First Impressions: Panty Party

Wait, come back! This may look like trash, but Panty Party is actually... Well okay, it's trash, but bear with me here. Panty Party is a third-person action game, reminiscent of retro arcade games like MechWarrior. Yes, really. The comedic story centers around Yurika, a high school girl who discovers that she is a "Warrior of Love" and must save the world from a sentient pair of panties by transforming into a pair of panties herself. Yeah.

This game is actually hilarious. It doesn't take itself too seriously at all, the writing is silly, and the mechanics are surprisingly smooth. The story is told in visual novel form, and the gameplay sees the player take control of their choice of panty and fend off other panties across numerous levels. Each panty is equipped with its own set of weapons and skills with which to destroy the enemy.

As mentioned, the combat mechanics are actually pretty smooth. You control the panty in third-person, and have a range of melee and ranged attacks numbered 1 to 3. Your first panty comes with a basic melee, a laser gun, and a boomerang attack, while the second "Sailor" panty is all guns, all the time. Each panty also has a "Passion" mode, which strengthens your attacks and changes one skill into a more powerful ultimate ability. For example, Yurika's Passion ability changes her laser gun into a spin attack which deals a ton of damage.

This is certainly an interesting game. It's anime trash nonsense at its finest, but it's surprisingly pretty satisfying to play. If you're into the old MechWarrior arcade games this may actually be up your alley. For $10, it's not a bad deal. You get the story which revolves around taking down the evil Panzi, who wants to rule the world or something, it's ridiculous. You also get an arcade mode which allows you to run through a series of fights in quick succession. It's an alright game, check it out.

-Justin

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