Sakura Wars

Sakura Wars' unique LIPS system, thoroughly charming cast of characters, and great writing more than make up for its less than stellar combat.

Sakura Wars finally makes its way West. Our Sakura Wars review looks at the English localization to see if it's worth spending your time and money on.

Sakura Wars may be a crisp, fully 3D modern release, but every inch of the story, characters, and sound feels like it's straight out of the 90s. This soft-reboot may not revolutionise gaming as the original game did, but it still manages to deliver an expertly crafted love letter to those old-school stories and characters that will put a smile on anyone's face. The combat scenes may lack the same depth and intrigue as the story beats of the game, but they're a minor part of an otherwise unforgettable anime adventure.

While largely an unknown entity in North America and Europe, from the late 90s to the early 2000s, the Sakura Wars series was nearly as popular as franchises like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest in Japan. Despite that, the series never left its homeland during its prime, with only one game, 2010’s Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love, being localized well after the series had sputtered out creatively. For years it seemed Sakura Wars would never get a fair shake in the West, although a new glimmer of hope has emerged.

The very niche Sakura Wars franchise hasn't seen a western release in about a decade so let's see if this latest game will win our hearts.

Needless to say, Sakura Wars is far from being perfect. It does, however, have charm, and that goes far. With its amusing character interactions and dramatic scenes, it keeps you eager to discover what’s going to happen next. It’s a lengthy story, too, with optional combat scenarios, a card-based mini-game, and multiple endings to pad out the playing time. And though the combat isn’t anything special, it’s enjoyable enough to keep you slashing and blasting away when it becomes a much more prominent aspect of the game. A unique combination of genres, Sakura Wars is ultimately a compelling adven...

Sakura Wars' unique world, fun character interactions, and high-stakes melodrama help it overcome mediocre action sequences.

Sakura Wars isn't the return fans were hoping for, but it's still one worth seeing and playing. For all the flaws the new action hack and slash combat and scatter-brained storytelling entail, the well-executed character interactions, visual novel elements and sound design all show how much potential the new take on the series has.

Sakura Wars represents an ambitious new start for the franchise, one that might not be to everyone’s tastes. While its mediocre combat and dialogue-heavy design may leave some players disengaged, its fabulous presentation, pleasing visuals, delightful characters, and histrionic melodrama will delight others. Perhaps most importantly, it offers the franchise a bright future bursting with potential. Encore!

The long dormant series returns with a brand-new cast and modern advancements to the Sakura Wars series formula that make for a promising reboot, despite some noteworthy missteps.

After a decade in the wilderness, Sakura Wars is back with its unique mix of musical theatre and demon-fighting mechs. Not even a change to an action combat system can keep this star from shining.

On paper, Sakura Wars has the potential to be an exciting JRPG soft reboot for contemporary fans of the genre. However, this genre combining game that features action RPG, dating sim, and visual novel elements does not execute as hoped for. While Sakura Wars is a franchise with roots back to the mid-90s, Sakura Wars for the PS4 is a soft reboot that does not require previous knowledge of the franchise, though some aspects will be appreciated by previous fans.