In my review of Senran Kagura 2 back in 2015, I praised its
story, but I don’t think I detailed just how good it is. Every Senran Kagura game has at least a
decent story, but as much as I might nitpick, I would go as far as to say Senran Kagura 2 is Yukinori
Kitajima’s magnum opus. It is a How To guide
on writing a good story and I refer to it a lot when it comes to character
development, atmosphere, genuine cuteness, drama, consistent themes and
character dichotomy, among other things.
The same can be said about the original game too, but Senran Kagura 2
has the addition of being a sequel and thus has an even more extensive list to
refer to, like how to build on series establishments, how to please longtime
fans without pandering and how to address previous shortcomings. It takes everything that has made Senran
Kagura so good and polished it into one of my favorite stories of all time and
my 2015 game of the year.
Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way. Some people brush off the story entirely or
call it decent at best. Some people play it before Senran Kagura Burst as if the big 2 on the
box isn’t there. Others simply say that it is written around a mundane part of the human anatomy.
I think the story
deserves a closer look than that. As a story buff, I have a lot to sing praises about. I've played a lot of games with different stories and settings, but few have satisfied me quite as much as the Senran Kagura games. Instead
of simply summarizing what makes Senran Kagura 2’s story so good, I think it's best to
analyze each individual story element of the game’s five chapters and why they all come together so well.
