Key Highlights:
- Dead or Alive 5 Plus added Vita-specific features that set it apart from the console release, including touch-based fighting and first-person play.
- The handheld version also included new training tools, cross-play with PS3, and cross-save support.
- Team Ninja kept the game running at 60fps, making it a strong portable version of the series’ fighting system.
Dead or Alive 5 Plus is out today in North America on PS Vita, with Tecmo Koei confirming a European release for 22 March and a Japan launch on 20 March. Team Ninja developed the game, which brings the series to Sony’s handheld with a few features that make it more than a straight port.
One of the biggest additions is the Vita’s Touch Play mode, which lets players fight in first-person and use the touchscreen for attacks, swipes, and taps. The game also supports vertical play using the system’s motion sensor, giving it a more unusual handheld setup than the standard console version.
DOA5 Plus also leans heavily into training and practice. The Vita version adds Tutorial, Command Training, and Combo Challenge modes, along with a free training option and detailed move information such as stagger effects, range, and frame data.
There is also cross-platform support with PS3, which means players can share DLC and save data between the two systems and even face off in cross-play matches. That helps give the Vita release a wider purpose than a simple on-the-go version, especially for players who already owned the console game.
For fighting game fans, the appeal is clear: Dead or Alive 5 Plus keeps the 60fps combat that the series is known for while adding portable-specific extras that make it more flexible than the original release.
