Samurai Aces
Encyclopedia
Sengoku Ace also known as Samurai Aces, is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up
arcade game
released by Psikyo
in 1993
. It was the first game by Psikyo and was designed by Shin Nakamura, the creator of Aero Fighters
(Sonic Wings) and the company's founder.
story of Sengoku Ace resolves around the six Feudal Japan characters sent on a mission to stop an evil cult and rescue the shogun
's kidnapped daughter, princess Tsukihime (Moon Princess), before she can be used as a sacrifice to resurrect their demon god. The game features 21 endings, different for various characters and 2-player pairings.
as part of the Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade by Taito
and 505 Games. It also was re-released one year later as a budget-range title.
for the game has been released by Gamest and Shinseisha on January 22, 1994.
in 1996 and Sengoku Cannon: Sengoku Ace Episode III in 2004.
) Official Taito website (Internet Archive)
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
released by Psikyo
Psikyo
is a Japanese video game company started in 1992. Psikyo is an off-shoot formed from the staff that created the Aero Fighters series for Video System. Psikyo focused on arcade games, mostly vertically-scrolling shoot 'em ups and pornographic mahjong games...
in 1993
1993 in video gaming
-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....
. It was the first game by Psikyo and was designed by Shin Nakamura, the creator of Aero Fighters
Aero Fighters
Aero Fighters is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released in 1992 by Video System, ported to the Super Famicom in 1993 and the Super Nintendo in 1994....
(Sonic Wings) and the company's founder.
Story
The science fantasyScience fantasy
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within speculative fiction drawing elements from both science fiction and fantasy. Although in some terms of its portrayal in recent media products it can be defined as instead of being a mixed genre of science fiction and fantasy it is instead a mixing of the...
story of Sengoku Ace resolves around the six Feudal Japan characters sent on a mission to stop an evil cult and rescue the shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
's kidnapped daughter, princess Tsukihime (Moon Princess), before she can be used as a sacrifice to resurrect their demon god. The game features 21 endings, different for various characters and 2-player pairings.
Characters
- Flush (Flash) / Ayin (Shine-Ain) / Kain (せんこうのャイン) - A 25-year old, one-eyed, blonde samuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
flying a J-9Chengdu J-9|...
, who is looking for his sister Asuka. He is voiced by Hisao EgawaHisao Egawais a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo who works for Aoni Production. Egawa is most known for the roles of Shin'ichi Maki in Slam Dunk, Geki Kuroiwa in Brave Command Dagwon, Geki Hyūma and Goldymarg in The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, Killer Bee in Naruto Shippuden, and Falco Lombardi in the Star Fox...
. - Gen / Gennai (アイン) - A 77-year old scientist with a small robot assistant named Ranmaru, who flies a small, agile "Super Fighter" plane. He is voiced by Daisuke GōriDaisuke Goriwas a Japanese voice actor, narrator and actor from Kōtō, Tokyo. Throughout his life, he was attached to TV Talent Center Tokyo, Yoshizawa Theatre School and then Mausu Promotion; he was attached to Aoni Production at the time of his death. His real name, as well as his former stage name, was...
. - Jane Hayate (はやてのジェーン) - A 21-year old blonde and blue-eyed beautiful female ninjaNinjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
who flies a gliderGlider aircraftGlider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
. She is voiced by Hiroko EmoriHiroko Emoriis a Japanese voice actress whose works for Aoni Production.-Notable voice roles:*Armitage III as Bronski*BS Tantei Club: Yuki ni Kieta Kako as both Toshie and Sachi Tachibana*Caroline the car in the Japanese version of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends...
. - Kenno (Kenno Maru) / Kenoumaru / Ohmaru (犬王丸) - A "super genius dog" flying a high-tech F-15F-15 EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
aircraft (according to some of his team play endings, really a young man sealed in a dog form). - Miko / Koyori (Koyori Togashi) (富樫こより) - A 17-year old mikoMikois a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...
priestess with a fascination for money, who flies a biplaneBiplaneA biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
. In Sengoku Ace, Koyori is still very young and tomboyish. She is also voiced by Hiroko Emori. - Tengai (Tengai Kano) (ターボ坊主 天外) - A 50-year old Japanese Buddhist wandering monk who flies a bizarre bird-like plane. He is also voiced by Daisuke Gōri.
Home edition
In December 2004 the game was ported to PlayStation 2PlayStation 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...
as part of the Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade by Taito
Taito
Taito may mean:*Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware*Taito, Tokyo, a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan*Taito, also known as matai, paramount chiefs according to Fa'a Samoa...
and 505 Games. It also was re-released one year later as a budget-range title.
Soundtrack
The original and arranged soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the game has been released by Gamest and Shinseisha on January 22, 1994.
Sequels
Sengoku Ace was followed by two sequels, Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode IISengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode II
Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode II , also known as Tengai , is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up video game released for arcade machines in 1996 by Psikyo as a sequel to the 1993 shooter Sengoku Ace.- Gameplay :...
in 1996 and Sengoku Cannon: Sengoku Ace Episode III in 2004.
Reception
The game was very well received, winning several Japanese "shooter of the year" awards in 1993.Sources
- Official website (characters page) and the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
External links
Official Psikyo website (Internet ArchiveInternet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
) Official Taito website (Internet Archive)
- Samurai Aces endings (Video Game MuseumVideo Game MuseumVideo Game Museum, is a video game database with an extensive collection of screenshots from title screens, general gameplay and game endings. It also features a collection of scans of video game covers, boxes, as well as current and old video game print advertisements...
) - Hardcore Gaming 101: Sengoku Ace