Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode II

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Sengoku Blade
File:Sengoku Blade.png
Japanese arcade flyer
Developer(s) Psikyo
Publisher(s) Psikyo
Taito (PS2)
Blue Bean Soft (Korea)
MOBIRIX (mobile)
Designer(s) Hirofumi Nakamura
Artist(s) Tsukasa Jun
Composer(s) Masaki Izutani
Series Sengoku Ace
Platforms Arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, iOS, Android
Release date(s) 1996
November 22, 1996 (SS)
December 2, 2004 (PS2)
Genre(s) Scrolling shooter
Mode(s) Single player, co-op
Cabinet Horizontal

Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode II, originally released in Japan as Tengai (戦国ブレード), is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up video game released for arcade machines in 1996 by Psikyo as a sequel to the 1993 shooter Sengoku Ace. It was later released as a part of Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade for the PlayStation 2, and separately for iOS and Android devices. The game is set in a historical fantasy version of the Sengoku period of Japanese history, featuring demons, magic and steam-powered robotics. It was followed by Sengoku Cannon: Sengoku Ace Episode III, released for the PlayStation Portable in 2005.[1]

Gameplay

Sengoku Blade marked a complete breakout of the Sengoku Ace series from the classic Sonic Wings-style system (the first Sengoku Ace was still scrolled vertically). It has a much more complex gameplay system in which the player characters fly around on the screen by themselves instead of piloting various aircraft, in a way similar to the 1997 Psikyo game Sol Divide.[2] Sengoku Blade is also much more difficult than its predecessor, and features improved 2-D graphics, including (for its time) impressive parallax scrolling effects and detailed and well-animated characters and backgrounds. Just like the previous game, there are multiple endings, different for various characters, as well as branching paths for the different sets of levels.[3][4][5]

Characters

The game features five regular playable characters and one secret character. The characters were designed by the now-famous[6] Tsukasa Jun (at that time still an "underground" artist), based on the works of Hirofumi Nakamura in the original game. Tsukasa also returned to design the characters for the second sequel.

  • Tengai (Tengai Kano) (ターボ坊主 天外) - A Buddhist warrior-monk from the previous game, who has become the main character in the sequel. (Voiced by Shōzō Iizuka.)
  • Miko / Koyori (Koyori Togashi) (富樫こより) - a busty Shinto shrine girl maiden. She has become the series' symbol and a fan favourite due to her increased sex appeal in comparison to the original game. (Voiced by Maria Kawamura.)
  • Junis Hayate (ユーニス) - A spunky 12-year-old ninja girl with a pet lemur-like animal named Socrates. She is the younger sister of Jane from Sengoku Ace (who had disappeared at the end of the previous game, but Junis believes that she is alive and imprisoned at the Evil Castle). (Voiced by Hiroko Kasahara.)
  • Sho / Shoma (Shoumaru) (翔丸) - A young swordsman ninja who is in love with the kidnapped princess Futsu and feels some crush with Koyori.[7] He wants revenge for the death of his mother and sisters.[8] During the game, it is revealed that his father is the lord of evil, Kiyatsu (the final boss of the game). (Voiced by Takehito Koyasu.)
  • Katana / Hagane (ハガネ) - A samurai robot attempting recover its human body. Katana is really a swordswoman called Hagane and during his ending with Junis, she reveals her first name: Kirie. (Voiced by Hōchū Ōtsuka.)
  • Flush (Flash) / Ayin (Shine-Ain) / Kain / Aine (せんこうのャイン) - A one-eyed archer samurai from the previous game, now as a secret character. He is looking for his sister Asuka again. (Voiced by Norio Wakamoto.)

Release

Originally released for the arcades in 1996, Sengoku Blade was first ported to the Sega Saturn on November 22 of that same year.[9] This version was released as a two-disc double set, including a bonus omake CD-ROM which featured hundreds of Sengoku Ace series artworks (including the official art, guest art, and fan art from a contest by Psikyo), and now is rare and expensive to obtain.[4] Exclusive for the Saturn conversion was the implementation of voices during the brief cut scenes, and the addition of Marion from the Gunbird series as a bonus hidden character.[10]

In 2004, the game was also ported to PlayStation 2 as part of the Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade by Taito, which was re-released one year later as a budget-range title. The Japanese release contains both Sengoku Ace and Sengoku Blade, but in Europe the two games were sold separately.[9] In 2006, the game was also released for the PC and mobile phones in Korea only by Blue Bean Soft.[5] In 2014, the game was released internationally for iOS and Android mobile devices in Japanese, English and Korean.[3][11]

The game's manga adaptation was published on August 4, 1996.[12] The game's original soundtrack was released by Pony Canyon and Scitron on May 17, 1996.[13] Several PVC figures were also released for Koyori and Junis,[14][15] as well as for the demon-ninja villainess Kaen (火燕[16])[17] who has became one of the game's most popular characters.[18][19]

Reception

The game was well received. According to a gamesTM retrospective, "Sengoku Blade was quite a departure for Psikyo as it marked the first time the developer had created a horizontally scrolling shooter. Fortunately, it got everything right and delivered a great game that's highly reminiscent of its Gunbird series."[20] Similarly, Meristation too described it a "great" shooter game.[4] In 1997, Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine ranked the game's Koyori as the 47th best female character on the platform.[21]

References

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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine (Japan) 25/1997 (1997-07-25) p.129.

External links

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