the event. 

The main heroines of the Hanzo National Academy. Katsuragi's outfit is incredible as usual. Does that even configure as a swimsuit?

I know it's a classic, but Yumi is the character I like the most out of this franchise. The gap between her serious self and the cuteness when she's embarassed is exquisite.

While there are a few twists and turns during the story, it is mostly linear with a great emphasis on showing the various traits of the heroines we have grown to love over the course of the many games released so far. Additionally, the water gun setting is the perfect excuse to ensure that all the girls are permanently in swimsuits.

The story never takes itself seriously and there are plenty of funny scenes between the many heroines. If you, like me, enjoy light yuri scenes, this is a treasure trove of cute moments between the established couples of the game. Be aware that the main story can be completed in around 12 hours, so it is not a very long game.

There are a few extra characters that appear from time to time (like these here), but the focus remains on the girls from the various schools.

Murakumo not dropping her mask even at the beach is a classic. She's true to her convictions (and it's the only way for her to function too)

The explanation for the length is linked to the gameplay system which is, as I mentioned before, a musou game, but it also includes a strange system that doesn't quite seem to fit the game itself. The game features an internal gacha system and, no, I am not talking about an online service here. It is literally a system where you can obtain power-up cards for your heroines to equip based on a random chance system similar to loot boxes, though these can simply be farmed in-game.

This, combined with the online mode, made me think they were trying to pursue the "e-sport" side of the gaming world, but it failed badly enough that it never really became popular. I don't know much about how good that part was, as I played purely in single-player mode for the story.

Of course never forget the light yuri elements that are thrown around the series. Never going too deep, but always sweet.

Homura's Crimson Squad is the classic antagonist squad in other games, but here it's more of a rival/friend really.

While playing through the story, you will receive quite a few cards to equip. However, if you are trying to maximize your characters, you may end up spending hundreds of hours on this game. I honestly don't think the gameplay is great enough to justify that amount of time investment, but it all comes down to personal preference.

The one thing this game makes difficult is my ability to declare a "favorite heroine" above all others. While I like Yumi from Gessen Girls' Academy a lot, I am also very fond of the serious and cool Ikaruga from the Hanzo National Academy. But then again, Kafuru, Renka, and Murasaki are not bad either, and we could end up talking about this forever, so I will stop now.

One of the pairings I liked a lot was Yagyuu x Hibari. Those two were really good and cute together.

Ryouna from the Hebijou Clandestine Girls Academy was also quite fun with her M antics. Another great group.

While I don't think Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash is worth the full price, it is definitely a fun experience if you can get it at a heavy discount, which it usually is. The girls are amazing, the setting is very lighthearted, and there is tons of fanservice for fans of the franchise.