SAKURA WARS
Will this Sega revival steal your heart?
One theatre revue past its glory days, one combat division unable to defend its own city, and one looming demonic invasion that may or may not be led by a former heroine – Sakura Wars is something of an underdog story. It’s a fitting narrative given this soft reboot marks the first time the series officially arrives on PlayStation in PAL territories, the latest of Sega’s recent successful revivals.
But if you’re going in with Persona on your mind, prepare to temper your expectations. While it is an RPG-visual novel hybrid, it leans much more toward the visual novel side than RPG combat and levelling up. No doubt you’ll sympathise with ex-navy captain Kamiyama, who finds himself leading Tokyo’s all-girl mech combat Flower Division (which doubles as a theatre troupe), only to find he doesn’t have his own mech to start with, while his contribution to the ailing theatre is performing odd jobs like collecting tickets and posing as an elephant mascot.
Eschewing the original’s tactical turn-based action in favour of real-time combat somewhat undermines your role as a captain giving orders to your team since you’re paired with a specific member relevant to the story. Missions mostly take part in a demon dimension (read generic, cavernous tunnels) divorced from the story’s romanticised steampunk Taisho-era setting. Combat isn’t without spectacle – dodging attacks slows time Bayonetta-style, and special attacks have their grand sequences – but it’s so easy you can S-rank your way through most of it without breaking a sweat.
TALKING IT UP
It’s for the best, then, that combat plays second fiddle to story. The comedy and drama as you get to know the Flower Division takes centre stage. It’s a handsome production, not least because you’re exploring 3D environments while your steampunk smartphone keeps track of the locations of every person you can speak to. Most scenes play out in-engine with expressive animations, and where stills are used, they’re bolstered with detailed writing.
It’s only a shame that voice acting isn’t used throughout, leaving some scenes awkwardly silent. You’re also limited to exploring the Imperial Theatre, with only a handful of smaller nearby locations opening up later. But there’s no denying the anime credentials, with over 40 minutes of animated cutscenes throughout, terrific character design from Tite Kubo (Bleach), and the catchiest theme song you’ll hear all year, composed by Kohei Tanaka (One Piece).
It’s not without some glaring tropes: it’s guilty of too many to-peek-or-not-to-peek dilemmas only for the game to linger on somebody’s legs or sideboob anyway. Nonetheless, when the acting hits its high emotions in close-ups as the theme song fires up, it would take a cynic not to get swept up.
VERDICT
“COMBAT IS SO EASY, YOU CAN S-RANK YOUR WAY THROUGH MOST OF IT.”
Sakura Wars may lack depth in combat but that’s ultimately secondary to its storytelling and lovable characters, which it delivers with a big dose of anime heart. Alan Wen