Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed Reviews
Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed isn’t the best brawler around and has limited fan service but a solid storyline and witty dialogue make it an addicting one nonetheless.
I did enjoy my time with this game, but it did not age well at all. This is more of an HD remaster than it feels like an HD remake.
AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed is more than your run-of-the-mill anime game. If you really look into it, you’ll find a challenging, yet flawed combat system. An entire series born from an urban legend with ties to the Hikikomori phenomenon in Japan. And an anime story complete with misunderstandings and pure intentions. The first one, I tolerate. The 2 after are reasons why you should be buying this game.
So overall, Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed is going to most likely find itself as more of a novelty experience than one that draws new fans to the series being the precursor to Akiba's Trip: Undead and Undressed. It's not a bad brawler or beat 'em up, but it does show its age in its mechanics especially when compared to its sequel that we've had our hands on for much longer.
Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed is a very fun game with an unusual proposal that can be finished in less than 8 hours. The only problem is that the remastering has been left only in the typical "File-Export to PS4" and whether we like it or not most PSP games from 10 years ago graphically have not aged well enough.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Akiba’s Trip is still one of the most unique franchises in gaming. I mean, what other game can you pick up a crazy weapon like a rice cooker, beat down a vampire with it, and then strip their clothing? This may sound crazy, but it’s just a ton of fun. The story is great no matter which path you choose, and it took me around 28 hours to complete all three of them. There are still some sidequests and items I need to collect to have 100% of everything. There are some annoying bits of combat and some muddy textures, but these are very minor flaws. If you were a fan of the previous release, you should definitely pick this one up. You’ll find more of what you love here at the $39.99 price tag. If you are new to the series, this is a great place to jump in, since this is technically the first title in the franchise.
Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed needs to played without any distractions from other games because the second you put it down, you may never care to return to it. Its lack of quality-of-life features solidifies it as a relic of the past, but its writing and characters make it out to be something that fits right in with your group of otaku friends. It’s not an easy game to get through, but its charm is enough to want a true sequel.
I was looking forward to playing Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed, but it’s just a bit too clunky and dated in design to really enjoy. I was a fan of the narrative and how weird it gets, but everything else about the game just felt unsatisfying and not a lot of fun to play. With the awkward combat, poor visuals, and technical issues, it really is difficult to recommend the game. To Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed’s defence, it did start life as a PSP game. However, with so many better remastered titles releasing these days, there’s no excuse for it not to have made some refinements to make the game more fun to play. It’s certainly not the worst game I’ve ever played, but it’s hard not to see Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed as anything other than a disappointment.
There are reasons people might be happy about Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed. It’s a win for folks who enjoy the series, as they’ll finally get to play the one that started it all. Those who appreciate obscure games getting a release outside of Japan might be pleased to see it show up worldwide. Not to mention it helps with game preservation efforts, as this is a PlayStation Portable title being “rescued.” I’m glad people who want it have a chance to play it. But it’s a big step back from Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed and incredibly frustrating.
Akiba's Trip isn't necessarily a bad game, but it's not that good either. The experience is simply not good and goes beyond thematic constraint and technical precariousness. Perhaps it works better on Switch, considering its potential as a portable system.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound and Debriefed is a rough game all-around.
I really enjoyed AKIBA'S TRIP: Undead and Undressed which was released on Vita and PS4 before this. Sadly I cannot say the same for AKIBA'S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed, which despite being much "newer" is pretty much a bare-bones remaster of an older game that's aged like bread. While it's not the worst game to have Akiba in the title (see: Akiba's Beat), it's very hard to suggest anyone other than die-hard fans of the series even consider this one. It's dated and repetitive with a little bit of charm, but it's sadly outdone by the previous release. If you haven’t played that already, just go straight to it or watch the anime.
Despite being a very simple HD re-release of the PSP original game, AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed has as much charm, lewd narrative, and addictive gameplay as its superior sequel. Once you get stuck into the game you’ll begin to overlook the fuzzy assets and simplified gameplay, becoming enthralled by the comedic writing, addictive stripping combat, many side missions, and questionable dialogue. There’s lots of replayability due to multiple paths, endings, and characters, with a massive list of tasks to complete, not to mention the insanely difficult ‘Holic’ mode. AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed may not be a looker in terms of modern JRPGs, and I may prefer the sequel over this original game, but I’m glad that we finally got a chance to play it in English officially on modern consoles. If you enjoyed Undead & Undressed then you’ll enjoy this one too, as long as you can look past the very low-quality visuals.
I didn't really expect the series first entry that originated on PSP to be "better" than the successor that was released in the west on PS3 and PS4 already. What I didn't expect though was an experience this frustrating and shallow. I wouldn't really have needed this remaster of the original title.
Review in German | Read full review
Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed is a lot of fun, but it also leaves something to be desired given the fact that we’ve had its sequel for almost a decade at this point. If you’ve never gotten into the series and want to start, or are like me and love Undead & Undressed so much that you just want to know what came before it, then Hellbound & Debriefed is absolutely worth your time. It’s a charming title with a good amount of replayability, and gameplay that, in all likelihood, you probably won’t find anywhere else. Do be warned, however, that its age is showing at this point.
Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed will be reviled by many people for its dumb premise, but its perverted combat system isn’t even what’s most egregious about it. It’s an underwhelming remaster of a PSP game that doesn’t look nor perform much better than its 2011 counterpart, which was already an underwhelming technical achievement at the time.
"AKIBA'S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed" is an old game that was released on PSP, but it is acceptable that it has a unique B-class sensibility and material that captivates otaku.
Review in Korean | Read full review
If you just judge by the graphics, it feels very outdated. But the idea of it all is pretty decent as it focuses on the geographical location of ‘Akihabara’ and the stories based around it. Although the entire run is roughly around 8 hours, so the hype dies down quite sooner than you think. Play through multiple side missions and try to unlock all the various endings to stretch that play time longer. There are several factors that may not be fulfilling, but if you’ve never been to Akihabara before, while it’s not the best time to physically travel the world, this digital version of Akihabara may ease your urge and your otaku spirit can rest with this game... for now.
Review in Korean | Read full review