Today Sega released a large batch of screenshots and details of the upcoming New Sakura Taisen, codenamed in the west Project Sakura Wars.
First of all, we get a deeper look at the story. In the 19th year of the Taisho era, the Floral Revue saved the capital city of Tokyo but disappeared in the process. That prompted the establishment of the “WLOF” or World Floral Revue, with each major city developing its own revue.
The World Floral Revue Tournament is also created so that the various Revues can compete against each other and mutually improve their powers. This happens every two years.
Now in the 29th year of the Taisho era, the Floral Revue is reborn in Tokyo and this new group is getting ready to challenge the tournament, aiming to win. Yet, things suddenly change, as the appearance of a new enemy overturns this celebration of peace.
Can the Imperial Floral Revue, spearheaded by the new commander Seijiro Kamiyama protect both the world’s peace and the Imperial capital?
The stage of this new game is Tokyo in Taisho 29. Twelve years have passed since Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love and the district of Ginza has become a modern cityscape with boasting a mix of western and traditional Japanese cultures. It has also begun to evolve into an advance city thanks to steam technology.
The whole game happens on the 3D map, not only within the Imperial Theater but also in the town itself, thanks to the power of PS4. Traditional elements like the LIPS communication system and bonds with the heroines are also included.
We get to see the new characters.
Seijiro Kamiyama (voiced by Yohei Azakami) is 20 years old and is the captain of the new Floral Revue. Formerly a captain of the Navy’s special forces, she gets transferred to the Floral Revue and placed in command at the beginning of the game. If this sounds familiar to you, it’s because it is.
Sakura Amamiya (voiced by Ayane Sakura) is 17 and she is a new member of the Floral Revue who joined to follow the footsteps of the former top star, Sakura Shinguji. She is driven by a strong desire to protect the imperial capital with the Floral Revue and to rebuild it alongside the Imperial Opera that supports the hearts of the citizen. She hopes to rebuild both of them.
Atsuho Shinonome (voiced by Maaya Uchida) is also 17 years old and she is a shrine maiden and poster girl of the Shinonome Shrine that has endured for a long time in the imperial capital. She is a native Edo kid born in the downtown district, who loves the city, its people, and its festivals. While she can be a bit aggressive, she is also a mediator within the Floral Revue and everyone relies on her.
Azami Mochizuki (played by Hibiku Yamamura) is 13 years old and she is a descendant of a clan upholding the tradition of Mochizuki-style ninjutsu. She has a genius-level talent for martial arts, tactics, weapon handling, and more. She has been trained strictly since her childhood and she strongly believes in the “108 commandments” which have been passed down through the generations in her village.
Anastasia Palma (played by Ayaka Fukuhara) is 19 years old from Greece. A star who played an active role in European theaters, she transferred to the Imperial Opera after moving through a number of troupes. She has top-class skills in both acting and singing, and she can handle a wide range of roles, from men to sexy ladies.
Claris (voiced by Saori Hayami) is 16, and she hails from Luxembourg. She is an intelligent and pretty bookworm who loves reading. She is curious, and through books, she learns new things every day. Her real name is Clarissa Snowflake, and she is actually the descendant of a noble family that has been passing down the “Juu Madou” magic through a set of ancient books.
Last, but not least, we take a look at the Ryoushi Sentoki, which is the mecha piloted by our heroes. It has been designed by the WLOF based on the old Koubu mecha. It has a much higher power output and the efficiency of the conversion of the spiritual power has been made more efficient. This means that the spiritual power requirements for the pilot are also lower. Each country has developed its own, and they have been adopted as a standard.
Two models are showcased today:
The “Ryoushi Sentoki Mugen” is the first mass-produced model by Kanzaki Heavy Industries (of which allegedly returning character Sumire Kanzaki is the heir). It includes a spirit supercharger. In terms of performance, it’s a mecha that can be used intuitively with few issues, and it’s the mainstay weapon of the Imperial Combat Revue’s Floral Division. The second-to-last image the gallery shows the Mugen piloted by Seijiro Kamiyama.
The Ryoushi Katchu – Koubu Type 3 is also developed by Kanzaki Heavy Industries with the objective of reducing weight by using new materials. It’s based on an evolution of the Koubu Type 2 from Sakura Wars 4. Since it has no supercharger, its total power output and spiritual efficiency are a bit low. While it’s overall combat power is inferior to the Mugen, it laid the foundation for its development. The last image in the gallery shows the Type 3 piloted by Sakura Amamiya.
The screenshots also showcase other models, likely belonging to foreign Revues, but we have no information about those yet.
If you’d like to learn more about Project Sakura Wars, you can enjoy the original reveal, a lot of information directly from the developers, and more comments from Sega CEO Haruki Satomi. It’s coming in 2019 in Japan and in 2020 in the west for PS4.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Sakura Wars series, you should look no further than my dedicated article explaining what it’s all about.
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