Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love (Wii)
Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love takes place in 1920s New York City where a group of Broadway starlets moonlight as defenders of the city, utilizing robotic armor to take down the threats drawn to the city’s mystical power. Surprisingly, as the player, you spend a lot more time fostering bonds with your teammates and even potentially cultivating a romance than fighting, and this strange but wonderful mix of ideas is exactly what I find fascinating about video games. The willingness to pursue such an off the wall sounding idea with pure earnestness because it is what the team wants to make leads to such unique and intriguing experiences, and it seems this idea was something they believed in enough to release it in English after the previous four Sakura Wars entries remained exclusive to Japan.
Story and character relationships are the most important of this mix of ideas, to the point the mech battles likely comprise around 20% of play time compared to the more involved decisions you’ll make in navigating the plot and conversations during the hours between battles. Thankfully, while the premise sounds like a strange mishmash of ideas, it is ultimately a solid one for setting up a group of likeable characters whose interactions and arcs you’ll come to enjoy. To untangle the premise a bit, New York City is the game’s setting specifically because in this alternate version of Earth, a mystical energy known as Pneuma can be used for harmful or healing purposes, with major cities like New York often resting upon a great deal of this unusual power. Alongside this energy source technology has jumped much further ahead, steam powered technology still present but large aircraft drift through the sky and the mechanical STAR units are able to move with greater grace and combat potential than what we see even in real life today. A dark force has entered New York serving a mysterious master looking to harness the Pneuma, but ultimately, the villainous side of the story is not really the strong driving force of this plot, instead often presenting a boss character who can somehow trigger some personal crisis or issue for the main cast of this mix of visual novel and turn-based strategy.
Most chapters of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love are truly about putting some pressure on one of the core characters to help you get to know them better and start to work towards helping with whatever issues they may have, with the first working as our introduction to the game’s hero, Shinjiro Taiga. Shinjiro is inexperienced but optimistic, often mild-mannered in social settings but determined and commanding on the battlefield. Initially not welcome as part of the New York Combat Revue, Shinjiro’s resolve ends up being his greatest asset to earn the girl’s favor and start working alongside them, there being five teammates (and an extra if you replay the game) to grow closer to through your actions and choices. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love features something called LIPS, short for Live & Interactive Picture System. During dialogue (which is occasionally voiced or completely animated based on its importance), you’ll be asked to sometimes contribute by way of picking from a set of choices or performing small minigames. The minigames involve timed inputs, a task like helping someone make a meal or dancing with someone requiring you to do enough accurate inputs to lead to a positive outcome. Other times you’ll be allowed to click on different places in an area, usually as subjects to discuss or think about with whoever might be present. Something a bit in-between the choices and minigames involves moments where you are provided with a singular action or phrase, but you can raise or lower the effort you put into it by moving an indicator up or down so you can do something like shout enthusiastically or barely speak based on your input. These can sometimes feel like variety for the sake of it and are of then the weaker way the game will determine your success in an event, the dialogue choices the true king of interaction in Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love.
When speaking with a character and the choices pop up, you often only have so long to pick your reply. Silence is sometimes a valid or even best answer, but usually you’ll need to figure out which option you think will elicit the best reaction for who you’re speaking to, and the game is hardly straightforward about it but in a good way. While romance is something that can arise, many of the ladies won’t take well to blunt statements on it or coming on too strong before you get to know them. A good deal of the time, you need to consider the personality of who you’re speaking to, some people needing to hear harsh truths or be supported not by directly stating an issue but helping them realize it themselves. A musical cue will play to indicate how it might impact your bond with a character either positively or negatively, and Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love usually only offers save points after decent stretches of interactions to try and make you commit more rather than litigating every interaction to perfection. Saving usually happens before and after a battle at least, but navigating the social web of your team is an interesting, not all too difficult, but still complex dance that ends up more rewarding because it feels more personal rather than you going for easy positivity or straightforward speech at every turn.
Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love does have some fun supporting cast members, but the real focus is on the five main women who join you in the New York Combat Revue. Cheiron (pronounced Karen), Gemini (pronounced Jeminny), Subaru, Diana, and Rosita are all gradually introduced by way of their focus chapters, and Chapter 2 comes out hitting with one of the best for showing how Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love is going to unfold. Cherion is a mature but often stuck-up lawyer, immediately harsh towards Shinjiro when he arrives but admittedly, everyone in the game comes on pretty strong when first encountered. Gemini for example is a cowgirl, so when you first speak with her, most every line has some word or phrase to remind you she’s from the South, but after that’s established, it becomes more natural and like most characters she can start discussing other things without shoehorning in her quirks at every moment. Cheiron’s chapter ends up an examination of why she’s so forceful and brash, her past in Harlem leading to a lengthy investigation and even a mock trial where you start getting a fuller picture of the woman Cherion truly is. She’s devoted to justice but has a wild side, and rather than an adversarial ally, she ends up more a tough nut to crack because she’s so devoted to protecting those important to her. Her plot also sees strong use of the Free Time feature, where you are free to wander around New York and visit locations to speak with whoever might be there. Time only advances after you encounter someone or enter a place and you usually have enough time for quite a few visits, this often being used as a great time to speak with the girls to strengthen bonds and sometimes go on what basically amount to dates. While you’ll be collecting evidence for that mock trial in chapter 2 during its Free Time period, you’ll still see chances to grow closer to the girls through it, and unsurprisingly, each chapter includes many times to grow closer to the woman at the center of its conflict.
After Cheiron gives a good first impression of how these chapters will be structured, you can look forward to a mostly good batch before the background threat comes forward and does more than throw a boss fight to exacerbate a girl’s specific issues. A character like Subaru ends up a fascinating person to get to know, enigmatic and distant at first but a more intellectual pursuit than the other girls as you both try to grow a better understanding of the depths of how the other thinks. Gemini works more for those interested in the charms of young love, there being many cute moments as she is perhaps the most receptive to innocent flirtation, but she still has her own issues like feeling like she wants to be part of New York despite her attitude still holding the ruggedness of Texas. Diana is a kindly sort, sweet and loving to all, and while her chapter leads to one of the game’s most ridiculous moments where cops are practically waging war on birds, Diana struggles with fatalism and its hard not to want to restore the hope and joy in her life. All four of these women have some effective conflicts and even though their specific chapter can sometimes go off the rails, they have their charms and complexities that make trying to strengthen your bond with them even if you don’t want them to be your final partner worthwhile.
Then there’s, unfortunately, Rosita. A little Mexican sharpshooter, she’s 11 years old and acts maybe half that age, constantly leaping about, making silly rhymes, and not talking about much beyond reiterating her love of food and shooting bad people. She’s definitely meant to be a more comical addition to the team and isn’t without her moments, her dedicated chapter is the goofiest but it also can muster at least a moment or two to make her seem more human, but she’s often most of all a vehicle for repeating the same few jokes regardless of whether its appropriate. At times the whole team may come together, each making some statement or discussing something of importance, and Rosita lacks the maturity to contribute but still throws in a line that can sometimes take a little wind out of the moment’s sails. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love does have a very strong soundtrack that underscores both normal and emotional moments well, to the point you start recognizing the familiar themes and can almost get excited knowing ones about to indicate a shift in the story. It’s a story about optimism and camaraderie, about not giving up hope and relying on others, and then Rosita’s there joking about wanting to eat her pet again or saying she wants to use her guns some more. There’s a precarious balance too since she can be pursued as your overall partner, and while this is mostly portrayed romantically with the other girls, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love feels like it just avoids crossing the line should you pursue Rosita. With how emotionally shallow she is compared to the others though, she feels perhaps best thought of as the team’s mascot rather than someone who can stand besides the sometimes captivating and often fulfilling relationships you can build with your other teammates.
Getting along with the girls isn’t just about ending up with the lady of your choice though, because while the narrative is definitely built for the visual novel side to be the rewarding element, your relationships do end up impacting the combat side as well. In battle, the strength of your teammates will increase based on how well you get along with them. Their bonds with you and each other can strength their attacks and combo potential while your own abilities will improve not only based on how you interact with the women of the New York Combat Revue, but also with other members of the staff like the eccentric man funding your team Mr. Sunnyside or the ladies working the bar and gift shop at the Broadway theater. Since ultimately it is easy enough to steer your strongest relationships to the point you’ll likely get to pick the girl you like most near the game’s end, it ends up wise to cultivate every relationship well despite most ultimately being platonic. In fact, this almost makes Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love a role-playing game where instead of beating monsters to grow the strength of your team, you’re being nice to people and learning how to treat them well so you can coordinate better in the battle side of this adventure.
The Super Telekinetic Assault Robots (or STARs) you find yourself in are only about twice as big as a human but designed to match the pilots in them, meaning while Shinjiro fights with a sword and Rosita’s mech has its own set of guns, you also see Subaru utilizing metal fans and Diana even having a little robotic bird buddy in her mech. Each unit’s STAR mech has some unique edge or function, often tied to either their standard or special attack. Subaru’s fans will let her hit enemies in a small area, Rosita can target from far away, and Diana actually has her special move be a powerful heal instead of the usual heavy damaging strike the rest of the team dishes out in their particular flavor. Healing is actually a mostly universal option for the team, the group needing to make sure they have the energy for it but they can heal themselves or someone close every turn as long as they don’t run out of that power that’s also spent on special moves. The turn-based battles are speed based, meaning turn order is based on a sequence of whoever’s swiftest, so this approach to healing makes it more manageable, especially when you start facing powerful bosses who can hit the whole team on their turn or unleash their own special moves that could otherwise leave you struggling to save someone. There are some other helpful options though, defending also easy to do most turns to lessen damage and Shinjiro has a few leader commands like calling someone to his side once per battle or absorbing up to three hits someone was about to take without either him or them getting damaged.
The main resource in the combat side is a set of action points that must be spent to move, attack, defend, or heal. Movement is somewhat free, you can walk about normally rather than with a grid but you’ll gradually expend points and then reach a point where your character can run no further should you spend it all. Luckily, the game won’t ask you to commit to movements until you take an action afterwards, meaning you can feel out your options and make informed decisions on how to line up your next move before taking it. This ends up incredibly crucial for Joint attacks, these actually being one of your strongest tools. In the space between your active character and whoever you want to perform a Joint attack with, every enemy will be hit by a powerful blow, this strengthening your bond with that character on top of being stronger because of it. Joint attacks make battle incredibly focused on positioning since you can often do one on top of any extra basic and special attacks you can afford, and being able to hit multiple targets over a good distance makes them great for managing the often heavily populated battlefields. Setting up frequent and effective Joint attacks is perhaps the most important part of consistent success, especially in tougher battles where resources will be strained more and each turn becomes more precious. The early game is mostly fairly tame if your bonds are decently strong with the rest of the team, but near the end the game starts introducing many more battles and ones with much stronger additions like cannons that try to target bunched up STARs or a boss arena where the middle is a lava pit you’re periodically pulled to by the moving ground.
While most battles in Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love are going to be on the ground, your STARs mechs can actually shift into a jet form and take to the skies, most of the combat mechanics carrying over even though you’re now firing rockets and doing new special moves. While this is a good way of breaking up the fight format and can often lead to boss battles where you need to strategically attack specific parts to weaken them or protect yourself, the aiming is a bit funky. While you can fly up, down, left, and right, your character movement is now locked to a cylindrical ring around the boss much of the time and lining up your character for targeting specific parts can sometimes be rather finicky. The movement system not asking you to commit until you are ready prevents this from being more than a mild nuisance, although Joint attacks are also rougher to line up when it can sometimes be hard to tell why being an inch more left or right can be the difference between having the enemy right next to you actually end up in its area of effect. Ground battles are frequently innovative, including defense missions, special objects like switches you need to press that look a lot like mines so its a risk going for each one, and even battles that have you leap between different battlefields or sometimes switch between ground and sky, but air battles do feel the weaker format not for lack of variety but for lack of clarity.
THE VERDICT: Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love builds up a mostly wonderful core cast of characters you get to know well through their dedicated chapters, the relationships and interactions already rewarding for the fun and intriguing personalities on show before you factor in how they impact the mech battling side of the adventure. The battle system has smart elements like how movement and healing are handled to let it be tactical but not such a demanding gameplay side that it could bar you from more time with the New York Combat Revue outside of the robots, and with a memorable and effective soundtrack and good anime art style, this game’s unusual premise ends up coming together into something special despite a few fiddly moments during sky combat.
And so, I give Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love for Nintendo Wii…
A GREAT rating. To clarify, Rosita being a vapid and shallow addition to the team isn’t what keeps this game from being spectacular, she has her little moments even though perhaps we’d be better off with the woman who only becomes available on a second run instead being in Rosita’s place. Mostly, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love’s greatness comes from getting very far with it’s earnest, uplifting, and emotional story, some silliness and mystical elements not undermining the more human and intimate elements from your interactions with the team. The game is good at growing certain characters gradually and providing key moments where your understanding of them deepens so even the sometimes more off-putting elements of characters like Cheiron and Subaru are there for strong character development. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love could almost get by just being a mostly pure visual novel, the Free Time element of choice adding a bit more variety to strengthening your bonds, but having these pay off in battle also leads to a satisfying extra layer to the adventure. The villains are mostly one-note and at best can focus in on a teammate’s issues to help serve as a pivotal moment of growth or apotheosis, but they do serve their job as opponents in battle well enough, the limited number of fights perhaps motivating the development team to try and make sure they stand out more and have more interesting mechanics at play. Aerial combat definitely needs to be cleaned up a bit but still manages not to outstay its welcome because of the smart approach to spending action points and not demanding perfection when lining things up in the movement heavy tactical combat.
A more compelling main plot could have been what pushed the game over the edge even more, or perhaps just a bit more time to deepen your relationship with the girls, but Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love is built well to be an uplifting story despite its tribulations with the victories all the more impactful because you are not just fighting the battles but touching your teammates’ hearts to get the strength to win. It goes to strange places and has some unusual indulgences, but that makes a fuller picture of the characters you meet and the lives they live, the highs and lows making for the robust relationships that make interaction such a rewarding experience in this wonderful mix of concepts.