BaD 1: Sakura Wars: So Long My Love

On 02/01/2021 at 08:04 PM by KnightDriver

The First Sakura Wars game to be localized in English in 2010 for the Wii, Sakura Wars: So Long My Love combines tactical turn-based combat, dating sim, and visual novel gameplay elements. You play as male character Shinjiro Taiga who is given the assignment to head a demon battling female warriors/performers called Combat Review in New York City.

The first few hours are mainly the visual novel aspects with some free-roaming of NYC. I read a lot of dialog until a choice needs to be made and then I had to answer on a timer from three or four possibilities. I also had to do some timed button and stick movements for some tasks. The game gives you a sound cue to tell you if you've pleased your companion or disappointed them. This eventually leads to greater linking attacks in the battle section of the game and possibly other things I haven't gotten to yet.

The battle section is turn-based but with the ability to freely move during your turn. You use up an energy bar by moving, attacking, using a special, linking with another mech, or defending. It's reminiscent of a later game (SWSLML was made in 2005 before being localized for the US in 2010) Valkyria Chronicles and for good reason because it has some of the same development team behind it. For that reason alone, I hunted it down to check out.

What's cool to me is that your relationships with the all-female crew are always developing even in battles. Sometimes in mid-battle with the demon robot forces, you have a dialog choice to make which affects how another crew member thinks of you. So you feel continuity between all the modes of the game.

I've been playing this in a couple of hour bursts. So far I've only just done the first major battle in the game. i'm really enjoying all the gameplay and anime cut scenes.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

02/02/2021 at 12:31 AM

I think I gave the first one a shot back in the day, but I wasn't really into it.

KnightDriver

02/02/2021 at 08:52 PM

This one is pretty interesting. There is a fair amount of flirting so I'm wondering how these relationships are going to play out over the course of the game. Maybe the battle sections are euphemistic? They seem to be where you put your positive connections to work. haha.

Cary Woodham

02/02/2021 at 08:11 AM

I reviewed that Sakura Wars way back when. It's a quality game, but I'm not into strategy RPGs or dating sims. My favorite character in it was a red haired lady that I THINK was named Gemini Sunrise or something like that. She was from Texas, so you know she had to be cool since people from Texas are cool. :) In the game, she also tried to sneak her horse in her apartment, which I thought was hilarious. So that was the character I tried to be friendly with in the game. That's all I remember about it, though, so let me know if there are any other cool characters in it I forgot.

02/02/2021 at 09:02 PM

You talk to Gemini a lot in the early part of the game and you meet her horse in her apartment. Haha. I'm on a mission right now to take a photograph that will be her background for her portrait in the Review's advertising.

I'm liking Subaru right now, although, the dialog questions come up so fast, I'm probably making friends with everyone except maybe Cheiron, who is hard to get along with anyway. Subaru is androgenous and hyper-rational. She's infuriating at times but she's interesting to me because she's so secretive. I generally can make linking attacks with her in battle mode because, I guess, I've answered to her satisfaction in the story portion of the game.

daftman

02/02/2021 at 07:03 PM

I wanted to play this and never did. At least I'm playing the new one now. But if I ever find this one cheap somewhere...

02/02/2021 at 09:17 PM

Yeah, it goes for something like $100 on ebay. I got it years ago in a Gamestop for probably under $20.

goaztecs

02/04/2021 at 12:55 PM

Seems like there is a lot going on in this game with the relationships, especially during battle, but if it helps those relationships evolve it adds more to the game. It sounds like a fun game but it might be a little too much for me to keep track of.

02/05/2021 at 08:53 PM

I'm not sure who I'm pleasing really. Every answer is on a timer so I choose quickly. Sometimes I get a positive sound and sometimes a negative one. I guess I'll find out in the next battle who trusts me enough to perform a linking attack with me.

PixlBit