Sakura Wars: 25 Years Later

[@ZaffreRevolution]

thanks for watching, gamers. got really into sakura wars this year, so expect a few more reviews from the other games i can confidently play! in the meantime, please feel free to subscribe for more from this series and sega as a whole. i'll see you all in two weeks for another sega rpg!

[@zanychelly]

Now, I have a question. How good is the soft reboot?

[@nr2676]

@@zanychelly If you played older games it's meh, very dissapointing and disrespectful to originals in some areas (newbies don't see that, but veterans will see many issues with writing with this game, because rebot was not writted and developed by original studio and manga creator). But as a game without nostalgia balast is pretty good. It got fairly good score as for that kind of game (arround 73%-75%, similar to other Team Sonic game - Sonic Frontiers), but 73% score on metacritic means PS4 game is the worst scored mainline game in series (the highest rated game in series is Sakura Wars 3 with 91% score in Dreamcast Magazine, this is higest rated Dreamcast game by players in Japan). Sakura Wars 1 was on 13th place best rated game of alltime in Japan, Sakura Wars 3 was on 18th place, and Sakura Wars 2 on 36th place (ranking from 2006): web.archive.org/web/20060420181100/www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2401&Itemid=2

[@chanhjohnnguyen1867]

I was on the team for most of these fan translations and I’m happy to see you singing it’s praises. Check out the Gameboy color game, it was my favorite one to work on and all the extra stuff we found hiding in the code that we restored like scenes with full on voice acting

[@ZaffreRevolution]

happy to see you here! you all killed it, and i've been enjoying the gb game. almost caught myself buying a sakura wars gameboy color, i can't wait to see what else lays in this game. it's crazy that i can experience it in english, thank you all for your hard work :)

[@MagillanicaLouM]

"Like playing an anime" exactly what I've said when playing the newest one and watching a play through of this. Definitely hungry for official translations of the older games, patiently hungry lol. I can kinda get why 90's Sega was hesitant, I really don't think the Western fanbase at the time would've vibed with this given Sega's radical hardcore 90's image over here and this game, being hardcore 90's but in a weeaboo way lol. But after this newest game there's hope in this age of waifus reigning supreme. Also a fellow Sumire guy, with Kanna as close 2nd. This Sakura I like a lot as a general character but I'm one of those that do think she's not as entertaining compared to teammates or even other main heroines of the series. Her design and some of the OVAs that delve more into her life outside the Revue carry super hard though to being top 5 of the og team.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah, sakura wars was another example of sega being too ahead of the game for their own good. in this current period, the series would absolutely thrive, so i hope that shin sakura wars wasn't a one and done deal, especially with how it ended. fan translations can fill the void for me personally, and thankfully the full series is almost available so one day there will be a time where the series is fully enjoyable, even if it's not in the way we were all hoping but anything's possible!

[@JayboCorp.2014]

​@@ZaffreRevolution: Well I've heard that for Sakura Wars (2019) the 2020 anime is a direct continuation of the story.

[@switch1e]

Damn I really want to play this game now. I love the visual stylings you found in anime inspired games from this era. It looks so unique.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah man this game's freakin sick. hope you get around to it at some point! btw i totally posted that tweet early on accident, this was supposed to go up tomorrow LMFAO

[@switch1e]

@@ZaffreRevolution oh whoops lol

[@soapyillusions7]

Thank you for being nice to Sakura… For some reason, so many reviews seem to bash on the fact that she has flaws or is basic. I feel like they go into it with that mindset and don’t let her character shine. (Usually it’s the Kohran fans lol) I get it, but she does have a strong enough character on her own. I feel like she is the type that holds you accountable, which is why she is so protective. She also understands that she crosses the line sometimes, and I think that’s just a realistic character. Not every person is going to show affection the same way. I like Sakura, then Kanna, then Sumire/Maria for 3rd.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

plus i feel like she understands her jealousy and insecurity is something she needs to work on. i was blown away by a conversation you have later in the game with her regarding ayame. she just goes into how much she admires ayame as a person which kinda explains her jealous reaction at the start. she had some great growth and is an excellent character, was really happy with her after years of knowing *of* her but not truly KNOWING her since i couldn't play this game. definitely earns her role as the leading female

[@legendfang]

For those that wise to give this game a try, There are some thing the creator did not mention. It not his fault he didn't play the other games. there have been ports and a remake and soft reboot/remake. Part one has been ported to the sega dreamcast and PSP with an added the PSP version comes with both part 1 and 2. the deamcast has ported both 1 and 2 and continues with 3 and 4. The PS2 finished it off with part 5 and has a remake updated for the PS2. Note 4 was to be the last game as red entertainment was not doing well in 2003. A US localization of % subtitled so long my love came out for the PS2 and WII in the US in 2010. you really don't need to know Japanese to play these games It helps to understand the story. Eache game gets better story and game play wise and expands the world even more. On top of the game play between 1, 2, 3, 4 , 5, and shin Sakure Taisen there are stage plays, manga, animes, and a movie that expands the world even farther past the games story and adds even more back story to each female character. Shin or the new Sakura wars is for PS4, it holds the spirit of the old titles but simplifies the combat to hack and slash and just you and the character of that chapter. I highly recommend the the whole series as someone who was introduced to ST in 2000 and consumed this world. My top 3 for sure in story world building.

[@nr2676]

Yeah my fav is SW3 on Dreamcast. Best setting (Paris 1920's), best atmosphere, best character development, beatutiful cutscenes mixed 2D handrawned Cell painting with really nice 3DCGI, your choices have great impact for ending in this game, Erica is fantastic ,,joke'' character, and her voice actress Noriko Hidaka has outdone herself in this game. This game is masterpiece, and battle system from this game were improved and introducted later in Valkyria Chronicles.I recommend this game for everyone who like heavy text games, just wait for fan translation patch.

[@YungFalcon]

I love sega era Zaffre! every video has been a absoulte treat! hope you keep growing and pumping out awesome work :D

[@ZaffreRevolution]

thank you so much man :) i've shifted eras a few times and the transition period always sucks because people who sub for one thing turn into empty subs, so it's nice to see familiar names appreciate the change and watch the videos anyway. thank you so much for sticking around falcon, it's a joy to have you here :)

[@YungFalcon]

@@ZaffreRevolution of course! I just love the editing style and script work of your videos will always stick around to watch what you cover :D

[@Monhamd1000]

With fan translations for each game coming along the way, you're into a wild ride of Sakura Wars! Not even Fire Emblem has any of that charm.

[@positivevibrations5103]

Great review! Just started playing this for the first time and loving it. Here's hoping the other entries get fan translations.

[@chongkaijeat9152]

There's lots of care put into this series story, music, gameplay, and voice acting.. i still remember the difference of the team announced themselves in battlefield for first to later battle from unsync to perfect sync indicate the growth of bond of the teammate.. ❤

[@DANIXBD]

I always appreciate people making videos about this game I hold in really high regards, it literally made me want to learn Japanese like 3 years ago, and almost exactly a year ago I went on a marathon of sorts, I play through 1-4 in like three months (3 is the best btw, that soundtrack is amazing), it did not disappoint, amazing games with a satisfying conclusion, what else can you ask, hope more people get to experience them.

[@ismokemadherb4677]

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Always look forward to your videos. Wasn't expecting Sakura either. Keep up the great content and keep up the awesomeness.

[@ThePlantCommander]

I legit never heard of this series until the PS4 reboot and honestly I didn't even know it was a reboot, I thought it was just its own thing. Damn it Zaffre why you gotta make me keep adding more games to my wishlist T-T

[@ZaffreRevolution]

hey man what can i say, this is the curse of having exquisite taste :P i do hope you get around to them at some point tho i've been really loving them. super fun strategy/life-sim goodness

[@tanookiplayer]

I do agree about your opinion about not needed to cover the perfect route & 100% everything on a first playthrough. Its fun to go back to a game you played & discover something new about it. That's the art of replay ability but I know they are some folks who only play games once & go onto something else which is a shame. :(

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah it sucks that the current gaming climate is all one and done especially when so many titles have so much to discover. especially a game like this, it was refreshing to play something where i could immediately tell that there was a lot to explore in subsequent playthroughs. that alone made this a banger

[@astreakaito5625]

Fantastic video! I'm so playing it next. I heard SW2's translation is already in the works!

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah, and sw3 is getting one by another group as well. so damn excited for them!

[@nr2676]

Most of translation is finished, and this took them only 1,5 year to do that !!! SW2 it's longest game in series (which means more text to translate) and fans translated this text moloch on Sega Saturn, faster than NISA did with So Long My Love on PS2, which took them almost ... 5 years !!!

[@nerdyride]

Props for keeping the vid 4:3!

[@JayboCorp.2014]

With the remakes and releases SEGA plans to do this year, I'd LOVE to see either a Sakura Wars collection or at least the first few games get rereleased here in the US. At least those are the titles I'm the most hopeful for.

[@nr2676]

Yeah. If even something that niche like Etrian Odyssey get remastered collection (way overpriced but you can buy games separately or in sale), there is a chance SW and other IP's get something to. SW 1-5 HD Collection it's just free money in Japan for Sega. SW5 don't even need a lot work, NISA have translated and dubbed game, this game only need porting.

[@aulaw2011]

I hope they give this a re-release and remaster, not a reboot.

[@arglebargle42]

Loved the anime, had no idea it originated as a game! Thank you for the loving review.

[@nr2676]

One of few animes based on video game series which is good.

[@arglebargle42]

@@nr2676 Another I've seen is Rage of Bahamut. The mobile game was cold trash but the anime has seriously unexpected depths.

[@donut1550]

​@@nr2676 Exactly

[@nr2676]

@@donut1550 Ofcourse i don't count anime for 2019 game, which was a utter shit.

[@caveirainvocada9438]

YESSSSS SWEET SWEET SAKURA WARS CONTENT IN 2023

[@HybridAngelZero]

Sega is just missing a huge opportunity not having this (and the rest of the series) unavailable on modern platforms for an international audience. Visual novels, RPGs and games with multiple routes are at their most popular at the moment. I'm still malding that the Sega Ages line on Switch ended up just being a bunch of Genesis and arcade games AGAIN (and the best version of Phantasy Star 1, so bonus points for that)

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah i can't believe that either, they had m2 on that as well, it would've been perfect for more niche games or even the rest of classic phantasy star. i hope someday sakura wars gets its time, particularly the older ones

[@creaturetransylvania8943]

Damn this game is higher quality then I thought it would be. Why hasn't Sega tried to bring these to modern hardware unless the sort of reboot is their way of doing that.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

i'm trying to figure out the same thing! the reboot felt like it was taking things in a different direction too which is a shame because the tactical gameplay and writing of the older games is top notch

[@nr2676]

Sega wanted localize Dreamcast versions of SW 1 & SW 2 and also PS2 remake (,,Sakura Wars World Project''), but they backed out at the last minute. Probably due to very poor sales of Skies of Arcadia on Dreamcast and later on Gamecube (SW 1 - 5 were made in cooperation with Overworks - Skies of Arcadia, Shinobi and Valkyria Chronicles developer). Also NISA wanted localize PSP versions of Sakura Wars 1 & 2, but Sony rejected localization. They said ,,this is not real game, this is text game''.

[@nr2676]

@@jaretco6423 And most of Sonic games ended as rushed trash in PS2-PS3-PS4 era, what a waste of time by Sega. No wonder Sonic killed so many franchises in PS2 era.

[@nr2676]

​@@jaretco6423 I was mean Sega franchises on PS2 (and Gamecube) like Shinobi, Sakura Wars, Sega Rally, Virtua Fighter, Billy Hatcher, Skies of Arcadia. All of them were abandoned by Sega in 2005/2006, due to proritetization of making Sonic games. Sega in 2005 had big restructurization (Sammy forced them to do that), and most of developers in Sega Japan were closed or moved into Team Sonic to focus on making Sonic The Hedgehog games. In 2015, Sega finally admitted the mistake of making too many (mediocre) Sonic games and not enough other games in the series.

[@nr2676]

@@jaretco6423 And they are doing now (Sakura Wars 2019, Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Shodown, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, Samba De Amigo). In a low-budget way and very slow, but still

[@comicfoil9494]

This was a fun video for me because I really didn’t know a single thing about this game besides mechs and who Sakura was. I can see why maybe SEGA thought it wouldn’t be worth it to localize these back in the day, but they were wrong and should really bring the remakes over. I think they could do well, especially for today’s audiences who’ve been raised with stuff like Danganronpa and modern Fire Emblem; they can recognize the idea of a strategy/visual novel hybrid better.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah this day and age is freakin perfect for a game like sakura wars. the company's always too ahead of the game, but bringing these back would (hopefully) be a financial success and i hope they realize that at some point

[@nr2676]

​@@ZaffreRevolution And they should be multiplatform, due to how popular is Steam for VN games (no censorhip and mods support), unlike Playstation, where those kind of games almost always sold poorly on this platform. Making Shin Sakura Wars only on Playstation was dumbest idea from Sega i ever saw, since Valkyria Chronicles only on PS3. Especially when this game was released in worst possible time (with Persona 5 Royal and Final Fantasy VII Remake).

[@Oggre]

Im doing the soft reboot rn. What a masterpiece of a game ❤

[@Snazzy12341]

nice vid mate. Been looking for a video about the lore of the series since I can't play it anywhere

[@nathanknight848]

That's awesome I played it raw years ago with a guide online I'll have to replay it now

[@comicfoil9494]

I respect the 4:3 ratio in this vid. It looks great.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

i had a lot of fun with that :P kinda goes back to the whole black bars debacle and i'm definitely doing this again somewhere down the line

[@lightning9789]

Great video, man! Glad to see people talking about Sakura Wars in the current day. I've been making my way through the first game after finishing the 2019 one a while back and it's such a charming experience. Out of curiosity, what did you think of Sakura Wars 2019? You mentioned liking Sakura Wars V, but didn't say much about this one

[@ZaffreRevolution]

glad you liked the video! in fact i'm uploading a video in a day or so regarding the ps2 remake of this game, so maybe check that out, wink-wink? as for shin sakura wars, i'm gonna review it after so long my love, but because you asked, i'll just say it... i didn't like it lmao. it's my least favorite in the series by a lot and i was really bummed that it's what we're left with at the moment. i hope they make more and all but yeesh this new one wasn't good imo at all hahaha, especially when compared to how good these older ones are. did you like it? hope i don't sound rude if you did

[@lightning9789]

@@ZaffreRevolution I do like Shin Sakura Wars, but a lot of that might be because I liked most of the characters and the artstyle. I remember having a LOT of gripes with the game's plot and gameplay, but don't remember them as clearly anymore since I played the game a couple years back. Still, I look forward to the eventual video on it. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for the PS2 Sakura Wars video. I'm a fan of quite a few Sega IPs, so I'm interested to go through the rest of your videos, too. Also subscribed, of course :) Anyway, thank you for taking the time to reply!

[@AshXXMayftw]

Let me just say, I've only played Shin Sakura Wars, so I have no prior experience with the series before then. But, I would absolutely pay for an HD collection on the PS5 or Switch, or both!

[@ZaffreRevolution]

i'd LOVE a sakura wars hd collection of some kind. these games are still good and don't need any updates, just brush up the visuals and we're golden! would also love the first game's ps2 remake to get some attention as well, and that'd *probably* be better with modern standards in mind, but any way to get these classic games another chance in the spotlight is good enough for me :)

[@muhammadnurakbar4188]

I came here after watching Sega's remake announcement

[@BaoZakeruga]

1 step closer to that Super Robot Wars edition of Revo Reviews WHOOOO

[@ZaffreRevolution]

oh god it's beginning lmao

[@greatsaiyaguy8868]

I’ll never understand the dislike of silent protagonists

[@donut1550]

Personally, the thing that stood out to me was how much more femininified the female characters look (or however you call it). They don't stand out as much and all have twig arms, so... Yeah, none of these girls are my type. I prefer ones more like Maria or Kanna, because they don't look super girly. I don't mind girly characters at all and I feel there should be some. But giving skirts as their uniforms just kinda overdid it for me since before they actually looked like some sort of military uniform... 😅

[@nr2676]

Yes, i always liked how girls looked in original games. They looked more like normal girl, not like from oversexualized highschool anime with skirts, stockings, big tits etc. Even loli like Iris is not oversexualized, and looks like a normal 10 years old child, which is so rare in industry filled with horny lolis who only desire is to do sex with ,,oni-chan'' protagonist. When i looked at design for 2019 game, when they added skirts to military uniforms, i knewed they aiming this game for Persona or Trails fans more than for fans of original games.

[@petros-v4w]

we want a translated collection port of the first four games on new gen consoles!

[@acebreaker7]

It is such a shame that an attempt hasn’t been made to localize the other four games, considering how much more prominent VN/SRPG are nowadays compared to the 90’s, but atlas fans are doing what sega don’t, good job zaffre can’t wait to see the Sakura wars 2 review when that releases

[@ZaffreRevolution]

i can't wait for sakura wars 2's english translation, but you all won't have to wait too long before diving back into sakura wars. i have some other games planned for the next few videos, but i didn't wait for the second game's fan translation before hopping in, so we'll be back to this series in due time, just maybe not in the direction you were expecting :P i do think that the series was super ahead of its time though, and if given the proper love and care, it could thrive in this day and age. there's really no better time for sakura wars tbh

[@acebreaker7]

@@ZaffreRevolution it's all good whatever you have on the docket next can't wait for it

[@tanookiplayer]

Good choice of music for the beginning of the video. I've been interested in the series for a while now but I've only played a few hours of the PS4 game. This year might be the year to play the 1st game. I assume you are gonna play/cover the rest of the games when they eventually become available?

[@ZaffreRevolution]

absolutely! i know for a fact i'm covering the ps2 remake of this game later down the line, as well as 5 and the ps4 reboot so look forward to those. as for 2 and 3, maybe! gotta wait for those fan translations tho

[@tanookiplayer]

@@ZaffreRevolution Probably not too long now. Guessing a couple more years.

[@astreakaito5625]

I only played the 5th one back then but it was so fun

[@ZaffreRevolution]

so long my love is phenomenal! that was actually my introduction to the series

[@JustJulyo]

I thought this was going to be a review on the latest Sakura wars that came out a few years ago

[@jovanni1676]

PEAK

[@nr2676]

Fan translation for second game is almost finished, and also SW 3 will get it in future. So this is probably only matter of time, when all games will be in English.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

i'm so excited for those fan translations to be finished, especially for 3!

[@nr2676]

@@ZaffreRevolution Yes, 3 is also my fav game in series.

[@Soruigi]

Wait Sakura Wars is a Strategy RPG??? I thought it was *just* a visual novel?!?! My Fire Emblem brain craves it!!!

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah man sakura wars is legit! the strategy aspect is what got me interested outside of the characters :P

[@nr2676]

It's VN/Dating Sim/Adventure game hybrid with simple and very easy SRPG combat, in one word it's cross genre game in proportion: 90% reading : 10% combat (which means gameplay never was main focus of those games) .The first two games in series had simplified version of Fire Emblem / Front Mission combat, SW3-5 had ARMS battle system, mixing turn based combat with real time combat (before first XCOM did that). Also battle system from SW3-SW5 is precursor to BliTZ battle system from Valkyria Chronicles (they just added RPG elements, and inteception fire to ARMS), which was made by same developers.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@nr2676 i wouldn't say 10% combat at all, there's a much better balance than that

[@nr2676]

@@ZaffreRevolution In second, third, and fifth game in series it's 30%, in rest games it's less combat sections due to shorter length of those games. Especially in 4th game when one playtrough it's only 4 hours.

[@JohnyRedcrow]

I cant wait till brilliant labs frames drop im going to use them to play Japanese text games that were never translated

[@chanhjohnnguyen1867]

5:26 I think it’s letterboxed so that the game can give a 16:9 presentation in an era of 4:3 gaming

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah i think so too. i think it looks nice, that's a great stylistic choice

[@yqisq6966]

It's a pity that the EN fan translation is based on the console ver rather than the PC version, as the latter is far superior for being fully voiced.

[@caveirainvocada9438]

Didn't watch the video yet but people are saying it's like playing an anime and fun fact: they purposefully hired anime writers that never worked on viseo game writing before for this effect

[@subb9011]

the zaffre cut

[@SuiteLifeofDioBrando]

I got into it with the ps4 game then english patch og.

[@AngelCopout]

We got dicked over so many times because of the whole "Eh let's not localise this. Western audiences wouldn't get it." I'm still going to play the games though with a kanji dictionary app open on the side.

[@nr2676]

You must understand in 90's anime was not that big outside of Japan like now. There was barely ANY VISUAL NOVELS on consoles in West before Nintendo DS and very late PS2 era. Until Ace Attorney ,,popularized'' VN genre and Persona 3 popularized games with Dating Sims elements in West, when anime culture started to gain popularity in West. First game who tried popularize Dating Sims RPG's in West was Tousand Arms on PSX (fun fact: this game was coop developed with ... Red Company, same dev team who created Sakura Wars), and it failed in sales in US/EU. It was to early for that. But Sega still made bad decision to not release this series in West on Dreamcast / PS2. Why ? Because Magic Knight Rayearth localization team (Working Designs) translated SW 1 and SW 2 on Dreamcast, and even PS2 remake of first game (seemingly with english dubbing), but they withdrew from releasing these games here literally at the last minute. Probably due to very bad sales of other their game - Skies of Arcadia. And then Sony banned NISA localization of Sakura Wars 1&2 on PSP in 2006 ,,because those games are text games, not real games'', and So Long My Love was released in West too late.

[@yqisq6966]

Imo SEGA botched New Sakura Wars by choosing action combat rather than strategy... only if they could see the success of Baldur's Gate 3...

[@nr2676]

They tryed copy Square Enix move, and Sakura Wars got ,,Final Fanatsy XIII / Valkyrie Elysium treatment'', when those games don't need that. Especially when Sakura Wars games invented Valkyria Chronicles battle system, they only needed ,,update'' ARMS into BliTZ that's all. But i guess Team Sonic is only experienced make Sonic games, and they had no idea how to move Valkyria Chronicles battle system on Hedgehog Engine. The battle system in new Sakura Wars it reminded me suspiciously of Sonic Forces, same movements, same combos, same animations, same sound effects, even similar level design. On other side Nagoshi just wipped out old cast for no reason except one who is only in this game as a useless fanservice, and repleced them ,,Persona level'' characters without character growth during the game (aside of Azami, the only one good character in this game, and the only one girl who had decent chapter in this game). Game was also too short (rushed) and as a sequel nothing improved compared to previous games in series (aside of graphic and animations ofcourse). Hell, they even removed or simplified some mechanics like: lack of time managment (no clock), LIPS is way too basic, the Visual Novel part has been simplified (no hidden events, no routes, ,,pick your ending'' instead of your decissions affect to ending of game and how last chapter would look). Also as you mentioned lack of fully voiced lines, like PC versions of SW 1-4.

[@yqisq6966]

Plus the Sonic engine is terrible for anime-style graphics. They could have sticked to something more like Idol master...@@nr2676

[@nr2676]

I don't think Hedgehog Engine 2.0 is terrible for anime / cell-shaded games, but it engine have same thing i see very often games who runs on Unreal Engine - ,,plastic fantastic'', ,,dool faces'' (Star Ocean 6 flashbacks), and add to this ,,mechanical animation'' from Sonic games. Hedgehog Engine 2.0 was developed mainly for Sonic The Hedgehog games (lets be real Sonic games are very cheap to develop), but it was latter used also in Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis and now in Sakura Wars. And it's shows, if you look at animation and graphic assets between Sonic Forces and Sakura Wars 2019 (both games were developed in same time, and by same dev team). The original Sakura Wars games runs on Skies of Arcadia engine, and this was perfect engine for those kind of games, because of colorful artstyle and ,,blocky'' geometry from Skies of Arcadia fits really well with this franchise, and those both franchises had similarities (big machines from anime - airships in Skies of Arcadia, mechs in Sakura Wars).But unfortunately Team Sonic was lazy and used own engine, probably from low budget reasons. Even Samba De Amigo: Party Central on Hedgehog Engine 2.0 looks worse than Wii game LOL I think the best choice for Sakura Wars (in 3D) would be CANVAS Engine from Valkyria Chronicles, but without using a watercolor filter (as a natural evolution if they wanted stick with SRPG combat), or use Dynasty Warriors / Fire Emblem Three Houses Engine (KT Engine is really good with fast paced musou combat in traditional japanese setting). But the best option should be build unique engine for only Sakura Wars series, like Dragon Engine for Yakuza . But this need more time, people and money, and estabilishing a dedicated dev team only for Sakura Wars series (like Sega did in 2000, estabilishing Overworks from former Team Shinobi + Working Designs). Or like u said, just use Idolmaster Engine if they want to stick with 2D. This series is so big in Japan, and deserves a big budget treatment, not lazy and cheap rebot like 2019 game.@@yqisq6966

[@WriterPlaysMTG]

Also I think that the new designs are way more bland in comparison to the ones before it

[@razgrizadler]

25 Years Later it flopped thanks to to newest game. Our Sakura Taisen became Bleach Taisen. Go to hell SEGA.

[@nr2676]

More like Sonicuza Wars + Bleach Wars: 1:1 gameplay and animations from Sonic Unleashed, stage design copy paste from Sonic Forces, sounds from Sonic 06 + adventure mode like in early Yakuza games + Bleach plot and character design. Well Nagoshi was kicked out from Sega after release of PS4 game (case ?). This game feels like mod for Sonic. Team Sonic proved again, they can't make games other than Sonic, and even Sonic from them is hit or miss. Terrible developer.