<s>
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
known	O
in	O
Japan	O
as	O
is	O
a	O
cross-genre	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sixth	O
mainline	O
entry	O
and	O
a	O
soft	O
reboot	O
of	O
the	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2019	O
in	O
Asia	O
and	O
2020	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
game	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
Red	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
combines	O
overlapping	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
,	O
dating	O
sim	O
and	O
visual	O
novel	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
base	O
campaign	O
was	O
later	O
expanded	O
with	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
(	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
adding	O
further	O
gameplay	O
options	O
such	O
as	O
additional	O
costumes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
began	O
in	O
2016	O
after	O
a	O
positive	O
fan	O
response	O
at	O
that	O
year	O
's	O
Sega	O
Fes	O
convention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
mainline	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
since	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
So	I-Application
Long	I-Application
,	I-Application
My	I-Application
Love	I-Application
(	O
2005	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay-based	O
DLC	B-Protocol
was	O
released	O
between	O
2019	O
and	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
being	O
welcoming	O
to	O
new	O
players	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
for	O
its	O
mix	O
of	O
tactical	O
and	O
story-based	O
gameplay	O
,	O
but	O
criticising	O
it	O
for	O
its	O
combat	O
and	O
some	O
story	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
is	O
a	O
cross-genre	O
video	O
game	O
set	O
in	O
Tokyo	O
during	O
a	O
fictionalized	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Taishō	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
So	I-Application
Long	I-Application
,	I-Application
My	I-Application
Love	I-Application
,	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
is	O
rendered	O
to	O
scale	O
relative	O
to	O
the	O
characters	O
in	O
it	O
;	O
instead	O
of	O
a	O
caricature	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
roaming	O
around	O
miniature	O
maps	O
,	O
as	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
earlier	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
games	O
,	O
every	O
area	O
is	O
represented	O
proportionally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
variant	O
of	O
the	O
Kinematron	O
,	O
called	O
the	O
Teletron	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
that	O
allows	O
Kamiyama	O
to	O
see	O
a	O
map	O
of	O
Ginza	O
and	O
speak	O
with	O
other	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
main	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
series	I-Application
to	O
use	O
an	O
action-based	O
battle	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
battle	O
,	O
each	O
character	O
has	O
health	O
points	O
(	O
HP	O
)	O
and	O
magic	B-Application
points	I-Application
(	O
MP	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
series	I-Application
had	O
been	O
mostly	O
inactive	O
since	O
the	O
last	O
mainline	O
release	O
,	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
So	I-Application
Long	I-Application
,	I-Application
My	I-Application
Love	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2005	O
(	O
2010	O
internationally	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Franchise	O
owner	O
Sega	O
had	O
decided	O
to	O
end	O
the	O
series	O
in	O
2008	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
spin-off	O
title	O
Dramatic	O
Dungeon	O
:	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
and	O
a	O
final	O
concert	O
performance	O
by	O
the	O
cast	O
of	O
So	O
Long	O
,	O
My	O
Love	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
2016	O
Sega	O
Fes	O
in	O
Tokyo	O
,	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
a	O
fan	O
poll	O
about	O
dormant	O
series	O
,	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
voted	O
the	O
most	O
requested	O
revival	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
staff	O
included	O
producer	O
Tetsu	O
Katano	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
series	I-Application
fame	O
and	O
director	O
Tetsuya	O
Ohtsubo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Katano	O
was	O
a	O
newcomer	O
to	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
but	O
Ohtsubo	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
with	O
the	O
series	O
on	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
3	I-Application
:	I-Application
Is	I-Application
Paris	I-Application
Burning	I-Application
?	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
much	O
time	O
had	O
passed	O
between	O
So	O
Long	O
,	O
My	O
Love	O
and	O
the	O
production	O
of	O
this	O
new	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
both	O
the	O
platform	O
and	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
were	O
different	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
decided	O
that	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
would	O
be	O
a	O
soft	O
reboot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
2	O
division	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
includes	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
basic	O
gameplay	O
was	O
carried	O
over	O
,	O
but	O
extensively	O
reworked	O
and	O
the	O
world	O
built	O
entirely	O
in	O
3D	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
greater	O
hardware	O
specs	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
engine	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
Hedgehog	O
Engine	O
2	O
,	O
a	O
proprietary	O
first-party	O
engine	O
created	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cutscenes	O
were	O
crafted	O
using	O
techniques	O
perfected	O
for	O
Sega	O
's	O
Yakuza	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
production	O
,	O
internal	O
staff	O
who	O
were	O
fans	O
of	O
classic	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
would	O
often	O
be	O
critical	O
of	O
the	O
current	O
team	O
's	O
work	O
,	O
putting	O
pressure	O
on	O
them	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
product	O
worthy	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ishii	O
was	O
initially	O
sceptical	O
about	O
his	O
adequacy	O
to	O
manage	O
the	O
project	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
franchise	O
's	O
prestige	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
accepted	O
as	O
the	O
one	O
who	O
approached	O
him	O
was	O
428	B-Application
:	I-Application
Shibuya	I-Application
Scramble	I-Application
producer	O
Koichi	O
Nakamura	O
;	O
Ishii	O
recognized	O
that	O
the	O
challenge	O
of	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
equivalent	O
to	O
the	O
relationship	O
between	O
428	B-Application
:	I-Application
Shibuya	I-Application
Scramble	I-Application
and	O
its	O
predecessor	O
Machi	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
devising	O
a	O
new	O
battle	O
system	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Sega	O
dispensed	O
with	O
the	O
turn-based	O
battle	O
system	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
previous	O
five	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
games	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
an	O
action-based	O
system	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
found	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
the	O
most	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
modern	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
userbase.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
for	O
the	O
Shanghai	O
Combat	O
Revue	O
(	O
Xiaolong	O
Yang	O
&	O
Yui	O
Huang	O
)	O
,	O
BUNBUN	O
(	O
Sword	B-Application
Art	I-Application
Online	I-Application
(	O
as	O
abec	O
)	O
)	O
for	O
the	O
London	O
Combat	O
Revue	O
(	O
Arthur	O
&	O
Lancelot	O
)	O
,	O
Ken	O
Sugimori	O
(	O
Pokémon	B-Application
)	O
for	O
the	O
Grand	O
Imperial	O
Peanut	O
,	O
Fumikane	O
Shimada	O
(	O
Girls	B-Application
und	I-Application
Panzer	I-Application
)	O
for	O
the	O
Berlin	O
Combat	O
Revue	O
(	O
Elise	O
&	O
Margarethe	O
)	O
,	O
Noizi	O
Ito	O
(	O
Haruhi	O
Suzumiya	O
)	O
for	O
Itsuki	O
Saijo	O
,	O
and	O
Shigenori	O
Soejima	O
(	O
Persona	O
)	O
for	O
Hakushu	O
Murasame	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
characters	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Sakura	O
and	O
Hatsuho	O
,	O
hearkened	O
back	O
to	O
earlier	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
heroines	O
while	O
having	O
altered	O
personalities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
his	O
long	O
association	O
,	O
Tanaka	O
was	O
happy	O
to	O
return	O
and	O
write	O
for	O
a	O
new	B-Application
Sakura	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
aimed	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
largest	O
number	O
of	O
vocal	O
themes	O
of	O
any	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
game	O
,	O
ranging	O
between	O
70	O
and	O
80	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	B-Application
Sakura	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
title	O
was	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
April	O
2018	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
New	B-Application
Sakura	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
also	O
known	O
in	O
the	O
west	O
as	O
Project	B-Application
Sakura	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
announcement	O
of	O
a	O
Western	O
release	O
coincided	O
with	O
this	O
,	O
making	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
only	O
the	O
second	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
game	O
to	O
be	O
localized	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speaking	O
in	O
a	O
later	O
statement	O
,	O
Sega	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
hoped	O
to	O
continue	O
the	O
series	O
beyond	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
demo	O
of	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
21	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
English	O
localization	O
was	O
handled	O
by	O
Inbound	O
Games	O
and	O
the	O
French	O
,	O
German	O
and	O
Spanish	O
localizations	O
were	O
handled	O
by	O
Keywords	O
Studio	O
;	O
this	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
a	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
title	O
was	O
localized	O
in	O
these	O
languages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
fixes	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
made	O
through	O
a	O
patch	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
18	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
concurrently	O
with	O
the	O
worldwide	O
release	O
;	O
it	O
also	O
included	O
a	O
tie-in	O
to	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
the	O
Animation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
deluxe	O
edition	O
included	O
a	O
five-disc	O
CD	O
collection	O
containing	O
songs	O
from	O
the	O
main	O
six	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
games	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
an	O
artbook	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Famitsu	O
released	O
a	O
companion	O
book	O
:	O
the	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
Complete	O
Guide	O
on	O
February	O
21	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
provides	O
profiles	O
of	O
the	O
characters	O
and	O
areas	O
in	O
Ginza	O
,	O
the	O
complete	O
story	O
of	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
details	O
on	O
the	O
adventure	O
and	O
battle	O
scenarios	O
,	O
and	O
details	O
on	O
each	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kadokawa	O
Game	O
Linkage	O
released	O
the	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
Story	O
Setting	O
Collections	O
on	O
March	O
30	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cosmetic	O
and	O
audio-based	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
(	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
were	O
released	O
from	O
December	O
2019	O
to	O
January	O
2020	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
"	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
ranked	O
second	O
place	O
during	O
its	O
first-week	O
sales	O
behind	O
Pokémon	B-Application
Sword	I-Application
and	I-Application
Shield	I-Application
,	O
selling	O
over	O
140,376	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
2019	O
Japan	O
Game	O
Awards	O
,	O
Sakura	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
won	O
the	O
"	O
Future	O
Division	O
"	O
award	O
.	O
</s>
