Reaching way back to the Sega Saturn days, Sakura Wars has been around for a long, long time. In fact, it’s one of the most successful series that Sega has brought out and continues to be. Sega produced it back in the mid-to-late 90s, then kept the series going until the most recent version, which is heading towards an April 28th release here in America. If you’re not familiar with the series, then you’re about to come in at the right time, just like yours truly. From what I have played of this game in the last week or so, the initial gameplay is simply broken down into the following categories:
– Action game
– Dating Sim
– Famous Manga
It’s just that simple, just that whacky, and just that beautifully complicated. While you won’t get many details out of me for this preview (where is the fun in that, right?), I would like to give you a taste of what you’re going to encounter.
Let’s do this.
Gameplay
Having never played Sakura Wars, merely heard about it here and there over the years, I’m pleasantly surprised by how well the gameplay integrates itself across multiple genres. As stated above, the game is a mixture of action, dating sim, and outlandish manga storylines. I hadn’t expected that when agreeing to review it, but so far it has not disappointed, considering all the flavors in this soda.
Starting with the action. This portion of the gameplay does take a bit to get going, as this game is completely story led and Sega clearly wants you to get into the story before taking down demons. In Sega’s defense, story and narrative are the reason people remember games. Good stories make fans out of people and they keep a series alive. Go see Metal Gear Solid, God of War, and every Nintendo first-party title for details of how that works.
Anyway, you feel how good the action can be from the beginning with the first demon attack but never get right to the actual action until you go on a crusade to eliminate an army of demons during the first big battle (ain’t telling you the story, move along). The action, which I honestly anticipated to be more of an action/RPG, was just hack/slash action — and I am not disappointed by that one bit. It’s like Sega’s team harkened back to ye old days, where it remembered how much fun straight-up action can be in a larger-than-life title, then implemented it within a manga/anime wrapper. It’s like eating your favorite meal, then having a nice dessert.
The action helps to shift the game into a button-mashing fest, where you hit combinations of buttons to unleash light to powerful attacks. It very much reminds me of the good old days of the 90s, where action games were pure, easy to pull off, and more focus on story than some complicated piece of machinery that only certain gamers can enjoy. Once you kick the crap out of enough demons, you build up a special ability to unleash on large groups of enemies. Again, these are old school action gameplay elements that work and shift the tone of the game quite well. Having that Devil May Cry feel to it, Sakura Wars will get you in the grove to hack/slash/punch and pull off super moves.
Moving onto the next piece of gameplay — The dating sim! I have never in my life played a dating sim game. Ever. It’s new for me, but I can see some similarities in other games and I’m intrigued. The dating sim element is essentially the story and the build-up of drama for the narrative. Through this simulator, it gives you the opportunity to make branched choices that equal out to particular decisions that affect how your game’s story flows. Think of a cuter, less Star Wars version of Knights of the Old Republic dialogue, and you got the idea. While you probably won’t turn into a Sith and get people to immediately hate you throughout your journey, it does affect storylines and characters. It certainly provides player agency and leads the player from place to another, while making sure they are in full control of their fate. Sometimes a character will ask you a question, you have to answer it one of three ways, and what you choose dictates where the story leads. That’s so much freedom.
As for the anime/manga wrapper of the gameplay, I really don’t need to tell you much about it. You’ll certainly find out when the game hits the shelves if you don’t know about it already.
Regardless, the game packs enough form into it to make the journey constantly engaging. You’ll hear more specifics when we publish our review closer to launch.
Until then, let’s discuss visuals.
Those visuals…
Graphically, this is one of the most beautiful games that SEGA and its developers have produced since the emergence of the Yakuza series — and that’s saying something considering the Yakuza series is notoriously beautiful. Led by a cel-shaded design, Sakura Wars does its best imitation of the manga counterpart. Bringing the over-the-top anime-esque drama visually, while still maintaining the sweet-sweet style that people have come to expect from it.
The game does its best to bridge gameplay, cutscenes, and anime-driven breaks together, and it does a good job. The gameplay visuals are colorful, well-thought-through, with meticulous care given to the details. For example, the first scene of the game has you arriving at a train station. The scene sets the tone for what you should expect as the story continues. The floors are reflective, contain mirror images of its residents as they walk through, full of life, and are simply stunning to look at as you play. It also sets the colorful scheme that is prevalent throughout the title, where the steampunk visions of mechs meet carefully crafted animation that keeps your eyes engaged.
This. Is. Throughout. The. Damn. Game.
The bridge from gameplay to cutscenes is seamless, as the cel-shaded style is kept from dialogue to dialogue. The only transition that might catch you off guard is the shift from cutscenes to animated sequences. The animation is something comparable to what you would find being distributed by Funimation. But if that is the worst part of the game so far, I’ll take it — and it’s not really that bad.
Overall, in the presentation department, Sakura Wars does not disappoint…so far. Superbly done, even down to keeping the Japanese dialogue.
Anyway, so far Sakura Wars is one of Sega’s amazing achievements. It has not disappointed in the journey, presentation, or style of gameplay. It does have some shortcomings, but it’s still early. I will report back to you as we draw closer to release.
Until then, expect a new level of awesome with Sakura Wars on the PlayStation 4.
