On the surface Sengoku Basara seems quite familiar. In fact, it has many of the same elements of KOEI’s Dynasty Warriors series, from the feudal war of 16th-century Japan backdrop, to the characters that dash through a combat map, winning battle points and eventually conquering the camp after dispatching scores of enemies on-screen simultaneously.
But according to Capcom producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, the word “basara” means wild, crazy and extreme and the game takes that to heart with some elements that step outside the boundaries of era portrayed. The time frame is real and the battles have historic roots, but that aside, the game sports bodyguards with jet packs, pistols, and outlandish fighting styles – which include Masamun Date and his six-sword style of fighting.
While there are four main characters, the game sports many others that can be unlocked as players progress through the campaign, including three female characters. Not everyone will align with either the eastern general, Ieyasa Tokugawa, or the western general, Mitsunari Ishida, but after moving through the map, players can conquer the areas and turn neutral parties to their campaign’s cause.
Key features of the game include camp occupation, more than 15 total playable characters, a wide variety of weapons, more than 35 unique battlefields, and a Heroes’ Story – where the single-player game evolves based on player’s decisions.
Though this will be the first time that the IP has been released in North America, it has a deep history in Japan, with an anime series, manga based off the series, and even theatrical productions. The first game in the series was released on the PS2 in 2005, a story mode was introduced into the series with the 2006 PS2 release. In 2007, the game released for the PS2 and Wii consoles, and Basara X (a fighting game) released on PS2 in 2008 with a PSP title, sporting 2v2 combat, hitting retailers in 2009.
The dev team has a few tricks up their sleeves that may entice players to give this title a try when it releases in the fall.
