It's been awhile since the bikini and cowboy hat wearing swordswomen graced Western shores. The last time was back in 2009 for the Xbox 360 and Wii. The 360 and PS3 sequel Oneechanbara Z: Kagura skipped domestic release, and instead we come to 2015 with it's PS4 only sequel, Z2: Chaos. And much like it's previous releases, the game bathes in the excesses of trashy videogame design. But much like any trainwreck or the Simple Series that it originated from, the game still manages to be amusing enough to be a fun diversion. 

The game is a sequel, but thankfully it does a cliff-notes version of the story of the previous games, and a summary of what happened in Z: Kagura. Not like any of that matters, as the game's story is actually worthless. You'll only get a smattering of in-game cutscenes or text boxes divulging the plot. But none of it really makes much sense. And the summary provided in either the intro or character bios do little to fill in the gaps. But that's not why people would play the game. 

Much like the Simple Series original that Chaos spawned from, the game is just an excuse to see girls in light clothing killing zombies and getting bloody. Although two of the girls initially are dressed like a schoolgirl and lolita respectively, you can swap their outfits with other costumes. Of course the twist in the combat is that consistent use of your weapons will entrench them in blood, making them less effective. So you have to keep up their sharpness by swiping the blood off, kind of like a reload of sorts. Also after building up a gauge, the girls will go berserk and become super-charged for a short time. In addition, you can summon them into battle to assist you. It's not quite the same as multiplayer play, but it's there. The gameplay is very much doing it's best to imitate the style of other hack and slash games like Bayonetta and Lollipop Chainsaw. Purchasable weapons, combos, items, and accessories are present. Even the way the game handles the chapter breakdown and scoring system is pretty derivative. There's even transformations for the characters. It's fun, but either due to the budget or a lack of ambition, it doesn't quite reach those levels. 

The game has terrible level design that's either boring to look at or has a level structure that can be annoying at times. The enemies can also be huge damage sponges. The dialogue is totally corny or cringe-worthy. Set-pieces are also pretty weak and often rely on boring QTE segments to finish off bosses with the use of the touchpad. But, much like any trainwreck, the enjoyment comes more from 'so bad that it's good' school that you can't turn away from. The truest definition of a guilty pleasure. But it at least seems as though the quality of the games are increasing. Oneechanbara Z2: Chaos may not take advantage of the power of the PS4 to produce amazing visuals, but it does allow for 60 frames. It's a game that likely serves as a good rental, or for fans of the other games in the series, as it's not really trying to rake in a new audience. Although it being $50 USD likely won't last long if you want it new, so patience for buyers might pay off.

The Bottom Line: Still as trashy as ever, the game revels in it's stupidity and there's nothing wrong with that. Though it could have made the enemies less damage absorbent. 

Acquisition Method: This game's review copy was a digital code provided by XSEED Games.