Checking over the upcoming eShop releases today, our eyes were caught by a rather intriguing pixel art shmup launching on July 20th, 2023.
It looks pretty cool, all told: you have to pilot a number of mech-like vehicles and take on a variety of enemy types by utilising a wide range of weaponry. Yes, the key art features a bunch of overly cute women, but look, it's fine, we guess.
That is, it was fine until we realised what the game was actually called...
Are you ready?
Armored Lab Force VULVEHICLES.
Vulvehicles..?! Goodness. We've heard some pretty awful names in our time, but this one is definitely up there as one of the most egregious.
Still, we're willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Let's check out the official story synopsis and features:
The year is 2010 AD.
The Avic branch of the Super Electric Science Institute is home to a quirky ragtag group of researchers from all corners of the galaxy living in harmony.
Until one day, the TDF (Terran Defense Force) launched an aggressive armed campaign to eliminate all alien lifeforms on Avic and takes control of the land occupied by the institute.
Standing in their way, however, is six beautiful girls armed with 12 different all-purpose armored combat vehicles known as "Vulvehicles".
Can these carefree heroines save their research branch and bring peace back to Avic?
[Features]
- 6 areas and 24 stages in total.
- 12 unique types of vehicles to play as.
- 5 different difficulty levels.
Will you be downloading Armored Lab Force VULVEHICLES when it launches on the eShop next month? Share your thoughts on the name and the game in the comments below.
[source nintendo.co.uk]
Comments (48)
Good Lord, that name...
I love you Japan, never change.
Well maybe on reflection, change a little bit eh?
Imagine being the person reading this on air.
Wait, what's wrong with i.... Ohhhhhhh
I'm still sad the massaging rhythm game never came to Switch.
Oh, thank goodness we have “six beautiful girls” to save us!
It wants to make you think of vaginas. After looking at the picture the title was successful. I understood that Vulvehicles was euphemism for female genitalia. I assume you ride around and shoot things in a vulva-based weaponized car.
The creativity in this kinda thing is second to none with our Japanese friends. G'Lord.
I might never understand how shmups became such a horny gene.
As long as the game itself is good I don't care about its name at all (just like it will most likely be for Triangle Strategy when I finally play it)!
It's worth also mentioning that unless their titles are quite short we rarely mention games by their full names and instead abbreviate them or use acronyms (and even more so Japanese people with their contracted forms which often become the predominant ones, for example リモートコントロール "remote control" becoming リモコン rimokon).
I think that was a successful line of toys in the late 90s.
I prefer six pack dudes instead.
I went through the demo and I really liked the gameplay and the characters! It was easy, but I imagine it's the matter of difficulty level (normal) and playing only first 2 stages
You have to admire the Japanese's commitment to giving absolutely not a single solitary crap about what the world thinks of it, at least.
Cringe. Just…. Cringe.
@ArcadianLegend99 Sony cares far too much what the rest of the world thinks of it. They seem to care little what their homebase thinks of it - and have suffered accordingly.
The world needs Japan to be Japan. It's a better place for it.
Yikes, I thought DRAINUS was a bad title...
Really, I wish the Vulvehicle team weren't drawn so pervy, as the game looks like a decent doujin shmup version of Blaster Master that I would try.
But maybe I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say they merely romanized 爆裂武装バルビークル wrong, and it should be VAL-Vehicle. And oh yeah, the girls aren't ecchi, they're just drawn that way.
Nothing wrong with cute fictional women, don't gotta be unsure about that.
This instantly reminded me of Cho Aniki series' infamous crotch cannons
I'm pretty sure the entire point of the name is to get gaming news websites to report on it, for free publicity. In that light, it is apparently a very successful name.
I find it cool sexpositive sassy and cool x2 dx. And I like that it applies to this 4 wheel thing that on this planet rapidly became phallocratic af. I also find it gay which is good.
Words used to have meanings.
The game doesn't seem to be on the US page or eshop listings. 🤔
I wonder if this will be one of those games which ends up listed as M-for-mature even though 100% of the gameplay is clearly T at most.
That said, the gameplay looks fun! I'm not totally sure I want everyone on my friends list to see 'Fishy now playing VULVEHICLES' though...
@Waluigi451 And half of them probably underaged 😍
At least it'd be entertaining if someone tried to use that word in a Scrabble game.
Well, at least the planet is called Avic and not Pelvic.. I guess...
This looks interesting, reminds me of blaster master zero series but with more action.
@Waluigi451 I rather be saved by this protagonist rather than from the new fable, like seriously, I think western game designers have ugly fetish lol.
Lol, looking forward to the prehistoric sequel: 'Vulvasaurs'
That name sure is something. lol
Also, isn't it kind of late to pretend that 2010 will have such advanced technology that interplanetary travel and giant mechs are easily accessible?
@FishyS
It's on the coming soon page in the EU, even has a demo. The US are a lot more strict I think.
Well, in fairness, it looks kinda like Blaster Master, and Blaster Master Zero definitely had some sus writing related to Jason's Blaster Rifle, so Vulvehicles seems like a fitting complement.
Saw it while catching up with the new releases on Deku and had a hunch that the fandom press WOULD get at least one newspost out of this.😆
The gameplay actually looks fun! But good lord what is that name? I have never played a game like this, but they are always sus, I wouldn’t be caught playing it…..I just said I wouldn’t be caught not that I wouldn’t play it lol, still looks fun.
I’ll stick it on the wish list and come back to it later.
@Anti-Matter Perhaps there will be a sequel called Testehicles!
Breast Fest Armada would have been fitting as well.
Sounds like a gwar character
@Walterd
Hoosha...!
That sounds too obvious.
I prefer Musclehicles.
@Anti-Matter I like your suggestion better, but I’m not sure anything is too obvious for the devs based on their choice of the name for this game!
@Walterd @Anti-Matter @Ooccoo_Jr Yes Japan never change. But also Walterd and Anti-Matter never change. You guys rock!
@Cordyceps I do really miss Kim Dylla's presence in Gwar.
honestly rly like how this game looks. reminds me of ranger x or subterrania with the gameplay but im rly hoping the title is just an unintentional thing and that the game doesnt cram boring softcore p01n visual novel segments down your throat inbetween gameplay
As unfortunate as it sounds, I'm pretty sure the name came about because it's a spinoff of the dev's previous game, VULKAISER.
It reminds me of a specific Leisure Suit Larry title…
Earth Defense Force turned evil? Or just doing their job eliminating any hostile alien as always? www
Honestly it sounds less stupid than the genre name of "shmup". Who decided that? Too many conflicting consonants and it sounds like a three-year-old named it. I recognize what it's short for (and "shoot-'em-up" isn't super great either), but why does it "need" shortening?
Putting the creative name aside, this game actually looks pretty good. I'm definitely interested.
@RawBert I know right? Shmup.
If we have to have "metroidvania" as a "genre", and not shorten it, then we can say, and type out, shoot 'em up just fine.
Or let's start calling "soulslike" (another one of those aaaaawful genre names) slikes. Because, you know... it types easier.
But anyways, back to the game. The artwork is as lamely lewd as can be, so a hard passjust because of that, but the gameplay actually looks really cool and the vehicles don't particularly strike me as... vulvish? So I guess shock value or something?
Tap here to load 48 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...