So there have been plenty of hack and slash games where you play as a scantily clad female, but I don’t think there has been a game where you can do that and transform into a car, too.  Well, that’s exactly what you do in Drive Girls.  Play as a group of ladies who beat up robotic bugs, and also turn into cars in this very strange, very Japanese-y downloadable game for the PS Vita.

Each stage is a mission, and you’ll learn more about why the heck these girls can turn into cars to fight havoc-wreaking robot bugs.  You can select which character you want to play as and unlock more as you go along.  In the battle stages, you’ll fight robotic bugs in 3-D space.  You can jump, use light and strong attacks, and use special moves when you have a high enough combo or score.  If you have enough energy, you can hold down a button to turn into a car.  As a car, you can use a spin attack and mow down opponents, but it’s really only useful to turn into a car if you want to get from point A to point B quicker.  Once you beat all the bugs in a stage, you are given a rank and some items.  There are also racing stages where you are a car at all times and must drive around a track and beat opponents as well.  Run over bugs on the track so you can use a speed boost when you need it.

When you are not fighting bugs, you can equip earned weapons to your characters as well as apply stickers to the cars that affect different stats.  There are more things to buy and sell in the shop, too.  You can also listen to music, as well as view cutscenes and tutorials.  And that’s pretty much it.  Neither the battle areas or racing sections are particularly interesting, but at least they’re playable.  If you enjoy weird Japanese games, you might want to check this one out.

Kid Factor:

Drive Girls is rated T for Teen with ESRB descriptors of Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, and Violence.  The girls wear some revealing armor, but the suggestive themes are presented in that campy anime way.  You really only mostly fight robot bugs, so that’s about as violent as it gets.  Reading skill is needed for the text.

Tags: Game Reviews