Sakura no Uta
Encyclopedia
: The tear flows because of tenderness. is an unreleased Japanese adult
visual novel
by Makura
which has been delayed since 2004. Tentative dates of release have been planned every year, but the game still remains unreleased. Sakura no Uta is Makura's third game along with the title H2O: Footprints in the Sand
and Root After and Another
. Before the game's release, a manga
adaptation illustrated by Hakone Odawara was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten
's manga magazine Comp Ace
between March 26, 2005 and March 26, 2006; the chapters were later collected into a single bound volume
released on June 10, 2006.
between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. There is a single choice that the player gets to make which determines which girl the protagonist chooses. There are six main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. In order to view the six plot lines to their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and choose a different choice at the single decision point in order to further the plot in an alternate direction. In contrast to visual novel
adventure game
s where the text appears near the bottom of the screen leaving the rest of the window open for viewing the game's visual content, the text in Sakura no Uta appears over the entire screen in a shaded, but otherwise transparent box. However, there is an option to hide the text in order to see the background without obstruction.
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
by Makura
Makura
is a Japanese adult visual novel studio. They are a sister brand to Kero Q.-Games produced:*H2O: Footprints in the Sand *√After and Another *Supreme Candy...
which has been delayed since 2004. Tentative dates of release have been planned every year, but the game still remains unreleased. Sakura no Uta is Makura's third game along with the title H2O: Footprints in the Sand
H2O: Footprints in the Sand
H2O: Footprints in the Sand is a Japanese adult visual novel by Makura that was released on June 23, 2006 for the PC as a DVD; a version playable on the PlayStation 2 under the title H2O + followed on April 24, 2008 with adult content removed, but in its place will be additional scenarios and...
and Root After and Another
Root After and Another
Root After and Another is a Japanese adult visual novel by Makura which was released on October 26, 2007 for the PC as a DVD in limited and regular first editions. Root After and Another is Makura's second game and is the sequel to their first game H2O: Footprints in the Sand...
. Before the game's release, a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation illustrated by Hakone Odawara was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's manga magazine Comp Ace
Comp Ace
is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. Comp Ace began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, Comptiq. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was published quarterly for the first three volumes which had cover...
between March 26, 2005 and March 26, 2006; the chapters were later collected into a single bound volume
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
released on June 10, 2006.
Gameplay
The gameplay requires almost no interaction from the player as nearly the entire duration of the game is spent on simply reading the text that will appear on the screen; this text represents either dialogueDialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. There is a single choice that the player gets to make which determines which girl the protagonist chooses. There are six main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. In order to view the six plot lines to their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and choose a different choice at the single decision point in order to further the plot in an alternate direction. In contrast to visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s where the text appears near the bottom of the screen leaving the rest of the window open for viewing the game's visual content, the text in Sakura no Uta appears over the entire screen in a shaded, but otherwise transparent box. However, there is an option to hide the text in order to see the background without obstruction.
Characters
- Naoya is the main protagonist of the story. He moved into the Natsume household after his father died. He cooks for the Natsume family since neither Ai, Kei, nor Shizuku can cook decent meals.
- Rin is Naoya's childhood friend, and is quite clumsy. She moved to the countryside, but then moved back, transferring to Naoya's class. She refers to Naoya as "Kusanagi-kun", but used to call him "Nao-kun" before she moved back.
- Shizuku is Ai's and Kei's younger sister; she rarely smiles. She is currently working as a model.
- Yūmi is an underclassman to Naoya. She is a neat freak.
- Ai is Kei's and Shizuku's older sister, and Naoya's homeroom teacher. She is popular among the students, and is very short despite being twenty-four-years-old. After Naoya's father died, she invited him to live with her family.
- Makoto is the president of the school's art club; she is a very bossy person.
- Rina is an underclassman to Naoya. After Rin moved away, Naoya began to play with her. She looks up to Naoya as her big brother.
- Kei is Ai's and Shizuku's brother, and also Naoya's good friend.