''Sengoku Blade'', also known as ''Tengai'' outside Japan, is a horizontally scrolling

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a Video game genre, subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain typ ...

video game released for

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

machines in 1996 by

Psikyo Psikyo was a Japanese video game developer and publisher known for its shoot 'em ups and undressing mahjong games. It was founded in 1992 by former Video System staff who worked on the '' Aero Fighters'' series. Psikyo was mainly an arcade game ...

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 is the successor to the succes ...

. 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 Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

, and again for

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

and

Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...

devices and the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

and

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

. 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 (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those c ...

version of the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

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

Gameplay

''Sengoku Blade'' is horizontal-scrolling

. 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 Lives may refer to: * The plural form of a ''life'' * Lives, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran * The number of lives in a video game * ''Parallel Lives'', aka ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', a series of biographies of famous m ...

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 mechanics, game mechanic. This is in contrast to an Item (game), item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that ca ...

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 ''Live Tour: Continues'' () is the fourth live video album by Japanese singer-songwriter and musician Gen Hoshino. It was released on January 10, 2018, via Speedstar Records in DVD and Blu-ray formats. The album is a video release of the final sh ...

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 aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...

'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 was 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 ...

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

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

shrine 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 Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are Endemism, ...

-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 PlayStat ...

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

ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

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 is a Japanese voice actor from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.Doi, Hitoshi"Koyasu Takehito" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011. He is affiliated with and representative of T's Factory, a voice acting agency he founded ...

. * Katana / Hagane (ハガネ) - a

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

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 is a Japanese voice actor and narrator affiliated with the talent management firm Crazy Box. He is best known for his roles as the voices of Kyao Mirao in ''Heavy Metal L-Gaim''; Mont Blanc Noland in ''One Piece''; Yazan Gable in ''Mobile Suit ...

. * 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 is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with the Sigma Seven talent agency. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University. On adult works, like OVAs or dating ...

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 ''Omake'' (, usually written ) means ''extra'' in Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga term to mean "extra or bonus". In the United States and United Kingdom, anime fans generally use the ...

CD-ROM which featured hundreds of ''Sengoku Ace'' series artworks (including the official art, guest art, and

fan art Fan art or fanart is artwork created by Fan (person), fans of a work of fiction or celebrity depicting events, Character (arts), character, or other aspect of the work. As fan labor, fan art refers to artworks that are not created, commissione ...

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 scene A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...

s, and the addition of Marion from the '' Gunbird'' 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, Toy, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, Vending machine, vending machines, and Juk ...

, 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 company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

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 British multi-format video games magazine. The first issue was released in December 2002 and the magazine was still being published monthly in English and German up until the last edition was published on ...

'' 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 '' Gunbird''. 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

''Sengoku Blade'' 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 Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

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 game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...

''Sengoku Blade''
at

Giant Bomb ''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time (maga ...

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