D3 Publisher have announced a free game update for “SAMURAI MAIDEN” which includes the addition of new character costumes in the form of a family friendly bath towels.
The update also brings the “Underworld Hot Spring” background for the waiting screen, allowing players to fully immerse themselves with the maidens wrapped in bath towels, enjoying the pleasures of an onsen.
This update is designed to celebrate Samurai Maiden’s milestone of nearly reaching 100,000 copies sold.
Regarding the “almost” aspect of its anticipated sales milestone, my expectations were initially quite high for Samurai Maiden, which released in December 2022. The hack-and-slash game was first introduced as a vastly more subdued spiritual successor to Senran Kagura.
It centers around a young girl named Tsumugi Tamaori, who unexpectedly finds herself transported to Honnō-ji during the Sengoku period. There, she encounters the legendary figure Nobunaga.
In this era, Tsumugi Tamaori is revered as the Priestess of Harmony, believed to play a crucial role in thwarting the Demon Lord’s ambitions for dominion over the land. To accomplish this daunting task, she allies herself with skilled ninjas like Iyo, Hagane, and Komimi, forging powerful bonds along the way.
Through these powerful bonds, players can leverage unique abilities during combat with each of the other characters, triggering prolific fanservice cutscenes that enhance the experience for the player.
However, Samurai Maiden’s launch was far from successful, as it quickly floundered when consumers, like myself, discovered that the game had been heavily censored and subjected to malicious localization. On Steam, the game holds a mixed reception, garnering just 59% from 553 reviews.
The game’s release was met with a mixed to negative reception, particularly regarding its issues.
Early game trailers explicitly showcased the ability for players to capture underskirt glimpses of the maidens in action, which remained unaltered in gameplay. However, during the in-game photo mode, any attempt to view risqué content resulted in the desired panty shots being replaced by a mysterious black void.
A mod was swiftly developed to enable uncensored panty shots. However, the game’s localized English translation was regrettably mishandled by cultural colonizers who inserted references to “Gen Z” and “Boomers” into a conversation about the naming of Japanese school grades, showing disrespect for the original content.
The partial censorship aspect turned a lot of potential buyers away but the nail in the coffin ultimately had to be its localized translation, SHADE and D3 Publisher also managed to antagonize a large demographic for the game, those being yuri shippers, or fans of lesbian content.
Samurai Maiden provided mild fanservice without clothing destruction, replacing panty shots with black voids in photo mode, and hiding player models if viewed too closely. Coupled with the poor localization, the game’s romantic conclusion essentially portrays the protagonist being cucked by the other ninjas in favor of Nobunaga himself, leading to a disappointing narrative outcome for everyone.
Anyway, the latest update introduces new costumes for all the maidens, allowing them to be fully covered in bath towels, along with a new waiting screen background.
As per a Twitter post by the game’s producer, Yosuke Uchida, they collaborated to create such a costume, incorporating wet elements as well. Additionally, adjustments have been made to enemy AI as part of the update.
I, for one, can’t seem to contain my laughter at the official press release, which includes a screenshot of all four maidens wearing their bath towels in the new Underworld Hot Spring background. However, the humor arises from the fact that Hagane’s mechanical arm is hilariously clipping through her bath towel.
It’s reassuring to see that D3 hasn’t abandoned this title, especially considering it’s been well over a year since its release. The most recent update prior to this, rolled out on February 20th, included adjustments to Tsumugi’s movement speed, attack speed, and range. Additionally, fall damage was eliminated, and several camera angle adjustments were made.
Samurai Maiden is accessible on various major platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, as well as PC. To celebrate Golden Week, the game is currently offered at a 50% discount until May 7th. However, its malicious translation is caution enough whether or not it’s worth a purchase.
