Sakura Wars or Sakura Taisen is one of SEGA’s legendary franchises that has been featured in SEGA Saturn back in 1996 and Dreamcast in 2000. The game’s release was also accompanied by the anime version which was released in the same year. After 24 years, SEGA is finally re-released Sakura Wars reboot for PlayStation 4 by bringing several updates and nostalgic feeling.

FYI, Sakura Taisen was originally developed by Oji Hiroi and was first released for Sega Saturn. The popularity of the game eventually brought it to be released in the western regions by changing its name to Sakura Wars. In fact, Sakura Wars franchise also ranked second below Final Fantasy VII as the most favorite game in a Famitsu poll in 1996.

Unlike the other SEGA games, Sakura Wars is classified as “dramatic adventure”, which brings the players to experience several elements, including; tactical role-playing, dating sim, and visual novel. So that the players will experience a strong visual novel atmosphere, exciting battle, and explore each character through an intimate interaction. 

Sakura Wars is indeed a pretty old SEGA franchise, but apparently the reboot version cannot be enjoyed by many gamers because it has its own target market. After trying to play it for about 10 hours, the writer feels that there are some of strengths and weaknesses of the Sakura Wars PS4 version. What are they? Let’s check out the following discussion. 

Related Plots

Why is it related? Because this Sakura Wars PS4 version apparently has a "common thread" with the SEGA Saturn version. This game takes place 10 years after the events in the SEGA Saturn version of Sakura Wars but is packed to be more "fresher" to follow the current trend. So that PS4 version of Sakura Wars can be enjoyed by veteran gamers and the gamers who are new to the Sakura Wars story.

The PS4 version of Sakura Wars is still related to the previous version, fight against the demons colonialism which also controlled by the steam called Spiricle Strikers. Flower Division in the Imperial Combat Revue is responsible for protecting Tokyo from the demons attack. To fight them, each member has mecha robot called “Mugen”. Each Mugen has their own abilities, depends on each character who use it.

In the reboot version, Sakura Wars timeline is no longer set in the Taisho era but it is set in a more modern era, in the steampunk era of the 1940s. It all started when the Imperial Combat Revue in Tokyo was destroyed in a terrible disaster.

The global defense force must hibernate for a quite long time and move to the Imperial Theater. Which is now becomes the headquarters of the Flower Division by recruiting several rookies who are trying to revive the glory of the Imperial Combat Revue.

Because it still consists of rookies, the Imperial Combat Revue was also had a difficult time that made this group vulnerable to being shut down. So, Seijuro Kamiyama was appointed to be the captain of the rookie soldier group.

With all the limitations and problems they faced, Kamiyama must try to revive the confidence and enthusiasm of each member of his army. As a captain, he also has the task to bring the Imperial Combat Revue to compete in the Combat Revue World Games, protect Tokyo, and restore the glory of the Imperial Theater. Will Kamiyama succeed in making this happen?

Graphics

The PS4 version of Sakura Wars has an excellent graphics. The visual that this game offers is very beautiful. Through the technology used by SEGA, the players will get to know each character in Sakura Wars better. Built in 3D anime, each character in this game feels more alive because of its flexible and natural movements.

Besides the characters, the quality of other supporting details in this game is also very good. SEGA has succeeded in making how the Imperial Theater building looks so spacious with some details that look very luxurious. You can also experience on how each room of each Flower Division member has their own characteristics. So, you can find out how their traits and personalities.

Gameplay 

The PS4 version of Sakura Wars comes with an episodic gameplay, where each episode comes with a different story and is related to each character. This game has a greater element of conversation between characters compared to the actual gameplay.

Aside from Seijuro Kamiyama, you will also encounter several members of the Flower Division, including; Amamiya Sakura, Shinonome Hatsuho, Clarissa Snowflake, Mochizuki Azami, Anastasia Palma. Each of these female characters has their own traits and personalities. So, you have to understand them in order to build their trust.

In addition to the five main characters, you can also interact with other characters and build the popularity among these characters. As the captain of the Flower Division at the Imperial Combat Revue, Kamiyama will also be in contact with other captains from the other Combat Revue.

The beginning of the game will feel very slow because it starts with a little introduction to the background and surrounding characters. But little by little, you will be drawn by the storyline and get to know more about the characters in this game.

As Kamiyana, you will interact more often with the characters near him. How to build the trust of each Flower Division member to make a solid team.

The interaction between characters is also still adopted from the classic version, but with a few updates. When interacting, you will be able to respond with a selection of answer within a time limit. The correct response will then lead Kamiyama to become the captain that idolized by the Flower Division members.

Another version of the interaction is "Analog LIPS", where you can move around the camera and highlight objects or people to trigger more dialogue.

Besides the importance of interaction, the battles in Sakura Wars are packaged much like "Musou" on Dynasty Warriors game. You will use Mugen to defeat the demons that attacked Tokyo. But the use of Mugen in the game is fairly few and the opponent of every boss in this game feels less challenging. Because you can defeat the boss easily by spamming the same attacks continuously.

Maybe, the Musou mode in Sakura Wars is only complementary and not a signature mode. Because this game is more focused on the elements of deeper interaction with each character. You can approach each character and try to win their heart. Interaction will become more intimate when you have gained the trust from the character.

Has Interesting Features

The PS4 version of Sakura Wars PS4 is also equipped with several features that will entertain the players. The game also provides several mini games, such as Koi-Koi Wars, which is a card game against the Sakura Wars characters.

Better Audio

The veteran players of Sakura Wars will be more familiar with some of the songs featured in this PS4 version. Where the songs are indeed adapted from the classic version but comes with several changes, making them more fun to hear. The songs in this game can also change depending on the atmosphere, thus providing a fun gaming experience.

Verdict

After a few years, SEGA finally revived Sakura Wars this year. SEGA seems to be trying to do similar move to Square Enix who managed to gain success through Final Fantasy VII Remake. In contrast to Final Fantasy VII Remake which already has a fairly large fan base and managed to attract new gamers. So, with all the new updates offered, it feels like Sakura Wars Reboot can only be enjoyed by some gamers.

Sakura Wars Reboot comes with a very good update. Certainly, a lot of money has been spent and SEGA developers had given their blood, sweat and tears to create a game as good as this. This game presents to give a nostalgic feeling for the veteran gamers and tries to attract new gamers with Sakura Wars, which was popular back in the day. 

Unfortunately, SEGA’s move is not too massive so for the gamers who like to explore, they can not expect much from this game. Because a larger portion of this game is mainly about interaction and approaching several main characters. The mecha robot battle between Mugen and the demons only serves an additional bonus that feels less exciting.

The whole storyline of the PS4 version of Sakura Wars is almost the same as the classic version, the game is only made to be more modern and some conflicts are added to make it a little different. SEGA has also returned to doing the same business by releasing the Sakura Wars anime series under the auspices of Ani-One ASIA which story is still related to the game version.

So that the appearance of this game becomes the first step to explore each character in Sakura Wars anime, before you move on to the anime version so you won’t get confused when watching the anime.

That’s it the discussion about the PS4 version of Sakura Wars, are you interested to have it, guys? Stay tuned at Dunia Games for more exciting articles about other games.

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