''Sengoku Blade'', also known as ''Tengai'' outside Japan, is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up video game released for arcade machines in 1996 by Psikyo as a sequel to their 1993 shooter '' Sengoku Ace''. A home console version was also released for the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...

. The game was ported years later to the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

, and again for

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

and

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

devices and the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

. The game is set in a

historical fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those classed as Arthur ...

version of the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

of Japanese history, featuring demons, magic and steam-powered robotics.

Gameplay

''Sengoku Blade'' is horizontal-scrolling shoot 'em up. The game takes place in an imaginative and futuristic version of feudal Japan featuring steam-powered machinery. The Saturn version provides an option to choose a difficulty level between 1 and 7, configure controls, and set the number of lives between 1 and 4. The player may choose from five playable characters at the start and may unlocked two more. Items include a

power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...

to increase weapon power level, bombs, and bonus coins to increase score. Holding down the standard shot button can provide a more powerful shot. If the player touches an enemy ship, their weapon power level will drop by one. The player will lose a life if they get hit by an enemy bullet. If all lives are lost, continues are provided. Once the game is beaten once, a second round will begin without the ability to use continues. Score rankings and other options can be saved to the system's memory.

Plot

Story

The game is set in the world where magic and technology co-exist. A militaristic cult Shinrano, scheming the resurrection of their dark god, has kidnapped the

Shogun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

's daughter Princess Futsu (Futsuhime) for a sacrifice. A group of heroes sets out to stop this evil plot. The game features branching storyline and several different endings, depending on the characters chosen.

Characters

The characters were designed by the now-famous 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 is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Fukushima Prefecture. He graduated from the fine arts department of Nihon University. He is most known for the roles of Hakaider (''Android Kikaider''), Doctor Neo Cortex ( ''Crash Bandicoot'' s ...

.) * Miko / Koyori (Koyori Togashi) (富樫こより) - a busty

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

shrine maiden A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as Shamanism, shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained ...

. 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 is a Japanese voice actress, J-pop singer and stage actress. She sang the ending theme song of the PlayStation 2 role-playing video game ''Shadow Hearts'', titled ''Ending Theme ~ Shadow Hearts'', and the ending theme of the PC and PlayStation ...

.) * Sho / Shoma (Shoumaru) (翔丸) - A young swordsman

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

who is in love with the kidnapped Princess Futsu and feels some crush with Koyori. He wants revenge for the death of his mother and sisters. 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 were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

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 (閃光のアイン) - 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

on November 22 of that same year. 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. Exclusive for the Saturn conversion was the implementation of voices during the brief cut scenes, and the addition of Marion from the ''

Gunbird is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up developed by Psikyo and released in Arcade game, arcades in 1994. In the US, it was published by Jaleco. It has been re-released multiple times, including on the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and Steam (service), ...

'' series as a bonus hidden character. In 2004, the game was also ported to

as part of the ''Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade'' by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

, 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. In 2014, the game was released internationally for

and

mobile devices in Japanese, English and Korean. It was also released for the

in 2018. The game's manga adaptation was published on August 4, 1996. The game's original soundtrack was released by

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affiliate ...

and

Scitron is a Japanese record label that publishes video game music albums. List of video game albums released A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z ...

on May 17, 1996. Several PVC figures were also released for Koyori and Junis, as well as for the demon-ninja villainess Kaen (火燕) who has become one of the game's most popular characters.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Sengoku Blade'' on their June 1, 1996 issue as being the thirteenth most-successful arcade game of the month. In a ''

gamesTM ''GamesTM'' (styled as ''gamesTM'') was a United Kingdom, UK-based, multi-format video games magazine, covering video game console, console, handheld game, handheld, PC game, PC and Arcade games. The first issue was released in December 2002 and t ...

'' retrospective, ''Sengoku Blade'' was found to be a simple but enjoyable shooter and given a score of 8 out of 10. They praised the unique graphical style and detail and compared the game favorably to Psikyo's earlier shooter ''

''. In 1997, the Japanese ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' ranked the game's Koyori as the 47th best female character on the platform. The Saturn version has become a collector's item.

Sequel

It was followed by '' Sengoku Cannon: Sengoku Ace Episode III'', released for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

in 2005.

Notes

References

External links

''Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade'' official website

''Sengoku Blade for Nintendo Switch'' official website''Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade''
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...

''Sengoku Blade''
at Giant Bomb {{DEFAULTSORT:Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode Ii 1996 video games Android (operating system) games Arcade video games Cooperative video games Horizontally scrolling shooters IOS games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo Switch games Psikyo games Science fantasy video games Sega Saturn games Sengoku video games Steampunk video games Taito arcade games Video game sequels Video games about cults Video games about ninja Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games set in feudal Japan