RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
In May 2009, Nippon Ichi America announced they will be bringing Segas Sakura Wars to the United States for the first time on the PlayStation 2 and Wii. A long and celebrated series that began in 1996, this is a pretty big deal for the few of us that have played and enjoyed them for several years.
But most people in the west (understandably) have absolutely no idea what all of the hulla baloo is about. Why should I care? Isnt this just another random JRPG? At a glance, thats probably what it appears to be, but its so much more.
In this thread, Im going to explain why you should be interested, and why you would be well served to pick up this great title when Nippon Ichi releases it this fall.
What is Sakura Wars?
Sakura Wars (also referred to as Sakura Taisen) is a series of Strategy RPGs developed by Red Entertainment (Tengai Makyo, Thousand Arms), Overworks/Sega WOW (Skies of Arcadia, Valkyria Chronicles), and published by Sega (You know, Sega!). The series features character designs by renowned manga artist Kosuke Fujishima (Tales of Phantasia, Symphonia, the Abyss, and Vesperia), music by Kohei Tanaka (Alundra, Bionic Commando), and story by Ohji Hiroi (Moeyo Ken).
The concept is simple at first glance: Sakura Wars is a strategy RPG with an unusual twist for building your stats. In the game, you play as the captain of a specially created unit of female solders with high levels of spiritual energy to fight the forces of evil in large, steam powered robots. Sounds pretty cookie cutter so far? Good, cause thats as many cookies as were gonna cut!
What makes Sakura Wars so special then?
Lots of things, but for now lets stick with gameplay. Unlike most RPGS where characters improve by gaining levels through experience earned in battle, in Sakura Wars your squad members improve in strength and mobility the more they like/trust you. A typical episode in a Sakura Wars game consists of two modes:
1) Adventure Mode: Walk through the theater/town, talking to the various characters in the story
2) Battle Mode: Get into them mechs and take down the bad guys.
The Adventure Mode is where the stat building occurs. As you walk through the theatre (your base) and the town itself, youll encounter the various members of your squad doing whatever it is the story feels like having them do at that particular moment. As you talk with them, youll come across questions or situations where you have to choose how to respond. Respond correctly, and the girls trust increases. Respond poorly, and you lose trust.
Now, I know what youre thinking. That sounds like one of them dating sim hentai games! Lets get this out of the way: Yes, there are dating sim elements. No there is no hentai. But even THIS aspect of Sakura Wars is hardly standard fare; like everything else in this series, theres a twist involved.
In most adventure games/dating sims/Elder Scrolls, when the window of choices pops up, you have more than enough time to read each response, think it through, and select the best choice accordingly. But that hardly seems interesting/realistic right? I mean seriously, what girls gonna wait there for hours and hours for someone to respond to a simple question?
Sakura Wars utilizes a system called LIPS for your options, and these responses are timed. Usually, youre given no more than 3-5 seconds to respond. Thats 3-5 seconds to read each response, decide on the best one, and then select it. So you gotta be on your toes. Lets take a look at the following screen:
See that bar around the text window? Thats the timer, and its going to fill up fast so you better respond quickly or your character will say/do nothing instead. BUT this also brings up another interesting choice; sometimes the best course of action is to say/do nothing.
Additionally, there are times where youre given one choice, but must adjust the volume/intensity with which you state it to the appropriate level using the analogue stick.
There are also times where youre given one long time frame to go through several timed options.
As you can see, its anything but cookie cutter. All of these interactive scenes in Adventure Mode serve two purposes:
1) Determine the stats of the characters in Battle Mode
2) Determine which ending youll get at the end (i.e. which girl you win with)
Now, you might say to yourself Well, thats easy then! Ill just make every girl trust me and theyll all kick ass in battle! Not so fast buddy! Its not that easy. All of the girls have various and sometimes conflicting personalities. Some girls are easier to please than others. And sometimes, youll converse with two conflicting girls at once, meaning youre liable to gain ones trust while simultaneously losing trust from the other. And you cant afford too many weak links when you enter Battle Mode, or you can get your ass handed to you if youre not careful. So its a giant balancing act, one thats much more addicting and interesting than it seems at first glance!
And this is just the Adventure Mode. Now lets talk about the Battle Mode! Heres a screenshot of a typical battle scene in Sakura Wars:
For those whove played Valkyria Chronicles, you might notice a couple of similarities (or at the very least, you might have read some of us mentioning them in the official VC thread). This shouldnt come as much of a surprise; this is the game Overworks developed immediately prior to Valkyria Chronicles. Unlike the grid-based competitors like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea (or the first two Sakura Wars games I might add ), this Sakura Wars title features a free roaming battle field, with the Action Bar at the bottom of the screen determining how far you can move.
The major difference is that in Sakura Wars, the bar isnt just for movement. Its also used for actions like attacking (all mapped to a specific button, as shown). Each bar is split up into a set of partitions. Move a certain distance, and one partition will be drained. Thankfully, if you havent carried out any actions, you can also return to your starting position to refill your gauge. As you can see, this system requires careful management of the Action Bar. Maximize it to make battle easier. However unlike Valkyria Chronicles there are no real-time elements to the battle system; its a strictly turn-based affair.
There are some other notable similarities between Sakura Wars and Valkyria Chronicles (though there are arguably, just as many differences if not more)
- Both are set in an alternate version of the early 1900s (SW modeled after the 1920s, VC after the 1930s)
- Both feature similar gameplay flow of story sequences, followed by battle sequences (and a similar menu in-between these scenes for saving and reviewing your characters).
- Both feature one very highly powered technology that runs just about everything (SW uses steam, VC has ragnite)
- In both games you play as the captain of a squad, and in both games if this captain is killed in battle, the game ends (also like VC, the story characters dont die, they retreat. Unlike VC, there are no non-story based characters in battle though).
- Both games are told in Episodes (or Chapters in VC)
A quick FAQ:
Ive heard the game Nippon Ichi is bringing to America is actually the 5th game in the series. Am I going to be completely confused?
With the exception of a couple of cameos in the first 15 minutes, this is a pretty self-contained game. Theres no need to worry.
Ive heard some people say this entry isnt the best the series has to offer. So is this a bad game then?
To me, this argument is akin to saying Super Mario Bros. 2 is a pile of trash because 3 is better. It may be different, and maybe not as good depending on who you talk to, but its still a really good game and definitely worth picking up!
I dont like JRPGs that have light-hearted unrealistic stories, big eyed characters, peppy music, turn-based battle, and colors other than green and brown. Will Sakura Wars change my mind?
No, no it wont. However, if you do like quirky off-beat humor, lovable characters, colors, and are willing to check your disbelief at the door, its a fun and entertaining ride.
So this is coming to the PS2 and Wii?
The game was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. According to Nippon Ichi Americas Press Release, its coming to the US on both the PS2 and Wii, so you can pick whichever system you prefer.
What date is this coming out?
March 30, 2010
What kind of review scores did it get in Japan?
Famitsu: 10, 10, 9, 8 (37/40)
Deigeki: 90, 85, 85, 85
Why oh why did you take the time to write all of this up? Do you work for Nippon Ichi?
I wish. I wrote all of this because I believe there are many people who will really enjoy this game if they simply know what it is before jumping in. Just doing my part to spread the word.
What are these extras that Nippon Ichi mentioned in their press release?
The game features an option called The Long Day in New York, where you can walk around the town and talk to various characters to view images and cinemas youve viewed, music youve heard etc.
Will the game feature the original Japanese voices?
The PS2 version of the game will have both a Standard edition and Premium Edition. The Premium edition will come with 2 discs, one with English the other with Japanese. The Wii will only be getting the Standard edition.
What's the cost?
$39.99 for the PS2 Premium edition (2 disc), $29.99 for the Wii Standard edition (1 disc)
Is there a website?
Just click right here!
Can I please see what the game looks like in motion?
Heres a trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEv-wDLgWL0&fmt=18
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/sakurawarssolongmylove/video/6246846?tag=topslot;thumb;1
NEW! English Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F5ImyUMbLQ&fmt=18
NEW: US Trailer! http://www.sakurawars.us/movie_hres.html
NEW: English Screenshots Here!