A round of applause should go out to NISA

[magusgs]

I've played through the character introductions (the first 5 or so chapters of the game--just completed Gemini's).

Sakura Wars V has been a mixed bag for me. Technically-speaking, it's very impressive--the tweaks they've made to the traditional VN system are nothing less than revolutionary. The unique timed decision-making and dialogue mini-games really add to the experience. Character-wise, the character concepts are fairly interesting, and the character interactions are enjoyable. The battle system is engaging, considering it's not the focus of the game. The weighting of stats based on character relationships is a nice touch.

On the other hand, the plot is terrible. The overarching story is one of the most corny and ridiculous I've ever seen, and I've played a lot of JRPGs. Even Star Ocean 4's plot looks mature and believable by comparison. It's like the battles are thrown in just to force a character crisis and provide a change of scenery. The villains are completely 1-dimensional and uninteresting--basically just throwaway characters to give the heroes something to overcome. The Ar Tonelico games show that a dating sim-style game can have a rich and rewarding storyline that isn't childish or forced, which makes Sakura Wars 5's failing in this area all the more disappointing.

[RedCoKid]

All the Sakura Taisen games since 1996 have employed corny plot devices to drive archetypes popular in its era. STV predates AT1 and has more in common with anime like Oh My Goddess or Love Hina.

[magusgs]

All the Sakura Taisen games since 1996 have employed corny plot devices to drive archetypes popular in its era. STV predates AT1 and has more in common with anime like Oh My Goddess or Love Hina.

Sakura Wars V came out in 2005. Ar Tonelico 1 came out in 2006. I don't really see age as an excuse here.

Also, I certainly wouldn't call Love Hina "corny". It's more like an extended-gag show (i.e., "comedy"), whereas the overarching plot of Sakura Wars V isn't comedic. I think a more apt comparison would be Power Rangers or Voltron.

[RedCoKid]

Anyway, if you had asked me in March whether Sakura Wars was similar to Persona or Ar Tonelico, I would've said no to both and saved you money and disappointment.

[magusgs]

*shrug*

I'm still enjoying my playthrough, for the most part. I'm merely pointing out that the title has unconventional strengths and weaknesses, with a potential to be highly polarizing even among fans of the genre.

[goldenwitch]

A few of the early Chapters in the game were pretty cheesy and hard to take seriously. I still cringe at the massacre of Hamlet too...

That aside, though. I found the second half of the game to be much better story-wise. It still remained fairly cliche the whole way through, but I still liked it. The gameplay and Visual Novel elements are what really made me enjoy the title as much as I did though.

It was a good game for sure. But it's definitely far from the best in the genre.

[RedCoKid]

It was a good game for sure. But it's definitely far from the best in the genre.

Which genre? Visual novels or strategy RPGs? Or games that try to do both (hint: there are not many)? Personally I've not played a better visual novel than ST3, and only Valkyria Chronicles ranks better than STV as a SRPG in my collection. Anyone who calls the LIPS system a "mini-game" or the strategy RPG portion "light" is not looking at the big picture and will generally walk away disappointed. You have to get a kick out of the interplay between the two to fully enjoy Sakura Taisen, and as a whole it's a unique polished series.


Sorry for the late reply; I've been stewing over this for a week to avoid totally blowing up. Jesus Christ, it's an appreciation thread for a dead game, and you guys are taking shots!?

[magusgs]

Sorry for the late reply; I've been stewing over this for a week to avoid totally blowing up. Jesus Christ, it's an appreciation thread for a dead game, and you guys are taking shots!?

This is making me want to buy the game. I have very little experience with the Sakura Wars franchise, but everyone's pure love for the game is really moving, in my opinion. I'm seriously tempted to go into town and buy a copy right now.

Even though I haven't played it yet, I'd like to thank NISA anyway, for bringing it over. :3

So Long My Love is definitely an awesome game and very much worth buying.

These 2 posts are why I responded to this thread. It became a thread used by potential players to judge the game rather than a thread for existing players. Thus I felt obligated to give a more rounded perspective.

Which genre? Visual novels or strategy RPGs? Or games that try to do both (hint: there are not many)?

Actually, there's a number of such games, just not localized or that most people would ever care to play. Eushully, Alicesoft, and Softhouse Chara make a number of such games. As for English games, Eien no Aselia and Sengoku Rance are 2 fan translated games that fit this profile. Such games lack anything resembling the LIPS system (which like I said, is quite revolutionary and praiseworthy), but many (certainly the good ones) have an overarching story that isn't corny like Sakura Wars V's. Some have a battle system that is better than Sakura Wars V's as well, though that wasn't the focus of my criticism.

[RedCoKid]

Eien no Aselia and Sangoku Rance lack aesthetic flair. I'm surprised you think they're better. Castle Fantasia Seima Taisen (Studio E-go) also was crappy.

There are plenty of reviews deriding SW:SLML, perhaps more than positive ones.

[magusgs]

Eien no Aselia and Sangoku Rance lack aesthetic flair. I'm surprised you think they're better. Castle Fantasia Seima Taisen (Studio E-go) also was crappy.

I wasn't commenting on the "whole package"--that's much more subjective and depends on what aspects you value. I was commenting on plot mostly, and on battle system as an aside (again, I don't really have issues with the battle system). In particular, I was commenting on a very specific element of the plot--"corniness". Or to phrase it differently, the believability, immersiveness, and self-consistency of the game world. I believe Eien no Aselia, at least, is a game that avoids corniness. Sengoku Rance is just ridiculous--it's not really comparable. It's not corny, but the same "tests" don't really apply to a game that revels in the absurd.

[ninina]

Sometimes I wonder if having a deep complex plot is necessarily always a good thing. Not every book needs to be a work of literature. Sometimes you just want to read something light and cliche. I'm actually glad that NISA takes the time and risk in translating these works which are quite good as entertainment, but maybe not so much as an example of complex story telling. Sometimes I worry that in the rush for video games to grow up and be mature that we will forget to keep making games that are innocent and maybe a little childish. That's just my two cents though.

[RedCoKid]

In any case, you shouldn't confuse my comments with goldenwitch's. We may hold similar views, but we're making different arguments, potentially for different reasons.

Maybe you shouldn't confuse Sakura Taisen for a different RPG. I was going to let this go. Way to keep on editing your post!

[magusgs]

I'll edit it back out, if it makes you happy. They say good writing requires continuous revision.

[Drache]

Personally I've not played a better visual novel than ST3, and only Valkyria Chronicles ranks better than STV as a SRPG in my collection.

VC was pretty fun, but I don't think it reached its potential (then again, I say that about every game I ever played). ST3-ST5 have a similar system, and they're too easy to be considered amazing in my book (not that most of VC was hard, lawl).

I guess what I want is to be forced to think about where I go and what I do, and VC does that much better. Especially when Selvaria comes to get you and runs across 60% of the field in one go. DAMN.

I also appreciate the ST3 love in this post. Definitely one of my favorites in the series. Only character I didn't care for was Hanabi. That's more than I can say of any of the other games in the series. :3

[WanderingMind]

Thank you NISA for bringing this game over here. I played this game with my roommate back in September and we really enjoyed it. I'm sad it didn't sell as well over here as it should have, but I'm glad I bought it. I'm going to play it again sometime at the beginning of next year.