The Shin Sakura Taisen (Sakura Wars) game for the PS4 platform has been gathering a lot of attention since it was announced last year, with expectations high for the next gen gaming interpretation of the popular franchise and the first new game in 14 years. Although not scheduled to hit Japanese shelves until Winter 2019 (and the US in 2020), details continue to emerge with a slew of press releases.

Now just in, information on the story and setting of the game have been announced:

Story

According to the press release:

"Taisho 19(*). In the Imperial Capital Tokyo, the conflagration which would later be known as The Kouma War erupted. Members of the Imperial Assault Force's Flower Division stationed in Tokyo, Paris and New York valiantly faced the threat and saved the world, a heroic effort for which they paid the ultimate price...

However, thanks to their accomplishments in their fierce battle against the Kouma, the Flower Division's City Defense Initiative gained international recognition, leading to the establishment of the World Flower Division Federation (WLOF). As a result, Flower Division corps were established in cities around the world. In each country, the WLOF held Flower Division Competitions in which contestants vied which each other in battle and opera, bolstering their abilities with each match. The biennial competition between girls, which became known as the "Flower Division World War," enthused crowds around the world.

Ten years have passed. Taisho 29.

In Tokyo, where its predecessors had long since vanished, the Imperial Flower Division is reborn. A new Imperial Flower Division has its eyes on victory as it prepares for the next Flower Division World War.

However, the Kouma return to Earth, bringing with them a mysterious foe, and what was meant to be a peaceful competition between friends and comrades in arms turns into a battle for the fate of the world.

It's up to the New Imperial Flower Division headed by protagonist Seijuro Kamiyama to lead the charge. Can they protect the Imperial Capital and the world and establish justice?

A new chapter in Sakura Wars has begun!"

[* Sakura Wars is set in a fictionalized version of the Taisho Era which didn't end in Taisho 15, or 1926. Taisho 19 would be 1930]

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Sign: Imperial Capital Central Station | Central Gate

Setting

The setting for the game is the Imperial Capital Tokyo in Taisho 29, 12 years after the events of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love. True to the steampunk setting which fans of Sakura Taisen love, the streets of Ginza continue to blend Western influences with traditional Japanese culture, while steam-powered civilization has developed even further.

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Hatsuho Shinonome: "Captain, can we talk?"

The adventure part is rendered in full 3D, with the cityscape of the Imperial Capital Tokyo and Ginza where the action takes place rendered in beautifully graphics only PS4 could produce.

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Choices from L to R: "What are you doing here?" "How pretty you've become." "Would you like to go on a date?"

Those who have fond memories of playing Sakura Wars games will be glad to find the "Live & Interactive Picture System" (LIPS) (in which the player is faced with critical choices with an imposed time limit during conversations with characters and key story sections) implemented here too, allowing you to build your credibility as you develop relationships with the characters.


By - Ben K.