What is Venus Vacation Prism? (Characters & Release Date)

Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme is the latest instalment of the Xtreme spin-off series by Koei Tecmo. But what's it all about?

Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme will be the first in the Dead or Alive spin-off series to not include a sports element. Historically the Xtreme series has included volleyball and other beach sports as a conduit for players to interact with the female characters. However, Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Extreme is a "Immersive Romantic Adventure Game" pure and simple. The game was announced at TGS 2024.

Here's a rundown of what to expect from Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme such as confirmed launch characters, release date and platforms.

Venus Vacation Prism will essentially be a dating sim. Players will explore date locations with one of six initial female characters, and be able to interact and take photos during the dates using a photo mode. Your chosen kawaii date will be able to feed you, flirt with you and of course laugh at your jokes.

Each character's story is different, meaning if you wish to date all six characters successfully, you will need to replay the game. All of the character episodes are fully voiced.

However, that kind of undivided attention won't come for free. The dating sim is expected to include gacha elements. It's predecessor, the free-to-play Venus Vacation: Dead or Alive Xtreme offered multiple gacha outfits for different characters such as swimsuits or evening dresses.

In their latest video advertising the game, the developers gave a taste of what's to come in terms of cosmetics. The previews showcased several alternate outfits for Nanami as well as Honoka.

In the modern world of gacha games which prominently featuring female characters, Venus Vacation Prism won't look too out of place. Games such as Shift Up's Goddess of Victory: NIKKE and Stellar Blade, as well as MiHoYo's Zenless Zone Zero all adopt this strategy with immense success.

The developer told Automaton-Media has also said they are currently working on making "thorough adjustments" to make the models more cute and appealing using a new graphics engine called Katana Engine. This includes making them blush based on your chosen response.

The Dead or Alive franchise was a popular 3D fighting series in the early noughties. It existed alongside the likes of Virtual Fighter, Soul Edge and Tekken 3. Dead or Alive was also the first Japanese fighting game series to offer online multiplayer, even featuring at the World Cyber Games. However, the only fighting likely to happen is by players over which character to spend their draws on.

Despite being a Dead or Alive game, you'll be disappointed to know that Kasumi and Ayane are nowhere in sight... for now at least. That said the selection of launch characters offers something for everyone.

The launch characters for Venus Vacation Prism are all female:

Fans of Dead or Alive may recognise Tamaki from Dead or Alive 6, the last fighting-game focused entry in the DoA franchise back in 2019. Tamaki was added as a DLC character in March 2020.

Another recognisable face is Honoka, who made her debut in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round but became a key character in Dead or Alive 6.

Meanwhile Elise, Fiona and Misaki are all new characters from the previous game. Misaki seems to be a favorite of the developer, being the poster girl for both titles.

On Nov 1, Nanami was unveiled as the sixth and final launch character. The announcement coincided with a bunch of reveals and dev interviews across multiple Japanese websites such as Famitsu and Inside-Games.

Nanami was introduced in the previous entry in the series as a Japanese high school student. Surprisingly, she was able to compete for popularity with the Dead or Alive franchise icons Ayane and Kasumi.

Venus Vacation PRISM: Dead or Alive Xtreme's release date is March 6, 2025. The game is set to be released in Japan and Asia with English language supported.

Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Extreme will be available on the following platforms:

The base cost of the game is $60 USD, but there are two pre-order upgrades available; the Digital Deluxe Edition and the Special Box Collection.

Venus Vacation PRISM which releases in March 2025 comes with three pre-order bonuses:

In addition there are Two Editions available beyond the Standard Edition offering more rewards.

The Digital Deluxe addition costs $89 and includes office wear Outfits by Illustrator Yom for all of the six base characters. It also includes early access to photograph features such as unique frames.

To celebrate the launch of the game, a Special Box Collection will be available for purchase.

The Venue Vacation Prism Special Box Collection will cost $175 USD (27,280 Japanese Yen)

Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme is actually the sixth instalment of the Xtreme spin-off series. Following the release of Dead or Alive 3 in 2001, the DoA developers decided to create a spin-off beach volleyball game. The game was called Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and launched in 2003.

The developers were under no illusion that this was anything other than fan service. Now for Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme, it's seems they're comfortable with being more direct.

By the time of its release in March 2025, it will have been six years since the last Dead or Alive title.