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SAKURA TAISEN 2
GS-9169
Copyright © Sega Japan
Sega Saturn (Import), One Player
Strategy/Simulation
Available Now
¥ 4800
—by Kenneth Lee
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When looking back at the Sega Saturn's impact (great games) during the
'32-bit era,' most gamers in the US would probably have a rather skewed
perspective (through no fault of their own), as most of the Saturn's
greatest games never made it over to our shores. Games that rivaled the
Playstation's greatest all failed to make it to the US, courtesy of Sega of
America - games such as the epic RPG masterpiece GRANDIA, or Atlus Japan's
Cyberpunk RPG excellence, MEGAMI TENSEI: SOUL HACKERS. One more phenomenal
game would be Red / Sega Japan's SAKURA TAISEN 2. This is the second part in
the SAKURA TAISEN series of Mech Strategy / Simulation games. What SAKURA
TAISEN 2 does is improve upon every aspect of the original game, and
provides us with one of the most refreshing, fun, and amazing games ever to
have been created..
As an introduction to those who don't know anything about SAKURA TAISEN and
the series as a whole, it is basically a Mech Strategy / Simulation game set
in the Taishou Era (1920's) of Japan. It is an early Industrial period, and
the feel of the whole game reflects this - a mixing of Western and Eastern
cultures, of traditional Japanese aspects, such as Katanas and visiting old
shrines, to fascinating Steampunk mechs and other devices. You play the role
of Ichirou Ohgami, who is given command of a secret military defense unit,
the Imperial Floral Assault Group (Teikoku Kagekidan), who's responsibility
is to protect Japan from evil. Also interesting to note is that the group
you are in charge of is all female. They are 'secret' in that most of the
time, they must double as the Imperial Theater Troupe (something like that)
to prevent anyone from knowing their true whereabouts and headquarters.
Their headquarters are actually beneath the Imperial Theater (where they
hold their plays)! Suffice to say that in part 1, you were faced with a
phenomenal story of epic proportions. In SAKURA TAISEN 2, new events occur
and Japan is threatened again. You must take command and lead your group to
victory.
Essentially, the game is broken down into 'Chapters,' which is then further
broken down into Simulation parts and then Strategy Mech Battles. The
Simulation part is probably most easily described as similar to those
classic graphic adventure games on the Apple / PC. You can wander around the
Imperial Theater (or other locations) and explore various rooms and interact
with various members of your team (the Hanagumi). During these sequences
you'll sometimes be faced with 'real-life' dilemmas such as keeping up the
morale of your team members when dire situations occur, or just keeping up
good relations with some or all of them. If you are kind enough throughout
the game, you will even build up a personal relationship with one of your
team members. Essentially, you are faced with situations and are given a
choice of replies to respond to these situations, which range from whether
or not to attack the enemy from the flank or the front, to just being kind
or caring for one of your female teammates. "Yes," you can even go on a date
with one of the girls, but this is no different than Cloud going on a date
with Aerith or Tifa in FINAL FANTASY VII. All-in-all, this aspect of the
game was quite refreshing and proved to be the primary means to further the
plot and add life to the game as a whole, as like the classic graphic
adventures on the computer, by visiting certain areas or doing certain
things, a plot point would 'open' but here, many times you are also treated
to a great Anime movie cut scene.
The Strategy Battles are just as fun, but in a completely different way.
While nowhere near as in-depth and complicated as a Koei game or TACTICS
OGRE, its simplicity belies the overall well-designed battle system. In the
Mech Battles, your Hanagumi members each have their own personal Steampunk
Mech (very cool designs), and you have full control over where to move them
and when to attack or defend. It is turn-based, and the battlefields and
mechs are pre-rendered, but overall it works well, with highly-detailed
environments. There are also Super Moves for each of the Mechs, and later on
in the game, there are newer Supers and even Combination Super Attacks,
which are too cool - they are essentially done in a very Anime-esque flair,
with a combination of 2D and 3D cuts and plenty of voice. In a word:
Awesome! Eventually, at the end of each major battle you also face a Boss,
who will try and pummel you with his offensive assault. A new addition to
this game is the 'Command' feature, that allows you to change the style of
fighting for your all your team members. You get to choose between 4
different styles: Fire (higher offense, lower defense), Wind (greater
movement, lower defense), Mountain (higher defense, lower movement), and
Forest (normal, no penalties). Another nice touch is the inclusion of
(nearly) full-screen portraits of your characters when it's their turn to
battle - the 2D hand-drawn, anime art is gorgeous, but that is beyond doubt
as Red hired Fujishima Kousuke (creator and artist of AH! MY GODDESS and
YOU'RE UNDER ARREST) to do character designs. Perhaps the only downside to
the battles are the lack of transparencies for special effects (when you do
a massive Super attack, or explosions). But that is a minor gripe compared
to the sheer fun of the Strategy Battles.
The music is still as great as in its predecessor, except of even higher
quality. There are a few vocal songs in the game, and on top of that, all
the BGM's are just well done and exhibit a fitting motif and catchy
melodies. But the highlight would have to be the extensive amount of voice
in the game. Not only is the voice acting by the seiyuu some of the best
I've heard in a game (such as by Yokoyama Chisa and Orikasa Ai), but it adds
a much needed extra facet - the characters become more interesting and
idiosyncratic. They exhibit little foibles and their personalities and the
personality of the game itself become much more meaningful.
SAKURA TAISEN 2 is one of those games that are really hard to describe, as
they cannot be defined or categorized into a simple genre. From the
exploration and simulation aspects to the great Mech Strategy battles, it
never fails to delight the player. With tons of voice, phenomenal game
design, and a perfect mood and atmosphere, ST2 covers all the bases. Combine
that with some of the most phenomenal and amazing Anime and CG movies ever
seen on any system (courtesy of Production I.G. of GHOST IN THE SHELL fame),
and -EIGHT- different endings, you've got a game that is just the essence of
"Classic." One of the greatest games of all-time for the Sega Saturn (or
-any- system for that matter), right next to NiGHTS,
SAKURA TAISEN, and GRANDIA.
Unfortunately, however, a thorough understanding of Japanese is necessary to
play this game. There are some walkthroughs and translations appearing on
the net. Two places to check out would be: Hissatsu Ishingun
and Ming's Sakura Wars
Page  .
Rating: **** out of 4 |
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