XSEED and PQube announced that Akiba’s Beat will release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in North America on May 16, 2017.
Akiba’s Beat is an action RPG and is a spinoff title to Aquire’s 2014 game, Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed. Though Akiba’s Beat is considered a follow-up, it doesn’t share any of the same gameplay mechanics, instead focusing more on its roleplaying. Taking place in Akihabara, a district in Tokyo best known for catering to anime and video game enthusiasts, players control a college dropout named Asahi Tachibana. Along with a colorful cast, Asahi must battle against monsters as they try to free the town from the time loop it’s been trapped in. Music will play a large role in the game as players collect character theme songs that can be played in battle to provide party members with boosts in power. Akiba’s Beat will offer high-quality art with expressive animation along with the option to choose between English and Japanese audio.
Akiba’s Trip was first released on PlayStation Portable in 2011, exclusive to Japan. Players control an unnamed character as they roam the fully recreated streets of Akihabara, fighting against a vampire-based race by pulling off their clothes, exposing their skin to sunlight. The game used a unique combat system where players could perform high, medium and low strikes to their opponents, damaging their clothing until they’re able to be pulled off. A year later, the game received a second release with full voice acting, improved visuals and new in-game content.
The game’s sequel, Akiba’s Trip 2 released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in America as Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed with a PlayStation 3 release in Japan. The game featured an improved version of the combat found in the first title along with a new story. The sequel created an even better representation of Akihabara, featuring over 130 real-life shops and displaying many ads for games that were released at the same time. Akiba’s trip 2 featured a new story about vampires, told in a visual novel style with multiple endings.
Akiba’s Beat will offer the same representation of Akihabara as the previous games in the series and will be the first to tell a completely unrelated story in the Akiba’s Trip series.
