Onechanbara Z2: Chaos stars a “Zombie Punitive Force” out to rid the world of an undead infestation. Gameplay largely revolves around carving bloody swaths through thousands of zombies using samurai swords and other bladed weaponry.
Originally a series of budget-priced action games for the PlayStation 2, the Onechanbara franchise grew past its humble origins in Japan with a large selection of multi-platform releases over the last decade. The series premiered stateside in 2009 with the dual launch of Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad for the Xbox 360 and Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers for the Nintendo Wii.
The Onechanbara games are short on plot, instead focusing on blood-soaked encounters with screens full of enemy zombies. The surrounding premise is steeped in grindhouse and exploitation film culture, featuring a cast of heroines who charge into battle wearing bikinis, schoolgirl outfits, and other unconventional attire.
Despite its low-budget origins, Onechanbara spawned a number of sequels and a feature film in Japan. An English-language version of Onechanbara: The Movie premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival in 2008, and later saw a domestic release on DVD.
Xseed’s localized version of Onechanbara Z2: Chaos will premiere stateside digitally via the PlayStation Network for $40. A “Banana Split Limited Edition” that includes a physical copy of the game, an art book, a soundtrack CD, and a download code for an in-game costume will hit retail at $50. All versions of the game offer the option of presenting dialog in its original Japanese or as an English-language dub.
Onechanbara Z2: Chaos will launch in North America on July 21. A European release from publisher NIS will premiere in August.
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