|
Come November 10th, and the first Sakura Wars game ever to receive an English release will be available for consumption. Some people who read this are veterans of the series and need no further information. Far more people will have been intimidated by the language barrier (which, in the case of Sakura Wars, is large) and might wonder what the big deal behind these games is. I do not guarantee that a definitive answer can be provided, but I can at the very least outline what makes Sakura Taisen special and why it might just find a new fan base across the Pacific.
Taken at a glance, the Sakura Wars series fuses two genres that are usually thought incompatible: a visual novel (with some twists) and a tactical RPG. Large parts of the game consist of character interaction, with Ichiro Ohgami (in the first four games) and Taiga Shinjiro (in Sakura Wars ~ So Long, My Love ~) conversing with the rest of the cast. Lest I scare anyone away prematurely, all of these interactions are not fixed. There will be a time limit between mandatory events, and characters will show up in different places depending upon the hour. These character interactions will find the player encountering LIPS (Live Interactive Picture System, and not my acronym). There are several ways in which LIPS can show up, but all of its manifestations will require quick input from the player to answer questions or deal with circumstances. In the case of the ladies who join the main character on the battlefield, treating them right will affect their battle prowess. These ladies also each have an arcade-style minigame of their own for the player to enjoy when a little break from constant dialogue is desired.
Sakura Wars is not for the tactical aficianado seeking a challenge. The combat is not boring, but it will not tax the skills of tactics specialists in the slightest. Nothing insanely innovative will be encountered in a Sakura Wars battle, the better to keep it accessible for a wide range of players. And the series' combat succeeds in doing this, giving enough content to stay interesting while not intimidating those who usually avoid tactical combat.
is a good choice to test the waters in North America with, for several reasons. While it does contain numerous references to the previous games (and the movie), its story features an entirely new cast. Instead of Tokyo or Paris, V is set in New York, though this means plenty of inaccuracies are likely present to be picked apart. Though all of the other games (except 4) have been re-released, most of these have been straight ports of the Saturn and Dreamcast games. The original game was completely remade for the PS2 as Sakura Taisen: Atsuki Chishio Ni, but none of the others have gotten that treatment, and the remake is still older than V. These reasons doubtless influenced NIS America's choice of game to localize.
NIS America's decision to release what was Sakura Taisen V in both English and Japanese might seem a bit extreme to anyone unfamliar with the series. After all, why would most people care about the Japanese audio in a game that is being released outside Japan? The answer lies in Sakura Taisen's appeal within its native land being derived, in large part, from its well-known voice actors and their willingness to be part of a multimedia package. Sakura Wars anime, music, and live performances are a constant presence in the Japanese market, all participated in by the actors who voice the characters in the games. The seiyuu voicing these characters ARE the characters thanks to playing them over and over in multiple forms of media, and that is why the original Japanese audio is an important facet of the product.
I'm a veteran of this series, and so I'd like to think my words are helpful. Sakura Taisen is not going to be a good choice for anyone demanding challenging combat. The game is also a poor choice for anyone who dislikes an anime visual aesthetic. These games somehow manage to be much more than the sum of their parts, however, and the dedicated fan base built up over the years is a testament to their quality. Sakura Wars ~ So Long, My Love ~ is guaranteed to have a lot of attention upon its release, and I can only hope that the happiness this series has made me feel will be experienced by more people.
|
RSS feed
iTunes