Kandagawa Jet Girls Review

I’ve always had a deep appreciation for anime. Unfortunately, after college, I never really found myself being able to sit down and spend my spare time actually watching it. However, over the course of the past year, I’ve found myself watching more and more of it thanks to my newfound fatherhood role and watching anime while bouncing my son to sleep. This reintroduction eventually extended into the world of video games, and was solidified with my time spent playing Granblue Fantasy: Versus, Ys: Memories Of Celceta, and, most recently, Nexomon: Extinction.

As such, Kandagawa Jet Girls piqued my interest both as an anime, as well as a fun racing title that reminded me of my many hours spent in mall arcades. Despite its surprisingly complicated and semi-inconsistent controls, Kandagawa Jet Girls still manages to be a wet and wild ride worth taking.

Let’s Race!

Kandagawa Jet Girls - from the creators of SENRAN KAGURA - is set in bustling Tokyo, Japan, with the city’s serpentining waterway known as The Kandagawa River being the center of attention as young, ambitious athletes take part in a sport known as jet racing - each one competing for bragging rights and an overall desire for greatness (and sometimes, just for the thrill of the race). What makes this different from a typical jet ski race is that each team is composed of a Jetter - the driver of the jet ski - and a Shooter - whose role it is to take out other racers with over-the-top, yet non-lethal water weapons.

The game’s story initially centers around the relationship between new roommates, Rin Namiki and Misa Aoi, and their shared love of jet racing. The duo make their way through the school year while facing off against the other two-girl teams in a story that's every bit as charming as the jet ski action is exhilarating.

Part visual novel, part arcade racer, Kandagawa Jet Girls is definitely not hurting for content. You’ll eventually be able to play as all seven different teams in the game’s chapter-driven story mode - each team having been featured in the Kandagawa Jet Girls anime television series - which winds up being 64 episodes in total. The characters are fun and unassuming, despite the somewhat cliché storylines and dialogue. Focusing on emotional connections and themes that are about more than just winning a trophy, the lighthearted vibe that the game exudes is an incredibly refreshing take, especially when so many character-driven battle-style racers can take themselves far too seriously.

Riding The Waves

One of my favorite games growing up was Wave Race 64 for Nintendo 64. As such, besides the appeal of being an anime-style title, Kandagawa Jet Girls caught my eye for the sheer fact that it was a jet ski racer. That said, if you’re expecting a visual novel with overly simplistic jet ski racing, you’re in for a world of hurt.

The racing mechanics in Kandagawa Jet Girls are intense, to say the least. The tutorial alone took me nearly an hour to complete, which actually makes sense considering the vast amount of mechanics that you’ll need to keep in mind while racing. Besides simply controlling your jet ski, you’ll need to jet defensively while also staying on the offensive with your shooter by slowing down the opposition. This can be executed by using the default water gun, or by picking up weapons along the race route a la Mario Kart-style. While facing forward, you’ll need to aim at the racers in front of you by maneuvering the jet ski. However, if you’re looking to take out racers behind you, you can hop into the Shooter’s first-person view and fire weapons that will lock-on automatically. Just keep in mind that your Jetter will take control of the jet ski, potentially putting your placement in the race at risk.

As you race, you’ll build up a special meter called the EPD (E.P. Drive) Gauge that will award you with a special ability to give your team a leg up on the competition. The gauge is built up through various ways, such as drifting, hitting jumps and boost pads, and doing in-air tricks. Once you use your special ability, you’ll start from scratch and rebuild your gauge. It’s all relatively standard fare for a racer of this type, but don’t for a second think that you’ll be able to come into this game and immediately be a pro jet racer.

A Bit Soggy

As mentioned, Kandagawa Jet Girls is part visual novel and part arcade racer, but the emphasis definitely leans more towards the visual novel aspect. The animations, music, and cinematics are all delightful. In addition, the voiceover talent is especially great. The happiness and excitement conveyed in the girls’ voices made ME feel happy and uplifted.

The racing and control of the jet ski, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as tight as I was hoping it would be. There was an inconsistency in the jet ski’s handling during races. In the early game, I found myself thinking that either the controls were too touchy, or not responsive enough. I was eventually able to find a happy medium that allowed me to race effectively, but it was a conscious effort that needed to be made in addition to everything else that required my attention during a race. This wasn’t a major issue overall, but was a bit disappointing nonetheless.

Beyond the game’s story mode, you’ll be able to take part in exhibition races as well as time trials, while customizing your team, their outfits, and their jet ski. You’ll also be able to compete online against up to three other players in both casual and ranked matches. Although at the time of this writing I haven’t been able to connect to an online match, ranked leaderboards do keep track of the players participating in time trials. And, boy… they are good. I was pretty darn proud of my near-perfect lap that took just over two minutes to complete. That is until I saw the person at the top of the leaderboard who had my time beat by nearly a full minute. Hopefully, once the game releases, the online community will be a great place for fun competitions.

Jetsetter, Go Getter

Kandagawa Jet Girls won’t appeal to the masses, but those who enjoy lighthearted anime (and of course, SENRAN KAGURA) will find a lot to love. The visual novel elements outweigh the flaws found within the racing mechanics just enough to make Kandagawa Jet Girls a splash.