Nearly a decade ago, Taiwanese indie studio Animu Game looked at the gaming landscape and determined that an action game starring sentient underwear was what the world truly needed. Panty Party Perfect, an enhanced port of the 2017 release, shows that the concept remains relevant, as a legion of frilly fighters square off across a succession of battlefields. If mecha showdowns are too serious for you, this posse of pantsu might be worth trying on. Panty Party Perfect is fun and cute, but like a real pair of undies, freshness can be fleeting.
Panty Party Perfect drops players into a world where underwear has achieved consciousness and, naturally, concluded that the only logical next step is to fight. The story centers on Yurika, an ordinary young woman whose life is turned upside down when a magical pair of panties crash-lands into her existence and recruits her as an unlikely champion of pantykind.
Brief Encounters
The stakes escalate quickly and delightfully absurd, as Yurika is transformed in a pair of frillies and is mistaken for a savior named, “The Warrior of Love”. Yes, Panty Party Perfect is batshit crazy and never takes the premise too seriously. It’s big dumb fun, adorned with a little pink bow. That said, there’s isn’t too depth to the experience. You get 20 short, storied missions, an arcade mode, as well as off- and online battles. Given how much PPP feels like a mecha fighter, I would have loved to build and paint my own undies.
Gameplay is a third-person button-mashing brawler where players control one of the anthropomorphic undies in arena-based encounters. Each fighter has a distinct moveset and power level, giving the roster some genuine variety. As you probably have guessed, witch panties are frilly and fire ice beam, while shimapan offer a speedy, dash attack and burst projectile. Bear panties are the game’s tank, slow moving but packing the punch of a bazooka. No matter which pair of drawers you slip into, each is outfitted with a Passion Mode that provides a temporary buff and an elevated attack.
Largely, matches play fast and frantically, rewarding aggressive play and shrewd spatial awareness. That said, the main strategy was to avoid getting double- or triple teamed, while prioritizing a single enemy. Unsurprisingly defensive play is essential, and you can either dash out of the way or poke out of cover to prey on enemies. And while there’s probably not enough depth to keep the servers active occupied from now, Animu Game deserves credit for balancing the roster.
Undressed to Impress
Visually, the game employs a colorful visual style that suits its subject matter perfectly. Character designs are imaginative and distinct, ranging from frilly lace to practical cotton. And each fighter’s appearance reflects their personality and fighting style. The arenas, often set in suburban Japan, aren’t not particularly elaborate. But they are readable, ensuring the on-screen chaos never becomes visually overwhelming. Thanks to an on-screen radar, there’s never any doubt where enemies are.
As an enhanced port, Panty Party Perfect brings several improvements to the action. A larger roster, additional stages, improved performance, and some quality-of-life refinements make this the definitive way to experience the game. Veterans of the original probably won’t find enough new content to justify a return visit. But newcomers get the most complete version of the experience from the start.
Not Quite Top Drawer
But Panty Party stumbles when it comes to longevity. The single-player content, while amusing, burns through its best ideas fairly quickly, and the lack of a robust online community (I found two other Warriors of Love) means the versus mode relies heavily on local play. For a game built on the joy of chaotic brawling, the absence of an online base is noticeable. And while the developers can’t be faulted, potential panty raiders should be informed.
Overall, Panty Party Perfect is exactly what it sets out to be. It’s a wonderfully ridiculous, fast and loose action brawler that commits to its crazy premise. But like the best underwear, it’s best appreciated in short bursts. Wear it too long and the novelty wears thin. With a sparse online population and single-player content that runs out of ideas before it runs out of missions, PPP is enjoyable. But like a thong, it doesn’t cover everything.
Panty Party Perfect was played on PlayStation 5 with review code provided by the publisher.
GAMEPLAY – 70%
CONTROLS – 70%
CONTENT – 50%
AESTHETICS – 70%
ACCESSIBILITY – 70%
VALUE – 60%
65%
OK
Panty Party Perfect is an entertaining action brawler about pairs of panties perpetually engaged in combat. The result feels like Virtual-On and looks like a Victoria’s Secret commercial. Yet with thin single-player content and a meager online community, this one’s best enjoyed in chaotic bursts against some local friends.
User Rating:
3.7
( 1 votes)