A gacha game titled Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation[b] was released for Windows in 2017 on DMM, then Steam in 2019, and Johren in 2021. A dating sim titled Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme[c] is set for release in March 6, 2025 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Windows (via Steam and DMM).
Gameplay
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is a sports game played from a third-person perspective and retains the camera mode from the earlier installments in the Dead or Alive Xtreme series. It features multiple gameplay modes, which includes mini-games such as beach volleyball and "butt battle".[6] Game modes include beach flag, in which characters will compete in a race to retrieve a flag, and rock climbing.[7] The feature which displays tan lines and swimsuit malfunctions is only available in PlayStation 4 version.[8] In addition, there is a new suntanning system. As the player unlocks new costumes for one character, the items will also be available for use to all characters. There are also new modes like Girl Mode, where the player can take direct control of the girl they have selected, and Owner Mode, where the player becomes an owner of another island.[9] The player is also able to initiate various activities with the girls, such as dating.
A new variation known as Photo Paradise was released in September 2016, allowing owners to take gravure pictures of the heroines in a variety of poses and swimsuits.[10] The PlayStation Vita version uses the console's touch panel and gyro sensor features.[11] The PS4 later added a virtual reality functionality.
Venus Vacation
In Venus Vacation the player does not directly control the characters during beach volleyball matches. Instead, the game adopts a turn-based strategy system in which the player can issue commands during time outs to prioritize attacking/spiking (labeled POW in-game) or defensive play (labeled TEC in-game), substitute players to conserve their stamina, and choose which opponent to target.
New events and gacha banners are introduced weekly as part of in-game festivals. Through these banners the player can obtain swimsuits called trendy suits which highly boost the character stats during the corresponding event. Each festival has beach volleyball matches divided in difficulty levels ranging from E to SSS+ difficulty. The higher the level cleared, the higher the rewards obtained. These rewards may contain premium currency and tickets to use on the game's gacha and consumable items to gift to the characters to raise their exp. As characters level up, new character episodes and gravure-themed cutscenes are unlocked.[2]
Venus Vacation has an extensive photo mode in which the player can make the characters pose in different parts of the Venus Island including the beach, bar, onsen,[12] and the player's private room. The latter can be decorated by the player with different motifs.
Development
The development of Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 was first disclosed by Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi during Dead or Alive Festival on August 1, 2015.[13] It was officially unveiled one week later in Famitsu,[14] and the first screenshots were published on August 21.[15] The PlayStation 4 version of game features an improved breast physics engine from Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, called Soft Engine 2.0, with the PlayStation Vita version using Soft Engine Lite.[11][16] The Soft Engine 2.0 also allows the developers to implement greater realism towards object interactions, such as clothing wetness and deformation.[8] The PlayStation 4 version is compatible with the PlayStation VR headset system.[17] The release date was originally scheduled for February 25, 2016, however it was later pushed back to March.
A free-to-play version of the game was released on May 16, 2016. The version contains all gameplay features and activities to try out, but the player can only play as Kasumi; all other characters need to be purchased additionally.[18] Originally, the PlayStation VR support patch was meant to be included for October 13, 2016, but was recently delayed for unknown reasons. Support was made available on January 24, 2017.
During the 2018 Dead or Alive festival held in Japan in November, Koei Tecmo announced a new edition of the game, Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Scarlet, would launch for the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2019, in Japan and Asia at least, with pre-orders for the game opening on November 19, 2018.[19]
Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2016 as PC-exclusive game.[20][1][21] A year later during Tokyo Game Show 2017, Koei Tecmo revealed the first details about the game's gameplay and monetization.[22] In September 2017, the inclusion of a new original character called Misaki was announced[23][24] and a trailer was released showcasing the ten characters available at launch along with more gameplay details.[25]
In an interview with Siliconera, Yasunori Sakuda commented that the reason Venus Vacation added so many new characters was due to the difficulty in reintroducing previous characters due to their existing relationships in the mainline Dead or Alive games. For Sakuda, it was much easier to make characters from scratch whose stories had a deeper focus with the player.[26]
Xtreme Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2024 as a dating simulation game. Besides being announced exclusive for Asian release of PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows (via Steam and DMM), it marks the first time Dead or Alive series to have a native release on PlayStation 5. Unlike Xtreme 3 and original Venus Vacation, which used Soft Engine, it is powered a new game engine called "Katana Engine". It consists only six initial roster, with five roster consists those who debuted in original Xtreme Venus Vacation, except one who debuted in mainline Dead or Alive series, namely Honoka.[27][28] On November 1, 2024, while the game's release date was announced to be released on March 6, 2025, it is confirmed that there are currently no plans to add DLC characters. However, if there are strong demands from fans and internal agreement within the company for the characters who are not part of Venus Vacation Prism base roster, they would have chances to return in future instalments.[29][30][31]
Release
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 was released to Asian markets for PlayStation versions only,[32][33][34] but following protests from fans, Hayashi said a version of the game "adjusted for North America" might come to the West if the demand is high enough.[16][35][36][37] However, on November 24, 2015, Team Ninja posted on the franchise's Facebook page stating that they will not release the game in Western territories.[38][34] The game was distributed in Asian territories, where it does contain an English language option, along with Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean language options.
Following the announcement not to release the PlayStation version of the game outside Asia, a public debate arose whether this was due to avoid criticism of the sexualized portrayal of women in the games, or the comparatively low North American and European sales of the previous game in the Dead or Alive Xtreme series.[39][40]Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment at the time, said in regard to Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 that Europe and North America have their cultural differences about how to depict women in video games and other media.[41] In response to the decision not to distribute, the developer behind the adult puzzle game and dating sim HuniePop offered Koei Tecmo a million dollars for distribution rights in North America.[42]
Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation was released in Japan on November 15, 2017.[21] A Steam version, available only on Southeast Asian countries entered open beta on March 28, 2019.[2][43] This version supports English, Korean, and Chinese languages and was released on April 10, 2019. A cloud version was released on April 23, 2019 through DMM Games. A second Steam version was released on August 19, 2020, connected to the original DMM Games version.[3] A second international version was released on July 1, 2021 through the gaming platform Johren.[4]
Due to its later release date, the international version of the game runs a year behind in content compared to the Japanese server. To make up for this content disparity, the international version would have occasional exclusive swimsuits and events created by the international development team that would come later to DMM. Reika, the 30th character to be added to the game, was the first character designed by the international team. To avoid upsetting Japanese players due to a delayed character release, she was released simultaneously on both versions.[44][45]
Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme, a dating sim game is set to be released exclusively in Asia on March 6, 2025 for PlayStation 4 and 5, and Microsoft Windows (via Steam and DMM).[29]
The original game's nine playable female characters were selected from the 15 candidates of the roster of Dead or Alive 5 Last Round as the ones whose paid character themes have been downloaded most by fans on the PlayStation Store, but only the downloads from Japan count. The top two characters will also be featured in the first-print run bonuses. The results were announced during Tokyo Game Show 2015.[59] Originally, no additional characters are planned to be added through DLC until they were added in the updated versions prior to corresponding later titles.[60] Leifang[f] and Tina Armstrong[g], who were previously unqualified to be included in original Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 base roster are later being added in Xtreme Venus Vacation. However, Leifang is also added exclusively in Xtreme 3 Scarlet update, alongside new character from Xtreme Venus Vacation, Misaki.
Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation released with 10 playable characters. Players starting the game for the first time must select two initial girls: one from the original Xtreme 3 roster and another from the same pool of characters plus Misaki. Over time, new characters that can be unlocked via gacha, have been added with the following release dates.
As for Venus Vacation Prism, the starting roster will consist of six girls.
Play-Asia, an import game retailer, reported that they had their highest pre-order record yet with the release of Dead or Alive Xtreme 3.[65] The prior record holder was the Japanese release of J-Stars Victory VS, a game which was initially considered unlikely to be localised due to rights limitations involving multiple anime licenses.[65][66]Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 eventually broke Play-Asia sales records as well.[67]
Famitsu reviewed both versions of the game 32/40 (8/8/8/8).[68]Operation Rainfall gave Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 a score of 3 stars out of 5, and although they praised the graphics and visual engine, they found Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 to be more of a technical demo than a finished game. They also noted that the game has "lots of replay value."[69]
Venus Vacation
Due to Venus Vacation's limited release, it did not receive enough reviews in the West to score at review aggregatorMetacritic. Andrew Duncan from GameGrin gave the Steam release a 4.5/10, praising the game's graphics but criticizing its long loading times, repetitive gameplay and music.[70] Matt Sainsbury from Digitally Downloaded acknowledged the game's controversial aspects but nonetheless praised its aesthetic, presentation, and relaxing gameplay.[71]
Despite not officially releasing in the West, Venus Vacation has been a success for Koei Tecmo as the game has had its most profitable year 4 years after the game's launch.[72]
Controversies
In June 2018, a feature in Venus Vacation was added to the game that allowed players to pull character's clothes.[73][74]Motherboard called the feature a harassment simulator.[75]
In January 2021, Koei Tecmo reported to the Kanagawaprefectural police that a person was selling compilations of in-game footage using a nude patch through auction sites. The company said they will file a civil suit and seek reparations for misuse of their intellectual property.[76][77][78]
^Iwase, Kento (November 16, 2021). "湯けむりに包まれる女神たち！ 「DOAXVV」、新機能・温泉が追加決定" [Goddesses in hot water! New feature, hot springs, to be added to "DOAXVV"]. Game Impress Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved July 26, 2024.
^Sainsbury, Matt (April 2022). "Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation gets a brand new character (and she's gorgeous)". Digitally Downloaded. Retrieved March 30, 2024. Yes, these games are particularly voyeuristic and the objectification commentary around them is appropriate and accurate (and Venus Vacation takes things well beyond what the console titles do), but at the same time, it's okay to enjoy things that you can be critical of. There's a lot of merit to Xtreme. The gravure pin-up aesthetic is gorgeous, and when coupled with the laid-back music and presentation, Xtreme is, simply, a fun and casual, no-pressure way to relax.
^Cole, Samantha (June 22, 2018). "Pulling Clothes Off Women Is the Latest Feature in 'Dead or Alive'". Motherboard. Retrieved March 30, 2024. While one character stands by a pool in a French maid-style bra and thong, the player grabs at her clothing with a cursor, often pulling it so hard that she almost falls over. She makes sounds of frustration and annoyance, clearly hating whatever it is you're doing to her in this game. This part of the game, at least, is basically a harassment simulator.
