It is great sadness that Nintendo announces the death of Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shojoutachi (閃乱カグラ Burst:紅蓮の少女達) to come March 2023 from the eShop having been on there for practically a decade, and it is being unfortunately being pulled from all eShop venues come 2023 leaving North American players unable to experience the start of Senran Kagura. Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shojouachi was originally created in Tamsoft’s studios as Senran Kagura: Shoujotachi no Shinei, which only had the Hanzo route, by the toil and labor Kenichiro Takaki over the course of a year and was subsequently released on September 22, 2011. It was a year later that Guren no Shojouachi was released to have both the Hanzo and Hebijo routes on August 30, 2012, and another year later on November 14, 2013 that a North American digital release was given for the eShop.
Senran Kagura has a niche audience as it was developed in a way that definitely didn’t appeal to Western audiences, but we are still loyal to that end to support the franchise. I personally came across Senran Kagura through fellow fan Gaijin Goombah in my teens, and it was an acquired taste to eventually liking it, but I ended up invested in trying to play the game. Unfortunately I didn’t have a Playstation but I saw that there were games available on the 3DS and they were the first games for Senran Kagura. And after some time trying to convince my folks to buy it, any getting my own 2DS, I eventually got it and as of now I have over 100 hours playing it, and it was an adventure filled with laughs and tears. I still to this day say that 3DS Senran Kagura Burst is the best game out of all of them and there is a clear reason why, even for how fanservice-y it is the game has a great story that makes you care for the characters and addicting/challenging gameplay to have you keep going, plus the clothing damage gives the fights a sense of realism. I will be honest though, Burst is not a masterpiece, but it is still an important cornerstone that set the series of Senran Kagura in motion and a very fun game for any gaming otaku to at least try out. Without Senran Kagura Burst, I wouldn’t have written Kagura X Kagura in response to just how bad of an adaptation Ninja Flash was, and I don’t think I would have developed into the same gamer and otaku I am today, playing it was my next step to becoming a true hardcore otaku who did not just enjoy anime, manga, and video games not just as a medium of entertainment but also art.
I’ve heard a lot of things surrounding the opinion of Senran Kagura Burst such as “Playstation Senran Kagura is just better”, “The gameplay of Senran Kagura Burst is clunky”, “Senran Kagura Burst Re:newel fixes the issues of Senran Kagura Burst”, “I started with Playstation Senran Kagura so why should care?”, or “Why start playing Senran Kagura Burst when you can instead play Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus?”; all I can say is I’m in total disbelief for the amount of disrespect that the game that started it all is getting, and now it’s going to get pulled off the shelves, it doesn’t deserve this. Now I understand that games often become outdated as newer games come, but at least it’s good to experience the older titles to just see how the newer titles came to be and pay respect to the roots of the titles’ series. And I will also say that for anyone who preaches that Playstation or 3D Senran Kagura is better than 2D Senran Kagura, there is always Senran Kagura Deep Crimson for you; it was made trying to replicate the success of Playstation Senran Kagura on the 3DS but look where it had gotten. It didn’t make as much money as expected, calling for Takaki himself to call it the final Senran Kagura game for the 3DS and decanonize the Crimson Squad route for Shinovi Versus, and I myself find it to be quite a disappointment after playing it. And look what’s happening now, SONY has gone woke, Takaki himself has left on developing any Senran Kagura game, and now Nintendo is killing off Senran Kagura Burst. Now I do know that Deep Crimson is getting removed too but unlike Burst it has a physical release that can be bought, even if it’s hard to get, Burst though does not.
With Nintendo killing off Senran Kagura Burst, a game with no physical release that works on North American consoles, it leaves behind a series with an uncertain future and fanbase who wish to know ‘what comes next?’. Senran Kagura Burst will always be remembered and cherished as the game that started it all, the example for which all other games after it would follow, the game that broke down the barriers between good and evil to show they might not be that different after all.
In celebration of Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shoujotachi, we shall before August 29, 2022-which is when it is no longer possible to use a Nintendo eShop Card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems after not being able to add funds via credit card on May 23, 2022-preserve the memory of the game having it get downloaded on as many 3DS and 2DS devices as possible. So I urge anyone who truly loves Senran Kagura to get their 3DS and download it on there, it’s relatively cheap at $20, and for anyone who has done so already I ask them to have their friends download the game and then have their friends’ friends download it. Spread this word around as much as possible so come March 2023 proper we shall bury Senran Kagura Burst but at least make sure it will not be forgotten. Now just to be clear, anyone who downloads Senran Kagura Burst doesn't have to play the game, this obituary isn’t to convince you to like the game more or show that it is better than the other games in the series, it’s to encourage game preservation and mourn the loss of it, not a lot of gamers in general know about Senran Kagura but downloading the game would at least allow them the option to play it or not, they can always just download the game and forget about it, letting it sit there on their menu screens waiting to be played. It’s up to them on what they want to do with it after they download the game, just make sure they don’t delete it, that goes against the principle of preservation.
I dedicate the obituary in the memory and preservation of Senran Kagura Burst in hope that the series can find a home with Nintendo-even though they’ve been doing some unsavory business practices-as with SONY they have fallen out of favor for me at least and I refuse to give even a cent to them, the other games are on Steam anyway so there is no harm in boycotting SONY. I’m not sure how big of an impact my words will have on other people, I might as well be talking into a void for all I know, but I just wish to at least through this obituary give Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shoujotachi the proper respect, mourning, preservation, and burial it deserves. I have included on this obituary a gravestone to dedicate the game itself to, even if it’s using a stock image, it’s the thought that counts. A playlist of the OST will be included too.
Senran Kagura has a niche audience as it was developed in a way that definitely didn’t appeal to Western audiences, but we are still loyal to that end to support the franchise. I personally came across Senran Kagura through fellow fan Gaijin Goombah in my teens, and it was an acquired taste to eventually liking it, but I ended up invested in trying to play the game. Unfortunately I didn’t have a Playstation but I saw that there were games available on the 3DS and they were the first games for Senran Kagura. And after some time trying to convince my folks to buy it, any getting my own 2DS, I eventually got it and as of now I have over 100 hours playing it, and it was an adventure filled with laughs and tears. I still to this day say that 3DS Senran Kagura Burst is the best game out of all of them and there is a clear reason why, even for how fanservice-y it is the game has a great story that makes you care for the characters and addicting/challenging gameplay to have you keep going, plus the clothing damage gives the fights a sense of realism. I will be honest though, Burst is not a masterpiece, but it is still an important cornerstone that set the series of Senran Kagura in motion and a very fun game for any gaming otaku to at least try out. Without Senran Kagura Burst, I wouldn’t have written Kagura X Kagura in response to just how bad of an adaptation Ninja Flash was, and I don’t think I would have developed into the same gamer and otaku I am today, playing it was my next step to becoming a true hardcore otaku who did not just enjoy anime, manga, and video games not just as a medium of entertainment but also art.
I’ve heard a lot of things surrounding the opinion of Senran Kagura Burst such as “Playstation Senran Kagura is just better”, “The gameplay of Senran Kagura Burst is clunky”, “Senran Kagura Burst Re:newel fixes the issues of Senran Kagura Burst”, “I started with Playstation Senran Kagura so why should care?”, or “Why start playing Senran Kagura Burst when you can instead play Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus?”; all I can say is I’m in total disbelief for the amount of disrespect that the game that started it all is getting, and now it’s going to get pulled off the shelves, it doesn’t deserve this. Now I understand that games often become outdated as newer games come, but at least it’s good to experience the older titles to just see how the newer titles came to be and pay respect to the roots of the titles’ series. And I will also say that for anyone who preaches that Playstation or 3D Senran Kagura is better than 2D Senran Kagura, there is always Senran Kagura Deep Crimson for you; it was made trying to replicate the success of Playstation Senran Kagura on the 3DS but look where it had gotten. It didn’t make as much money as expected, calling for Takaki himself to call it the final Senran Kagura game for the 3DS and decanonize the Crimson Squad route for Shinovi Versus, and I myself find it to be quite a disappointment after playing it. And look what’s happening now, SONY has gone woke, Takaki himself has left on developing any Senran Kagura game, and now Nintendo is killing off Senran Kagura Burst. Now I do know that Deep Crimson is getting removed too but unlike Burst it has a physical release that can be bought, even if it’s hard to get, Burst though does not.
With Nintendo killing off Senran Kagura Burst, a game with no physical release that works on North American consoles, it leaves behind a series with an uncertain future and fanbase who wish to know ‘what comes next?’. Senran Kagura Burst will always be remembered and cherished as the game that started it all, the example for which all other games after it would follow, the game that broke down the barriers between good and evil to show they might not be that different after all.
In celebration of Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shoujotachi, we shall before August 29, 2022-which is when it is no longer possible to use a Nintendo eShop Card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems after not being able to add funds via credit card on May 23, 2022-preserve the memory of the game having it get downloaded on as many 3DS and 2DS devices as possible. So I urge anyone who truly loves Senran Kagura to get their 3DS and download it on there, it’s relatively cheap at $20, and for anyone who has done so already I ask them to have their friends download the game and then have their friends’ friends download it. Spread this word around as much as possible so come March 2023 proper we shall bury Senran Kagura Burst but at least make sure it will not be forgotten. Now just to be clear, anyone who downloads Senran Kagura Burst doesn't have to play the game, this obituary isn’t to convince you to like the game more or show that it is better than the other games in the series, it’s to encourage game preservation and mourn the loss of it, not a lot of gamers in general know about Senran Kagura but downloading the game would at least allow them the option to play it or not, they can always just download the game and forget about it, letting it sit there on their menu screens waiting to be played. It’s up to them on what they want to do with it after they download the game, just make sure they don’t delete it, that goes against the principle of preservation.
I dedicate the obituary in the memory and preservation of Senran Kagura Burst in hope that the series can find a home with Nintendo-even though they’ve been doing some unsavory business practices-as with SONY they have fallen out of favor for me at least and I refuse to give even a cent to them, the other games are on Steam anyway so there is no harm in boycotting SONY. I’m not sure how big of an impact my words will have on other people, I might as well be talking into a void for all I know, but I just wish to at least through this obituary give Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shoujotachi the proper respect, mourning, preservation, and burial it deserves. I have included on this obituary a gravestone to dedicate the game itself to, even if it’s using a stock image, it’s the thought that counts. A playlist of the OST will be included too.
