Sega’s has finally let the cat out of the bag with an official release date for the soft reboot of their long running series, Sakura Wars. The game already launched in it’s native Japan this past December in 2019, and now the rest of the world will be able to get their hands on it this year on April 28 2020. In addition, Sega has whipped up a nifty trailer that showcases just what we’re all in store for when it comes out.
The trailer, which does and excellent job of blending the in game engine with an anime-like production, shows the newly appointed captain of the Revuews Flower Division arriving and meeting their squad. In the game you’ll take on the role as the caption and do everything you can to turn things around and make the squad ready for wartime. Speaking of which, we also got a brief look at the gameplay where you control a mini-mech suit that wields duel-katakana against demon-like monsters.
In the blog post, series producer Tetsu Katano explains that this entry will be very unique among it’s contemporaries. Whereas previous entries utilized 2D graphics with the tactical combat style, this one is going all out with a full 360 degree 3D environment:”However, for this title, 3D has been incorporated to enhance its visual expression, and battles have been changed to action so that users could feel a higher sense of immersion than ever before.”
Whats even more significant is that this will be only the second ever installment of the series to be released in English, as well as being released outside of Japan in general. The first do be localized to other regions was the fifth game, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love, which was released in 2010 for the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 2. Before that, Sakura Wars enjoyed a lengthy and successful run on Sega’s home consoles in the 1990’s and the early 2000’s, specifically the ill-fated Sega Saturn, and then the fan favorite Sega Dreamcast.
You can check out the Sakura Wars trailer here:
For those who either pre-order or pick the game up on it’s release, Sega is offering some incentives in what they call the “Launch Edition.” This edition comes with the base game, a reversible artwork for the case, and a sticker set of all the playable characters in the squad. It feels like it’s been a long time coming for a fully fledged out Sakura Wars title to get its due for an international release. If anything, Sega is treating this as a brand new IP, and that’s probably the best approach to take here, especially considering that the majority of fans live within the games native Japan. Regardless, we’re excited to get our hands on this and try it out.
Sakura Wars will launch worldwide on April 28 for the PlayStation 4.