Project Sakura Wars is a unique combination of visual novel adventure and tactical RPG game set in a fictional version of 20th century Japan. The title was produced by Sonic Team, an internal development studio of Sega, which has been operating for over twenty years, and which has developed several dozen different games, including many bestsellers from the Sonic series. The Sakura Wars series was born in 1996 on the Sega Saturn console. Project Sakura Wars is (excluding spin-offs) the sixth part of the series, each of which takes place in the same world.
### Plot
Project Sakura Wars takes place in an alternative version of the first few decades of the 20th century, in which the world still uses steam energy. The action of the title begins in Japan, several years after the events presented in the previous parts of the cycle, in which various countries of the world fought against the invasion of demonic beings called Kouma. In their struggle against the threat they were helped by brave young women, who were gifted with magical abilities and sat at the helm of extremely fast and durable mechs. In the final battle against the demons, the warriors’ troops were destroyed, but after a few years their idea is reborn again, this time in the service of peaceful and sporting rivalry between different nations.
The players take on the role of Seijuurou Kamiyama, a twenty-year-old officer who is entrusted with the mission of commanding a re-established unit of mechs pilots, subordinate directly to the imperial Japanese armed forces. The hero has to ease tensions between the team members who start their careers and prepare them for the upcoming competitions. However, these plans are crossed by the unexpected reappearance of demons.
### Mechanics
The game was divided into two separate segments. In the first one we freely explore various locations depicting Tokyo and interact with individual heroines. An extremely important element is the LIPS system, which requires us to select the right dialogue issues in a limited time. Decisions made in this way affect the level of trust between the main character and his subordinates. The second segment of the game focuses on turn-based and tactical mechs battles. Players can also decide on the equipment and weaponry of the robots.
### Technical aspects
Project Sakura Wars offers a high quality audio-visual setting, the closest equivalent of which in the Sega catalogue will certainly be the Valkyria Chronicles series. Tite Kubo, well known for his comic book Bleach, is responsible for the projects of the characters in the game. The composer of the music is Kohei Tanaka, a veteran of the industry, with soundtracks for countless films and anime series, as well as all Sakura Wars and games such as Gravity Rush, Gravity Rush 2 and Resonance of Fate.
Project Sakura Wars