Sakura Wars

Project Sakura Wars is a unique combination of visual novel adventure game and tactical RPG set in a fictional rendition of 20th-entury Japan. The game was developed by Sonic Team, Sega's in-house studio, which has been operating for over twenty years and developed several dozen different games, including many bestsellers from the Sonic series. The Sakura Wars series was born in 1996 on the Sega Saturn console. Project Sakura Wars is (excluding spin-offs) the sixth part of the series, each of which takes place in the same world.

Plot

Project Sakura Wars takes place in an alternative version of the first few decades of the 20th century, in which the world still uses steam power. The action of the title begins in Japan, several years after the events presented in the previous parts of the series, in which various countries of the world fought against the invasion of demonic beings called Kouma. In their struggle against the threat they were helped by brave young women, gifted with magical abilities and piloting extremely fast and durable mechs. In the final battle against the demons, the brave warriors were destroyed, but after a few years their idea is reborn, this time in the service of peace and to promote sport rivalry between different nations.

The players take on the role of Seijuurou Kamiyama, a twenty-year-old officer entrusted with the mission of commanding a re-established unit of mecha pilots, subordinate directly to the imperial Japanese armed forces. The protagonist has to ease tensions between the team members who start their careers and prepare them for the upcoming competitions. However, these plans are disrupted by the unexpected reappearance of demons.

Mechanics

The game was divided into two separate segments. In the first one we freely explore various locations depicting Tokyo and interact with individual heroines. An extremely important element is the LIPS system, which requires us to select the right dialogue line within a limited time. Decisions made in this way affect the level of trust between the main character and his subordinates. The second segment of the game focuses on tactical turn-based mechs battles. Players can also decide on the equipment and weaponry of the robots.

Technical aspects

Project Sakura Wars offers high-quality audiovisuals, the closest equivalent of which in Sega's catalogue would be the Valkyria Chronicles series. Tite Kubo, well known for manga title Bleach, is responsible for the game's character design. The composer of the music is Kohei Tanaka, a veteran of the industry, with soundtracks for countless films and anime series, as well as all Sakura Wars games and and such title as Gravity Rush, Gravity Rush 2 and Resonance of Fate.

Last updated on June 1, 2020