As a gamer I've never really gotten into the RPG genre. Sure I played RPG games such as Kingdom Hearts or Mass Effect, I just never got into it. I never really liked that your choices could affect gameplay or the amount of time required to play. Over the past few months my opinions on RPGs have changed quite drastically. I've gotten my hands on a few different games such as Project X Zone and Fire Emblem Awakening. I have completed those and I'll probably review them at some point, for now I want to focus on a different game. This game was a Playstation 2 game released in 2010 and it was the only North American release out of a "Japanese Only" series. That game was known as Sakura Wars: So Long My Love.Gameplay: The game is a strategy RPG and involves cut scenes, choices, limited free roam, and a battle segment. For the most part you just watch these cut scenes, make certain responses, and watch the effects. The whole idea is that the choices you make build up or degrade your relationships with your friends. As for the free roam you mainly have a task but you can do whatever you want as long as you accomplish it. The battle sequence is turn-based and the object is to either eliminate all enemies or accomplish a certain task.
Story: Set in 1928, your player Shinjiro Taiga, a young Navy Lieutenant, is transferred to the New York Combat Revue Stars Division. A group of people who perform musicals, plays, and dances while fighting evil behind the scenes. Upon arriving your overall task is to lead your fellow comrades, which are five girls, and fight evil that's threatening the city and your team. Your tasks will involve interactions with your teammates and whoever is behind the rising evil.
Shinjiro Taiga: Your hero and supposed leader of the Stars Division. Although he's a prodigy in Japan he has to prove himself in America.
Gemini Sunrise: A clumsy cowgirl from Texas and is interested in Japanese culture.
Chieron Archer: Lawyer and somewhat aggressive and/or hard on others.
Rosita Aries: A young bounty hunter with a craving for food.
Diana Caprice: A doctor in trainer and shows compassion to those around her.
Subaru Kujo: A quiet and mysterious women. She does show a lot of intelligence but her quiet nature makes it difficult to interact with her.
Ratchet: Your boss and she sometimes provides support along the way.
Mr. Sunnyside: Commander of the Stars Division. He sometimes is a little crazy but his motives are good in the end.
Review: There's honestly not a lot to review because the game is pretty straightforward. Just deal with whatever task comes your way. The story itself is very interesting but I don't want to spoil it for you. I really enjoy the cut scenes and found some of them hilarious if not ridiculous. I also enjoyed the interactions between the various characters. It felt like I was actually interacting with real people except that they're girls. I truly love that whatever you do proceeds the story in various ways which increases the replay value to see what all the interactions do. One of the best parts is the importance of relationships and how they are important to our everyday life.
On the down side though, the game itself felt like a movie most of the time. Yes there are parts where you free roam and fight, but a majority of the game is cut scenes. Other than that I really have nothing to gripe about because I can't stop enjoying it!
Pros:
- Interesting story
- Enjoyable cut scenes and dialogue
- Interactions between characters progress story differently
- Great moral on relationships
Cons:
- Feels a little more like a movie
Overall: I have to give this game between four to five stars. Honestly it's meant to stand out on it's own and be different from other RPGs. I personally enjoyed it including Gemini Sunrise's character. If you have nothing better to play and want to try something new, this is probably the game for you.
Here's the opening for the game in case you wanted to get a better idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLV4HDkpKIU
