Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love
Encyclopedia
is a tactical role-playing game
with dating sim
elements. It was developed and published by Sega
, and licensed by Red Entertainment
, as the fifth title in the Sakura Wars
series for PlayStation 2
and Wii
. It was released on PlayStation 2 in Japan on July 5, 2005, and it was released on PlayStation 2 and Wii in North America on March 30, 2010 and on the Wii in PAL territories on April 2, 2010. First revealed at the Tokyo Game Show
convention in 2002, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love is a title of the Sakura Taisen World Project compilation.
Set in an alternate universe New York City
during the late 1920s, the game's storyline focuses on a naval ensign, Shinjiro Taiga, as he is summoned from Japan to New York to lead a fighting troupe disguised as a musical troupe to defeat an evil warlord and his subordinates from conquering America as its kingdom. The gameplay includes elements from previous games in the series, such as the LIPS system and combat systems.
to raise a gauge depending on the situation. Depending on the player's interactions with the Star Division, trust points will increase or decrease and can also affect their skills in combat; a lack of response within the time given for a decision also has an effect on Shinjiro's relationships with other characters. In turn, Shinjiro's relationships with each of the characters has an impact on the branching storyline and determines the ending
. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love also introduces a device known as the Cameratron, which the player can use as a camera to take photos and also functions as a time clock and radio.
The battle mode in Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love uses the Active and Real-time Machine System, or ARMS, which was first featured in Sakura Wars 3. A maximum of six characters may be used in battle. Under the ARMS system, the player controls each member's unit, known as a Star, can move using the action bar and use the action provided, such as Normal, Supermove, Healing and Joint as well as the Strategem, such as Shin, Gi and Tai. The Star can transform into Ground Form or Flight Form depending on the situation and the player can change areas in some battles In addition to standard, battle techniques, each character has a special ability. Players may save their game during eyecatch
es, where they can also track the party's status.
Supporting characters of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love include Ratchet Altair, a former captain of the European Star Division and captain of the Star Division until Shinjiro replaces her, she becomes the vice-commander soon after; Michael Sunnyside, the commander of the Star Division; Cherry Cocker (Plum Spaniel in the Japanese language version) and Anri Yoshino of the Rainbow Division, who help the Star Division in battles; Yuichi Kayama of the Moon Division, who owns a Romando shop; and Xingzhi Wong (Gyouchi Oh in the Japanese language version), who is the designer of the STARs and owns a Chinese medical centre.
with Ranmaru
, a recurring antagonist in the game, forcing her to let Shinjiro take over as the captain. After the player thwarts Ranmaru's invasion, Ratchet becomes the assistant commander.
Later, Cheiron organizes a mock trial involving Shinjiro and Carlos, a member of the biker gang, the Centaurs, to evict the people of Harlem, where the city is being burned by Kokuryu-hime, a self-proclaimed princess who wants to destroy the city. Eventually, Cheiron is revealed to be a member of the Centaurs, and realizes her feelings for the people of Harlem. After defeating Kokuryu-hime to save Harlem, Shinjiro encounters Rosarita Aries, a bounty hunter from Mexico, and she joins the Star Division. As a perfectionist, she becomes depressed when Shinjiro is injured after an attack but learns that everyone makes mistakes, its how one deals with their mistakes that make the person.
The group formally meets Diana who they learn has a weak body and has lost her will to live. Shinjiro eventually convinces her that even if the circumstances look dire, she can fight her destiny and give her a new path to follow. After losing a duel with Subaru, Shinjiro is forced to perform on stage as a new star called Peppermint. Subaru questins why Shinjiro is able to pull off what he does even though he is flawed. Subaru opens herself up to the group eventually recognizing everyone's importance in her life, including Shinjiro's importance. Soon, after learning about the Five Star Warriors, Shinjiro recruits Gemini to the Star Division due to her ties to the Five Star Warriors. But in discovering that Ranmaru is one of their enemies, Gemini's sister, Geminine, who resides in her body as an alter-ego, goes after him to get revenge on her fallen master. Shinjiro is able to convince Geminine that revenge is not the right way. Afterwards, Geminine decides to rest inside Gemini for a while after using too much of her influence to dominate Gemini's body.
After performing their Christmas show, the Star Division go out to stop Ranmaru's robot from being repaired only for Shinjiro to be severely injured by Oda Nobunaga, a dark spirit who was revived. After acquiring the resolve to fight Nobunaga without sacrificing anyone to the Five-Ring Mandala, the only method to seal Nobunaga, Shinjiro is promoted to Captain of the New York Combat Revue Star Division as they go off to fight Nobunaga. The Revue uses the Ahab, the Star Division's airship, to infiltrate Azuchi Castle
. Inside, the party battles their way through Nobunaga's defenses and their dark clones. However, Shinjiro is inside his dark clone when he arrives near Nobunaga. He manages to escape the dark clone after many pleas from the Star Division and defeats it. Making a final stand against Nobunaga, the Star Division successfully defeats him, but Nobunaga comes out alive and Nobunaga looks into Shinjiro's feelings before disappearing. Sunnyside, Ratchet, Anri and Cherry watch as Nobunaga's castle disintegrates into cherry blossoms.
convention.
, the game's licensor, and Idea Factory
. The localization featured some changes from the original Japanese version. For example, in an interview with RPGamer, Cheiron's Japanese name, Sagiitta, was changed in the English language adaptation, but the original Japanese language disc retains that character's name. Also in the interview, Nao Zook, NIS America's Press Release and Marketing Coordinator, said that the game was fitted onto two discs for the English and Japanese version due to the size required for both versions. For the Japanese version, NIS America wanted "to match the English text to the Japanese voice acting as much as we could" and also "to debug the Japanese voice over disc".
. The score consists of themes for each major character and location, as well as music for standard battles, fights with boss enemies and for animated sequences.
. The North American PS2 version is a two disc premium edition that includes the English and original Japanese voice tracks as well as a collector’s item art cover. The Wii version is a single-disc release with English-only voice-overs. On December 11, 2009, NIS America announced that the game would be released on March 23, 2010 for North America, however NIS delayed the game for one week and the game was released on March 30, 2010.
's Sam Bishop gave the game a 9/10 saying "It's safe to say this is probably one of the most re-playable games of its kind. Hundreds of dialogue choices, exploration and the odd bit of conversation will keep you coming back." While 1UP
gave the game a 83 out of 100. Mikel Tidwell of RPGamer
gives it "good" a 3.5 out of 5. He highlights that the game has great animation, characters and a story, but believes the gameplay suffers with the slow-paced battles and lack of save points and "free time" in between. Tidwell closes saying this game should have come out five years ago when in North America where the market was not as competitive as he believes people no longer have the time and patience to play through the game multiple times to get all the endings. Wiiloveit.com described it as a "strong RPG that's worth sinking your teeth into" that adopts a "very unique gameplay system".
The game was given the "Editor's Choice" Award by IGN.
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
with dating sim
Dating sim
Dating sims are a video game subgenre of simulation games, usually Japanese, with romantic elements. They are also sometimes put under the category of neoromance. The most common objective of dating sims is to date, usually choosing from among several characters, and to achieve a romantic...
elements. It was developed and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, and licensed by Red Entertainment
Red Entertainment
is a video game developer based in Japan. Formerly known as since is foundation in 1976 , it was reorganized under its current moniker on December 4, 2000...
, as the fifth title in the Sakura Wars
Sakura Wars
is a Japanese media franchise created by Ouji Hiroi, and is developed and owned by Sega and licensed by Red Entertainment and Sega. The franchise centers on a series of dramatic fantasy and science-fantasy tactical role-playing adventure video games, which consist of tactical wargame and dating sim...
series for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. It was released on PlayStation 2 in Japan on July 5, 2005, and it was released on PlayStation 2 and Wii in North America on March 30, 2010 and on the Wii in PAL territories on April 2, 2010. First revealed at the Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
convention in 2002, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love is a title of the Sakura Taisen World Project compilation.
Set in an alternate universe New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during the late 1920s, the game's storyline focuses on a naval ensign, Shinjiro Taiga, as he is summoned from Japan to New York to lead a fighting troupe disguised as a musical troupe to defeat an evil warlord and his subordinates from conquering America as its kingdom. The gameplay includes elements from previous games in the series, such as the LIPS system and combat systems.
Gameplay
Like previous Sakura Wars installments, the game consists of two modes of gameplay: Adventure Mode and Battle Mode. In Adventure Mode, Shinjiro Taiga, the main protagonist, is controlled from a third-person perspective and can move around New York. However, characters can also accompany him while traveling around New York. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love features the series' traditional Live & Interactive Picture System, or LIPS. Under this system, whenever an event or conversation occurs in the game, the player must choose Shinjiro's next action or dialogue choice within a limited amount of time. The four types of the LIPS system consist of Normal LIPS, which is displayed when the player must make a decision from a choice of options; Analog LIPS, which the player can raise the action gauge up or down depending on the situation; Double LIPS, which gives the player a longer amount of time to make decisions; and Stick LIPS, where the player can manipulate the analog stickAnalog stick
An analog stick, sometimes called a control stick or thumbstick, is an input device for a controller that is used for two-dimensional input. An analog stick is a variation of a joystick, consisting of a protrusion from the controller; input is based on the position of this protrusion in relation...
to raise a gauge depending on the situation. Depending on the player's interactions with the Star Division, trust points will increase or decrease and can also affect their skills in combat; a lack of response within the time given for a decision also has an effect on Shinjiro's relationships with other characters. In turn, Shinjiro's relationships with each of the characters has an impact on the branching storyline and determines the ending
Multiple endings
Multiple endings refer to a case in entertainment where the story could end in different ways, described as an alternate ending.-Literature:...
. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love also introduces a device known as the Cameratron, which the player can use as a camera to take photos and also functions as a time clock and radio.
The battle mode in Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love uses the Active and Real-time Machine System, or ARMS, which was first featured in Sakura Wars 3. A maximum of six characters may be used in battle. Under the ARMS system, the player controls each member's unit, known as a Star, can move using the action bar and use the action provided, such as Normal, Supermove, Healing and Joint as well as the Strategem, such as Shin, Gi and Tai. The Star can transform into Ground Form or Flight Form depending on the situation and the player can change areas in some battles In addition to standard, battle techniques, each character has a special ability. Players may save their game during eyecatch
Eyecatch
An or internal eyecatch is a scene or illustration used to begin and end a commercial break in a Japanese TV program, especially in anime and tokusatsu shows, similar to how "bumpers" into/out of commercial breaks are used in the United States...
es, where they can also track the party's status.
Plot
According to an NIS America press release, the plot description is:- The first Sakura Wars game to reach North America, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love takes the franchise to America with the franchise's first story set in America, following a new hero who joins the US version of the Hanagumi. Demons have appeared in New York, and its up to Shinjirou, Gemini Sunrise and a new cast of characters to take them out. The cast serves as performers during the day and warriors when called upon, continuing series tradition.
- Sakura Wars is a strategy RPG that features a unique sim-based story system. Character interaction plays a major role in a storyline that never follows a set course, and your responses to the various characters in the game can ultimately change the story content and even the final outcome. The battle system is divided into two main parts; ground combat and air combat. Ground combat takes place using two-legged mechanized suits, which transform into jet fighters to take the fight to the sky. Every mech unit in the game can transform from battle mech mode to jet fighter mode during combat.
Characters
The main protagonist of Sakura Wars: So Long My Love is Shinjiro Taiga, a young naval officer from Japan with a rank of Lieutenant. He is selected to become the new captain of the New York Combat Revue's Star Division. The Star Division consists of Gemini Sunrise, a clumsy cowgirl from Texas; Cheiron Archer (known as Sagiitta Weinberg in the original Japanese-language version), an African-American lawyer and former biker gang leader; Rosarita Aries (known as Rikaritta Aries in the Japanese version), a markswoman from Mexico and a bounty hunter; Diana Caprice, a local birdwatcher and doctor who is as compassionate as a goddess and has lost her hope to live; and Subaru Kujo, a noble from a Japanese family who excels at Noh and other traditional Japanese dances.Supporting characters of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love include Ratchet Altair, a former captain of the European Star Division and captain of the Star Division until Shinjiro replaces her, she becomes the vice-commander soon after; Michael Sunnyside, the commander of the Star Division; Cherry Cocker (Plum Spaniel in the Japanese language version) and Anri Yoshino of the Rainbow Division, who help the Star Division in battles; Yuichi Kayama of the Moon Division, who owns a Romando shop; and Xingzhi Wong (Gyouchi Oh in the Japanese language version), who is the designer of the STARs and owns a Chinese medical centre.
Story
Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love begins with Shinjiro Taiga departing from Tokyo to New York City. Shortly after arriving there, Shinjiro witnesses a bank robbery being foiled by Gemini Sunrise, a samurai cowgirl. Shinjiro is arrested, but is vouched and enter the Little Lip Theater to meet Shinjiro's captain, Ratchet Altair, and the Star Division's commander, Michael Sunnyside. Taiga and Gemini meet each other outside the theater, and later meets the theater's drink bar hostess, Cherry Cocker, and gift shop seller, Anri Yoshino. Along the way, Taiga meets Subaru Kujo, a Japanese musician while in the garden and Cheiron Archer, a lawyer. Later, just as Taiga finishes watches a musical based on Cleopatra, an emergency occurs and Ratchet orders Taiga to clean the theater. After Shinjiro is assigned by Sunnyside to be a ticket clipper, he goes to Central Park and meets Diana Caprice, a local birdwatcher and doctor. Eventually, Shinjiro is accepted as a member of the Star Division when he shows Ratchet the results of his progress. However, Ratchet is injured during a battle on the Statue of LibertyStatue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
with Ranmaru
Mori Ranmaru
, born Mori Nagasada , was the son of Mori Yoshinari, and had 5 brothers in total, from the province of Mino. He was a member of the Mori Clan, descendants of the Seiwa Genji....
, a recurring antagonist in the game, forcing her to let Shinjiro take over as the captain. After the player thwarts Ranmaru's invasion, Ratchet becomes the assistant commander.
Later, Cheiron organizes a mock trial involving Shinjiro and Carlos, a member of the biker gang, the Centaurs, to evict the people of Harlem, where the city is being burned by Kokuryu-hime, a self-proclaimed princess who wants to destroy the city. Eventually, Cheiron is revealed to be a member of the Centaurs, and realizes her feelings for the people of Harlem. After defeating Kokuryu-hime to save Harlem, Shinjiro encounters Rosarita Aries, a bounty hunter from Mexico, and she joins the Star Division. As a perfectionist, she becomes depressed when Shinjiro is injured after an attack but learns that everyone makes mistakes, its how one deals with their mistakes that make the person.
The group formally meets Diana who they learn has a weak body and has lost her will to live. Shinjiro eventually convinces her that even if the circumstances look dire, she can fight her destiny and give her a new path to follow. After losing a duel with Subaru, Shinjiro is forced to perform on stage as a new star called Peppermint. Subaru questins why Shinjiro is able to pull off what he does even though he is flawed. Subaru opens herself up to the group eventually recognizing everyone's importance in her life, including Shinjiro's importance. Soon, after learning about the Five Star Warriors, Shinjiro recruits Gemini to the Star Division due to her ties to the Five Star Warriors. But in discovering that Ranmaru is one of their enemies, Gemini's sister, Geminine, who resides in her body as an alter-ego, goes after him to get revenge on her fallen master. Shinjiro is able to convince Geminine that revenge is not the right way. Afterwards, Geminine decides to rest inside Gemini for a while after using too much of her influence to dominate Gemini's body.
After performing their Christmas show, the Star Division go out to stop Ranmaru's robot from being repaired only for Shinjiro to be severely injured by Oda Nobunaga, a dark spirit who was revived. After acquiring the resolve to fight Nobunaga without sacrificing anyone to the Five-Ring Mandala, the only method to seal Nobunaga, Shinjiro is promoted to Captain of the New York Combat Revue Star Division as they go off to fight Nobunaga. The Revue uses the Ahab, the Star Division's airship, to infiltrate Azuchi Castle
Azuchi Castle
' was one of the primary castles of Oda Nobunaga. It was built from 1576 to 1579, on the shores of Lake Biwa, in Ōmi Province. Nobunaga intentionally built it close enough to Kyoto that he could watch over and guard the approaches to the capital, but, being outside the city, his fortress would be...
. Inside, the party battles their way through Nobunaga's defenses and their dark clones. However, Shinjiro is inside his dark clone when he arrives near Nobunaga. He manages to escape the dark clone after many pleas from the Star Division and defeats it. Making a final stand against Nobunaga, the Star Division successfully defeats him, but Nobunaga comes out alive and Nobunaga looks into Shinjiro's feelings before disappearing. Sunnyside, Ratchet, Anri and Cherry watch as Nobunaga's castle disintegrates into cherry blossoms.
Development
Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love was first announced at the 2002 Tokyo Game ShowTokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
convention.
Localization
The North American localization and release of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love by NIS America for PlayStation 2 and Wii was organized by Red EntertainmentRed Entertainment
is a video game developer based in Japan. Formerly known as since is foundation in 1976 , it was reorganized under its current moniker on December 4, 2000...
, the game's licensor, and Idea Factory
Idea Factory
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher founded on October 26, 1994 headed by company president Koichi Ota and vice president Shingo Kuwana.-Games published:-Games developed:-External links:* * * * from IGN* from GameSpot...
. The localization featured some changes from the original Japanese version. For example, in an interview with RPGamer, Cheiron's Japanese name, Sagiitta, was changed in the English language adaptation, but the original Japanese language disc retains that character's name. Also in the interview, Nao Zook, NIS America's Press Release and Marketing Coordinator, said that the game was fitted onto two discs for the English and Japanese version due to the size required for both versions. For the Japanese version, NIS America wanted "to match the English text to the Japanese voice acting as much as we could" and also "to debug the Japanese voice over disc".
Music
The music of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love was composed by regular series composer Kohei TanakaKohei Tanaka (composer)
is a Japanese composer, arranger and singer. He is affiliated with the music production company Imagine. He has created numerous musical scores for famous anime TV series, OVAs, movies, computer games and tokusatsu series. Tanaka was born in Ebisubashi, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture on February 14,...
. The score consists of themes for each major character and location, as well as music for standard battles, fights with boss enemies and for animated sequences.
Releases
In 2009, NIS America announced that Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love would be published in North America on both the PlayStation 2 and WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. The North American PS2 version is a two disc premium edition that includes the English and original Japanese voice tracks as well as a collector’s item art cover. The Wii version is a single-disc release with English-only voice-overs. On December 11, 2009, NIS America announced that the game would be released on March 23, 2010 for North America, however NIS delayed the game for one week and the game was released on March 30, 2010.
Reception
Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love has received positive reviews. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Sam Bishop gave the game a 9/10 saying "It's safe to say this is probably one of the most re-playable games of its kind. Hundreds of dialogue choices, exploration and the odd bit of conversation will keep you coming back." While 1UP
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
gave the game a 83 out of 100. Mikel Tidwell of RPGamer
RPGamer
RPGamer is a media and news website dedicated to covering computer and video game RPGs. Its coverage includes North American game news, European game news, Asian game news, gaming industry news, game reviews, game previews, hands-on game impressions, gaming conventions, game merchandise, release...
gives it "good" a 3.5 out of 5. He highlights that the game has great animation, characters and a story, but believes the gameplay suffers with the slow-paced battles and lack of save points and "free time" in between. Tidwell closes saying this game should have come out five years ago when in North America where the market was not as competitive as he believes people no longer have the time and patience to play through the game multiple times to get all the endings. Wiiloveit.com described it as a "strong RPG that's worth sinking your teeth into" that adopts a "very unique gameplay system".
The game was given the "Editor's Choice" Award by IGN.