The September portion of Sega Games’ monthly streams revealing new information on the upcoming Shin Sakura Taisen were part of Sega stream at Tokyo Game Show 2019.
The new game, entitled Shin Sakura Taisen (New Sakura Wars) in Japanese, takes place in the fictional year of Taisho 29 (equivalent to AD 1940), twelve years after the last game (Sakura Wars V) took place.
Also see:
- Play Report: Shin Sakura Taisen (Project Sakura Wars) TGS2019 Demo
- Shin Sakura Wars- New Information Released (August 2019)
- Shin Sakura Wars- New Information Released (July 2019)
- Shin Sakura Wars- New Information Released (June 2019)
- New Sakura Wars- May 2019 Developer Interview
- Sega Fes 2019: Sakura Wars Exhibition Opened, New Sakura Wars Revealed
Anastasia and Azami Battle Sequences Shown
The designs for Anastasia and Azami’s pilot uniforms and Mugen mechs were shown, along with gameplay footage of them being used in battle. Anastasia’s Mugen uses a pistol and a bangasa umbrella (which is used in a multitude of ways, including as a melee weapon, to glide in the air, or as a gun), while Azami’s Mugen primarily uses melee attacks.
“Yasha” Revealed
The mysterious masked enemy character “Yasha” (voiced by Yokoyama Chisa) and her mech, the Shinmetsu, were shown for the first time. Yasha is affiliated with the Koma, and her Shinmetsu resembles the Kamui used by the main antagonist of Sakura Taisen 1, Aoi Satan.
Berlin Combat Revue Revealed
The Berlin Combat Revue, the Schwarzstern were revealed.
Elise is the captain of the Schwarzstern, aged 18, who is loyal to her mission and always gets the job done. She does not speak much, but has an iron will and great leadership capabilities. She is also interested in Japanese culture and can sometimes be seen watching kabuki theatre in Tokyo.
Margarethe is the genius operations planner of the Schwarzstern, aged 15, who speaks what is on her mind bluntly. Most of the operations she comes up with are almost impossible to carry out, and are only made possible through the skills of the Schwarzstern.
The Schwarzstern’s spirit fighters, known as the Eisenjager were also shown.
Character designs for the Schwarzstern were handled by Shimada Fumikane, best known for his work on titles such as Strike Witches, Girls und Panzer, Frame Arms Girl, Busou Shinki, Sky Girls and Alice Gear Aegis.
Story and Gameplay Trailers Revealed
New trailers for the game were also shown.
Anime series announced
An anime series, Shin Sakura Taisen the Animation was announced on day 2 of TGS 2019. The series is an adaptation of the game, but includes new elements such as featuring heroine Amamiya Sakura as the protagonist instead of Kamiyama.
Series composer Tanaka Kouhei revealed on the last day of TGS that the anime will also include new versions of songs and another country’s combat revue which does no appear in the game, saying that the snowflakes in the key visual of the anime are a clue to their identity.
Animation is being handled by Sanzigen Inc. (Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Heavy Object, ID-0, Fire Emblem: Three Houses) and will use the same theme song, Geki! Teikoku Kagekidan <Shinshou> as the game
- Director: Ono Manabu (A Channel, Saki, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Sword Art Online: Alicization)
- Series Composition: Ono Manabu, Urahata Tatsuhiko (Cardcaptor Sakura, Hajime no Ippo, Ichigo 100%, A Channel, Saki, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, High Score Girl)
- Music: Tanaka Kouhei
- Animation: Sanzigen Inc.
- Source Material: Hiroi Ouji, Sega Games
- Cast: Sakura Ayane, Uchida Maaya, Yamamura Hibiku, Fukuhara Ayaka, Hayami Saori, Azakami Youhei, Tomizawa Michie
- Copyright: ©SEGA/SAKURA PROJECT
- Official Anime Website: https://sakura-taisen-theanimation.com/
Opening Movie Revealed
The game’s opening movie was shown for the first time on day 3 of TGS 2019. Animation is handled by Sanzigen Inc. and the theme song is Geki! Teikoku Kagekidan <Shinshou>, composed by Tanaka Kouhei with lyrics by Hiroi Ouji.
Stage Play Announced
A stage play adaptation of Shin Sakura Taisen, Shin Sakura Taisen the Stage was announced at day 4 of TGS 2019. Amamiya Sakura is being played by Sekine Yuuna, formerly of the idol group Cheeky Parade, who has been performing in stage plays since 2012. The play is being organised by Avex Pictures and is scheduled to open in spring 2020.
Stage plays have always been an integral part of the Sakura Taisen series since the first one in 1997, and they continued on even during the 14 years when the games were in hibernation. The stage plays also introduced characters not in the games who were later incorporated into the manga adaptation and OVAs.
- Official Website: https://shinsakura-stage.com/
- Official Twitter: ShinsakuraStage
Amamiya Sakura Music Video Revealed
A music video featuring a short version of Amamiya Sakura’s character song, Otome Nandesu Yo was revealed.
Contents of Limited Edition Shown
The contents of the limited edition release were shown. The limited edition includes an artbook and a collection of six CDs featuring the songs from all of the games in the main series (1-5 and Shin).
A demo of the game allowing players to experience both the adventure and battle parts of the game was also available at TGS. Remember to check out our report on the demo!
Shin Sakura Taisen will be released in Japan on 12th December 2019, and in the west in spring 2020.
Check out more of our TGS 2019 coverage here!
