Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed

 PlayStation 4
Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed Image
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52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews What's this?

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5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 13 Ratings

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  • Summary: AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed is the precursor to AKIBA’S TRIP: Undead & Undressed, the smash hit that introduced a Western audience to the seedy underworld lurking in the shadows of the haven of “otaku” culture in the Akihabara district of Tokyo. Released as AKIBA’S TRIP Plus inAKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed is the precursor to AKIBA’S TRIP: Undead & Undressed, the smash hit that introduced a Western audience to the seedy underworld lurking in the shadows of the haven of “otaku” culture in the Akihabara district of Tokyo. Released as AKIBA’S TRIP Plus in Japan, players explore a rich setting based on the famous “Akiba” district circa 2011, hunting vampiric foes and tearing off their clothes to expose them to sunlight. This remaster brings the game up to modern HD graphical standards, all while retaining the charm of the original classic that sparked a cult hit series. … Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 15
  3. Negative: 6 out of 15
  1. TheGamer
    Jul 20, 2021
    70
    There’s a lot to love in Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed, whether you’re a veteran or newcomer to the series. It looks and plays much like the games of yesteryear, but that’s what gives it much of its charm. You can definitely add Akihabara to my list of spots to visit when I finally make my way back to Japan. I’m no vampire demon, but perhaps I’ll wear an extra layer or two. You know, just in case.
  2. Pure Playstation
    Jul 20, 2021
    70
    Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed is a challenging experience filled with plenty of memorable moments. If you’re a long-term fan of the Akiba franchise, you won’t be disappointed. Just be warned: it will get weird.
  3. Meristation
    Sep 6, 2021
    65
    The first title of the Akiba's Trip franchise arrives in western markets with a remastered version that lacks improved graphics and its combat system is outdated.
  4. Push Square
    Jul 20, 2021
    50
    There's a fair amount of side-quest stuff to do such as playing mini-games in the maid café or helping out locals with their problems, although none of it is particularly innovative or memorable. There are also loads of different quirky weapons and hundreds of different clothing options to collect. Roaming around Akihabara while wielding a keyboard and wearing a Gundam cosplay made out of cardboard boxes is kinda fun, despite how average the game is overall.
  5. GameSpew
    Jul 20, 2021
    50
    Ultimately, it’s hard to recommend Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed to anyone but the most ardent of action RPG fans with a taste for Otaku culture. While its premise is genuinely interesting, as are the storylines that stem from it, the dated visuals and archaic combat will be big hurdles to overcome for most. For those who can see and work past them, however, there’s some fun to be had, albeit littered with some frustration. It’s just a shame that more hasn’t been done to bring this game up to today’s standards.
  6. Everyeye.it
    Jul 21, 2021
    45
    The idea behind AKIBA's TRIP is tasty and fun, but if in 2011 the product could work even with all its shortcomings and the limitations imposed by the PSP hardware, the same cannot be said for its re-release.
  7. Shacknews
    Jul 20, 2021
    40
    If Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed catches you having too much fun, be prepared to have that stripped from you like a finely quaffed set of Shadow Soul clothes. This game is a constant chore to enjoy and should be reserved for the folks that really want to see where the series began.

See all 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 5 out of 6
  1. Maotheoverlord8
    Sep 23, 2021
    10
    This game is so great to see on the PS4. I been playing it on my PS5. I loved this game back on the PSP. To see it now in English and in 4k isThis game is so great to see on the PS4. I been playing it on my PS5. I loved this game back on the PSP. To see it now in English and in 4k is like a dream. It plays just like I remember it did on PSP. Now you even can rotate the camera. I do not recommend it if you played the 2nd game first. But if you grew up like me playing this game when I was 17 fresh out of high-school. It is a complete treat to revisit. Highly recommend if you played it back when it originally released.… Expand
  2. OhNoItsSenpai
    Jul 26, 2021
    2
    If you played the game's successor, Akiba'strip undead and undressed, and are expecting the more of the same, this will be a bigIf you played the game's successor, Akiba'strip undead and undressed, and are expecting the more of the same, this will be a big disappointment. This game game is it's lesser in every way. The graphics, the voice acting, the weak game play, and the camera angles which can cause you to lose fights you should have no problem with, lead to a harrowing experience that I believe even the most hardcore of fans will become frustrated with. Pretty much the only positive aspect I can think to write here, is that it's nice to see older games getting released on newer consoles, and if you want to play the original without importing it and learning to read in a foreign language this will provide you with the ability to do so.… Expand
  4. AlphaWorld05
    Sep 26, 2021
    2
    Los gráficos son muy pobres, tienes que comprar todas las habilidades, me recuerda como la versión Otaku del GTA III
  5. Halomugen
    Jul 23, 2021
    2
    Avoid this game. I wouldn't even recommend buying it for $5. Remaster is pushing it, as the graphics and polygon count are still abysmal. TheyAvoid this game. I wouldn't even recommend buying it for $5. Remaster is pushing it, as the graphics and polygon count are still abysmal. They also didn't imporve gameplay at all. The controls are clunky and unresponsive. The voi e acting is quite terrible too. I loved Undead and Undressed, and I was hoping this game would be good.… Expand
  6. Neodarkside
    Aug 3, 2021
    1
    I loved Akiba's Trip for the PS3 and Vita, I bought this for the Switch as I saw Remastered thinking it's a updated game. It's a paleI loved Akiba's Trip for the PS3 and Vita, I bought this for the Switch as I saw Remastered thinking it's a updated game. It's a pale comparison. The controls are horrendous, trying to face a enemy is a chore. The world map is no longer connected, it doesn't flow at all. You no longer have health bars even. The game is terrible.… Expand
  7. TsukasaHiiragi
    Jul 23, 2021
    0
    Pro's

    Its Akiba's Strip! Con's Horrendously bad side missions Very low res textures English sound/voice overs sound really off    Pro's

    Its Akiba's Strip!

    Con's

    Horrendously bad side missions
    Very low res textures
    English sound/voice overs sound really off
    Terrible camera angles during some fight scenes
    Pretty much everything in the game is done bad
    Censorship
    Super frustrating

    Okay, so as a fan of the Akiba's Trip undead and undressed, I was really excited to see the original finally get a legitimate western port and unfortunately, that's it...after playing it...the game has aged not only poorly, some of the absolutely MASSIVE issues from the original PSP game have not been addressed at all. Even fans of the series who haven't played this on PSP will honestly struggle to enjoy this game, it frankly just hasn't aged well at all, even with all the dress up and your typical otaku tropes thrown in, this is just a sad really.

    The fighting/camera angles are still a huge issue, the camera often gets locked behind objects showing very little of the area, with a very very loose lock on system that sometimes works really badly causing you to attack thin air, through really no fault of your own and fighting multiple shadow souls feels just not nearly as satisfying as the 2nd game in the series, which if I'm being honest is basically just a remake of this game in every way possible.

    Secondly, some of the most horrendous game design choices are still present, such as the HUGELY frustrating side quests, especially the apologize side quests which force you to wear the talisman of regret and go speak to random people and go through a huge dialogue tree that requires you to pick the right answers to satisfy the NPC otherwise you instantly fail the mission, also if you attack anyone attacking you...you instantly fail the mission and you can be literally knocked out of the zone requiring you to re-load back and try again, some of these missions are literally and notoriously badly designed.

    Sure this game is a PSP port, but they could have redone some of the textures, on the PS4 and PS5 consoles some textures look extremely bad. The sound is also another issue, some of the voice overs literally sound like some of the lines was recorded over a cellphone or something, some voice overs sound fine but others sound really off in terms of quality, this isn't the VA's fault at all but something else.

    Combat is horrendously bad, almost always you are facing multiple shadow souls, sure you have a defend button that you have to time perfectly but once you are fighting 4 or 5 sometimes more enemies...especially on side missions, it becomes near impossible to dodge every attack from every angle, and comically you can easily die by just being rag-dolled to death as they keep spamming attacks and even then, you still end up fighting the horrible lock-on system which you have no control over at all, if you could manually lock onto one particular enemy it wouldn't be as bad.

    I honestly, I'm going to end up returning this for a ful refund - would heavily recommend that even for big fans of the Akiba series to wait for a massive sale, this is a sad day for this Akiba's Trip fan - sure, my expectations wasn't that high for a PSP remaster especially for a game that's a decade old but this is just awful, half the price and then must might be worth it for the CD and Art book.    … Expand

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