The best JRPG ever made,Sakura Wars beat even Final Fantasy 7!
In 1996, Sega/Red created Sakura Wars and started an epic monster in the world of videogames and anime alike. It continues to this day, having spawned countless merchandise, anime, amazing live concerts and of course an unforgettable series of videogames. Well ladies and gentleman, this is the game that started it all.
Featuring a memorable cast voiced by some of the biggest names in Japan like Chisa Yokoyama and Michie Tomizawa, a compelling story, and of course great gameplay and visuals, Sakura Wars is a game that should be in anyone's collection. At base, Sakura Wars is a graphic adventure accompanied by turn-based strategic combat and numerous mini-games. But after you have played it for a while, you'll soon release that there is alot more to this game than meets the eye.
Story/Characters :10 out of 10
This is where the Sakura Wars series shines brightest. The story is very unique and original, and the characters are so deep and charismatic you will never forget them.
You assume the role of Ohgami Ichiro, a transfer from the Japanese Navy, and Captain of the Imperial Defense Force. I should note that the year is 1923, and that the world of Sakura Wars is quite different from the real world, mainly due to the power of steam. I won't get into detail on this, but lets just say that the advancement in machinery is quite something. Anyway, the Imperial Defense Force is a secret corps in guise of a theater. Here is where the game takes place, and where you will meet the amazing characters that make up the Hanagumi, the Flower Divison.
The main story revolves around you and the Hanagumi fighting a mysterious band of villains, known as the Kuronosukai. Their goal is to destroy the Imperial Capital of Japan, Tokyo. Your job is to stop them with the spirit power you and the Hanagumi posses, and help from mechas known as Koubu. At least, that is the base story which you are introduced to in the first hour of the game. The story takes alot of twists and turns, and without saying too much, the finale is like nothing you would have ever imagined when you started playing this game.
Since it is your job to lead the Imperial Defense force, you will meet and befriend all of the Hanagumi. Each one of the six girls has her own personality, her own history, her own share of problems. Asides from the main story of the game, each one of the Hanagumi is considered on an individual basis, with a chapter dedicated to each one. From Maria's dark past to Sumire's fear of spiders, they are all things you will witness and be a part of. All of the characters develop throughout the game, including Ohgami and the many other faces you will meet. The depth and complexity of the characters rival if not surpass those of epic RPGS.
Gameplay :10 out of 10
Sakura Wars is a unique RPG essentially three aspects of gameplay; the main graphic adventure part, the battles, and the mini-games.
Throughout the main part of the game, you take control of Ohgami, . You interact with the girls of the Hanagumi, and many other characters including your superior Chief Yoneda. You can move around the main map of the game, the Imperial Theatre, and enter the different locations like the stage, the Hanagumi's rooms, and the bath. This is called the Free Roam. In these locations you interact with the characters, mainly the Hanagumi.
This part of the game is somewhat like a dating simulation, in which the ultimate goal is for you to make the girls like Ohgami, and which one will be with you in the end. The way you interact with the girls will affect how much they like you, which will not only affect which one of them you will end up with,.Unlike in other RPGs,Sakura Wars does not have a leveling upnor does it ephasize on grinding to increase your characters' powers.Instead,how you interact with them directly affect their stats.You make a girl like you,and their power in battle significantly increases. Make a girl hate you,and her power in battle will be less than its default status when you began the game.Other than interacting with the girls, you can also meet some of the theaters' other residents. Tsubaki, for example, will sell you bromides of the Hanagumi that you can collect.
The battles are fought in strategic combat, similar to Front Mission and Final Fantasy Tactics. You control Ohgami and the rest of the Hanagumi in their steam-powered Koubu, mechs which defend the Imperial Captial and amplify the power of their user. All of the characters use different weapons unique to their talents, which all have varied reaches and power. For example, Sakura uses a Katana since she has trained in the way of the sword since she was a little girl and can only hit units next to her, while Maria uses guns because of her background on the battlefield and can hit enemies from further away. All of the characters have special attacks that they can use when their super meter fills up, like Sumire's Firebird Spin. They all look very impressive, and do massive damage to the enemy. Like I said before, how the characters feel about Ohgami will effect their power in battle.
So if you were very mean to Iris (Shame on you!), don't expect her to do much. The battles are very enjoyable, though they are a bit easy.
And finally, the mini-games. Each one of the girls has one, and each one is completely different. Sakura has you and her sweep the stage in a furious dodge game, while Kohran plays a traditional Chinese cardgame which will take you a few hours to master, or at least get good at. How well you do in these will also affect the Hanagumi's affection level.
Graphics/Visuals:10 out of 10
The visuals in Sakura Wars are beautiful. Extremely detailed backdrops for the settings are always present, and each location looks very unique. Of course, the anime character designs are what really make the graphics shine. All of the characters, including villains, look very original and unique. Each one of the Hanagumi has at least a dozen different expressions to their portraits, and thats not even counting the unique pictures which you will see throughout the story.
Of course, there are also animated movies. Both disks have an opening, which you will most likely end up wanting to watch every time you boot the game up. There are over two dozen cinemas in all and each one of the Hanagumi has her own ending as well. All the cinemas are very well animated, and are anime OVA quality.
The battles use an isometric view like most strategy games. In this area ,the graphics is on par with the PC RTS Starcraft. All of the Koubu look nice and colorful, and the enemy mechs look very cool too. The special attacks of all the Hanagumi are nice, and so are all the animations for the movements of the units.
Sakura Wars simply has the best anime like graphics in RPGs!The graphics will literally make you feel like you are playing an anime!
Sound/Music :10 out of 10
Like I mentioned before, Sakura Wars features an all star cast of anime voice actors. The game is not fully voice overed, but all of the important dialogue and of course battle dialogue is. Due to the excellent job of the voice actors, the characters truly come to life. The game would not be the same without them, and I dare say that Sakura Wars may not be what it is today had it not been for them. Just wait until you hear the classic laugh of Sumire, created by the one and only Michie Tomizawa.
The music as well is something that is very important to Sakura Wars. From the time you first boot up the game you will realize how amazing it is, as the opening is the main theme of the series which still remains in the sequels. The different themes of the characters are very well composed, and the different tunes of the story bring across the mood very well.The music is simply among the best you will ever hear in an RPG and the voice acting is simply some of the best you will ever hear in a videogame!
Replay Value :High
With six different endings to acquire, and at least twenty hours of gameplay to each one, the replay value of Sakura Wars is very high. You will want to see all the different events that you missed the previous time, not to mention collect all the bromides.
And then there is the Long Day In The Imperial Theater. Everything you have done so far in the game goes here, including the cinemas you have seen and the mini-games you have played so far. Here, the mini-games have a greater challenge, and you can earn bonus pictures for beating them. There are also a few other surprises here as well.
Cons:There are only two flaws in this game.First of,this game is only available in Japanese.Even with transltion guides,the game can be inconvinient to play due to it open ended nature.Secondly,the battles can be really easy.But these flaws are minor compared to the amazingly fun apects this game offers.
When all is said and done it comes down to this; you owe it to yourself to play Sakura Wars if you are an anime fan or a gamer looking for something truly special, and hopefully will become a fan and dig into this huge franchise. It will most likely never see the light of day in the United States, so you will have to import it unless you live in Japan. Even with little or no knowledge of Japanese, you should be able to enjoy the game to its fullest with help from the excellent text translations available.One of the most unique RPGs created,Sakura Wars is simply the best Japanese RPG ever made!Sakura Wars beats Final Fantasy 7 by 1000%!It is IMHO the best RPG along with The Elder Scrolls 2:Daggerfall!