Sengoku Basara: Sanada Yukimura-den Reference Materials

This post will be continuously updated with gameplay information and minor translations for Sengoku Basara: Sanada Yukimura-den, serving as a general reference guide. More detailed explanations of everything in the list can be found on the main blog.

Please note that this is a work in progress; if anything seems to be missing it might be because it was already mentioned in my old Sengoku Basara 4 reference guide or the one for Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 9

It's taken a little longer than usual to write a review for the latest issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine, mainly due to the sheer volume of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi news which keeps distracting me in the last month before the game's release.

My slow pace is certainly not through lack of excitement, as the star is Sarutobi Sasuke this time and Sasuke is awesome. If you happen to be a fan, the new cover artwork, exclusive Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap and feature articles should make this a very tempting issue.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 9 was released on 29th June 2015, a month later than originally advertised. Priced at ¥2,500, it can be purchased from all good Japanese bookstores with international shipping including Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. There's an official preview article here if you want a look inside.

The new bonus CD is Showgeki Basara Talk! Sakon & Katsuie No Maki Vol. 1 with seiyuu Nakamura Yuuichi and Okamoto Nobuhiko. The CD was actually the very first thing I noticed since it's usually bundled with the magazine in a separate jewel case. This time, the CD has been packaged inside a cheap plastic sleeve tucked into the magazine itself. Fans have the option of downloading the CD jacket artwork and printing their own cover if they want their collection to match - it doesn't feel very luxurious. On the bright side, I guess it makes the magazine easier to ship and store.

Still, the most important thing is the content and the two voice actors have put together a good show for their listeners. Okamoto's naturally sweet personality is a funny contrast with his gloominess whenever he slips into character, and Nakamura has a cheeky attitude which plays off his co-presenter well.

The CD starts off with a candid talk segment where the two actors have to write Japanese kanji on sheets of paper then talk about how they relate to their characters in the game. Their illustrated papers are shown on the last page of the magazine, complete with silly doodles and autographs.

News roundup: This week's Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi magazine coverage

This week's Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi news from Japanese gaming magazines

Weekly Famitsu magazine (issue dated 23rd April 2015) was just released in Japan but unfortunately the Capcom coverage is lousy this week after we were spoilt last time around. Hopefully the next issue will be better. The only thing I can report is that the PlayStation 3 version of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi has jumped up to 23rd place in Weekly Famitsu's list of most wanted upcoming games. The PlayStation 4 version is now in 36th place too; it looks as though last week's big news update had a positive effect.

The blow was softened a little as this fortnight's issue of Dengeki PlayStation (issue 588) recapped all of the announcements from last Thursday and added a few new screenshots. The shot which seems to depict Masamune and Yukimura teaming up against Yoshiteru for the latter's drama route (bottom of this page) is accompanied by a new one of Yoshiteru's foot in the foreground of a blazing encounter between Masamune, Yukimura and Nobunaga. His drama storyline apparently involves his search for someone worthy to be his rival, so how this might fit with the screenshots is anyone's guess.

Series director Yamamoto Makoto added a few comments about Yoshiteru for Dengeki PlayStation's article.

• To put it plainly, Yoshiteru is the 'strongest player' in the entire series. He can be quick, strong and he can even use various elements in addition to his brand new one (quake).
• In his drama route, the Emperor who wields all of that power descends to being the same level as a regular citizen - that's a big problem for the land of Hinomoto (Japan).
• Being aware of the relationship that Shingen and Kenshin have as rivals is one of the things which spurs the isolated Yoshiteru onwards. Please take a look and see where the Emperor's journey takes him.

A few other miscellaneous points from the article, some of which are already mentioned on the website too except I forgot to add them to my last news post:

• If you mess up and don't press the buttons in time for Yoshiteru's first R2 special Inochi No Kagiroi ('Blaze Of Life'), it will heal the enemies and damage the player instead.
• It's hinted that if you import your save data from Sengoku Basara 4 you'll be able to unlock the skill revisions for a few characters right from the start (I guess that indicates how many medals you might expect to receive as a conversion bonus).
• Katakura Kojuurou will have a drama route. The magazine writers wonder how the bond between Masamune and Kojuurou will be depicted this time.
• Matsu will have a drama route (!). That's where the website's shots of the cooking contest to determine the greatest flavour in the land come from.

The game is currently sitting in 9th place in Dengeki PlayStation's ranking of upcoming games (the voting split is 11.7% PS4, 88.3% PS3).

There's one other new picture of Kanetsugu and it shows him flying into the air weirdly. Expect the new pictures to turn up on various gaming websites in the next few hours now the magazine has gone on sale.

Sample images for the preorder-exclusive Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi wallpapers

The official website updated a few days ago to add samples of the additional wallpaper buyers will be offered if they preorder the game early enough to qualify for Yoshiteru's weapon, depending on which shop you use for your preorder. The options are pictured here (descriptions below):

• Comic SUMERAGI comes from Amazon Japan.
• Azure-Crimson Duel Ink Painting Illustration is from GEO.
• Piko Piko Masamune-kun ~Setouchi Monogatari~ (the one which looks like a classic handheld game) is from Game TSUTAYA.
• Basara Girls Seven is from Furuhon Ichiba.
• Welcome To The Wabi-Sabi Tea Party is from all other shops participating in the campaign.

It's likely most import stores will be offering the final one (if any) but I'll confirm once we know the full preorder details on 18th April. If the new video doesn't appear online in a site update tonight, I guess it will follow on or around the 18th April too to help promote the preorder campaign.

Bonus: Yamamoto Makoto's BASARA Sengoku HERO articles for Nobunaga, Nouhime and Ranmaru

Monthly magazine Dengeki Maoh has been running extra instalments of Sengoku Basara series director YamamotoD's BASARA Sengoku HERO column from Sengoku Basara Magazine recently. It's the ongoing column where he discusses how each character was created using actual historical anecdotes as inspiration. This is great as it means they can cover characters at a quicker rate but since it's not really advertised well I had to order the issues I missed! Here are the three columns I've found so far.

Dengeki Maoh March 2015 (Oda Nobunaga):

• The column begins by looking back at the time of the first game, to when they were picking out the characters. YamamotoD said that when you simply cannot discuss the Sengoku period without Oda Nobunaga; there's nobody more famous than him amongst the historical warriors of that period. So since they obviously had to include Nobunaga, they started the design process by creating a version of him wearing western-style silver armour.
• They also knew right from the beginning that his image colour would be black like the historical Nobunaga. There's actually no real-life documentation which states that Nobunaga especially liked black; it's simply that his image as the 'Demon King' and his association with tea master Sen No Rikyuu (who famously favoured black over other colours) has led to him being firmly associated with the colour.
• The writers noted that since Rikyuu was going to be in Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi, fans will probably be looking forward to seeing whether there are any references to his relationship with Nobunaga.
• YamamotoD's favourite anecdote about the real Nobunaga is the story about how he tossed incense at his father's memorial tablet. The tales about him and Saitou Dousan have an appealing kind of chivalry about them too. There are lots of stories about the actual historical figure which leave the impression that he was very good at promoting himself.
• The Nobunaga of Sengoku Basara is depicted as being absolute evil, a reference to his 'Demon King' side. But he's actually been gradually transforming over the course of the series. In the first game, much of his dialogue was surprisingly humane. If Nouhime or Ranmaru fell in battle his lines would be full of regret.
• This began to change in Sengoku Basara 2 when Toyotomi Hideyoshi showed up. Like Hideyoshi, Nobunaga had the role of 'final boss' and he seemed to be a warrior who had cast his human emotions aside.
• One of Nobunaga's distinguishing features is the way he gradually loses his humanity as the series progresses. His self-centredness remains the same, but the changes are particularly noticeable in the way he speaks.
• In Sengoku Basara Battle Heroes, Matsunaga Hisahide asks Nobunaga whether what he wants isn't just 'chaos', but 'nothingness'. The interviewer asked whether nihilism is Nobunaga's ultimate goal, to which YamamotoD responded that what he's really looking for is 'conquest'. However, if conquering repeatedly for its own sake leads to 'nothingness', it probably doesn't bother him.
• In the ending of Nobunaga's Sengoku Creation route in Sengoku Basara 4, he went to conquer another world. This was a reference to the overseas conquest the real-life Nobunaga wasn't able to achieve.
• He recognises Nouhime as his wife, but having her at his side brings out more of 'Nobunaga's humanity'. So that's been making it harder for her to appear in the series recently.
• The interviewer asked why Nobunaga forgave Katsuie after the latter's rebellion in his Sengoku Basara 4 drama route. Nobunaga is a tolerant man and he acknowledges Katsuie's purity of spirit.
• Changing the subject slightly, Nobunaga is also fond of Ranmaru and YamamotoD suspects that Ranmaru's purity appeals to him.
• Yet Mitsuhide's scheming enrages him. Nobunaga understands that Mitsuhide wants to kill him but keeps him as a retainer anyway because of his tolerant spirit. In his eyes, Mitsuhide lives with him and freeloads (haha). The reason that his predictable uprisings make Nobunaga angry is because Mitsuhide is so brilliant at annoying people. In other words, Mitsuhide is probably the natural enemy of a person like Nobunaga.

Dengeki Maoh April 2015 (Nouhime):

• The introduction describes Nouhime as the series' foremost beauty in Japanese-style clothing, and begs fans not to forget about her even though she hasn't been around much recently.
• Back when they were creating the first Sengoku Basara game, they wanted to portray the Oda Army as a tremendously powerful enemy. Nouhime was Nobunaga's legal wife so of course she had to be there.
• Since he wanted to include a voluptuous female character who wore her kimono in a casual style, that mental image ended up being a perfect match.
• The interviewer said Nouhime was the first character they picked in the original Sengoku Basara, and to this day they remember the surprise of discovering her unique play style based on gun action.
• YamamotoD explained that Nouhime's movements are based on 'dance'; she twirls around and fires all over the place. Frankly speaking, her style is rather like Gun Kata. Though Nouhime is often compared to Saika Magoichi, who also wields dual pistols, if Nouhime's key phrase is 'dance' then Magoichi's would be 'modern-day mercenaries'.
• Speaking of Magoichi, the interviewer asked whether the reason Nouhime hasn't been featured in the game series recently is because they wanted to avoid having another gun user in the roster. YamamotoD said that this wasn't the case because the two characters play completely differently to one another. The similarities between their weapons doesn't bother the team at all. A bigger factor is that Nobunaga has been presented as more of an inhuman 'Demon King' lately, as he mentioned in the Nobunaga article above.
• The next question was about the changes they'd make to Nouhime if they reintroduced her now, after the gameplay improvements which were made for Sengoku Basara 3. YamamotoD confirmed that they'd have to rebuild her for the current games since everyone else's power has increased so much. He'd like to make the 'completed' Nouhime pretty strong - with more power, and more stylish Gun Kata.
• YamamotoD's image of the real Nouhime is of a 'manly' woman who chose Nobunaga over her father. His answer refers to a famous anecdote where Nouhime's father, Saitou Dousan, was sending her off to the Oda family as a bride. He supposedly gave his daughter a dagger and told her to kill Nobunaga with it if he turned out to be a fool (as was rumoured). Nouhime's response was to say that if Nobunaga wasn't a fool, the blade may well end up stabbing Dousan instead. This answer apparently pleased her father, who said "As expected of the Viper of Mino's daughter!" and sent her off with a laugh.
• The interviewer asked about the way Nouhime appears to alternate between showing and hiding her sympathy towards Oichi. He responded that she does what she has to do; even if part of her feels sympathetic, she's battling for Nobunaga's ideals and won't show her enemies any mercy.
• Part of what Nouhime loves about Nobunaga is that he doesn't waver. Even though she doesn't always think Nobunaga's methods are right, she's made the decision to go along with them.
• Nouhime's maternal side is the reason she seems so stern towards her enemies while being gentle inside. We see glimpses of her kind, motherly side in her interactions with Ranmaru and the smile during her ending in Sengoku Basara 2.
• In the world of Sengoku Basara 4, she'd probably view Katsuie as a pitiable child. Nouhime wouldn't usually reach out to help a traitor but she'd realise Yoshiteru incited the rebellion and aim her fury at him instead. Although she only appeared in Katsuie's anime ending, if things had turned out differently the two of them would probably have had a good relationship with one another.
• When asked about what he'd like to do with Nouhime in future, YamamotoD responded that first she'd need to become playable again. If he gets the chance to update her gameplay to match the more recent titles, he thinks she'd be really powerful and fun to control. He also wants to find out what will happen if she ever gets to meet Kyougoku Maria...

Dengeki Maoh May 2015 (Mori Ranmaru):

• The 'mischievous boy' of the Oda Army family is a lively lad who admires stylish heroes.
• Before working on his design, YamamotoD's favourite anecdote about the real-life Mori Ranmaru wasn't actually something he did himself. Oda Nobunaga was said to be especially proud of three of his possessions. The first of these was his white-flecked falcon, the second was a bluebird and the third was Ranmaru. It's as though Ranmaru was treated like a pet...
• Nobunaga's love of falconry was well known. A group of daimyou from other regions once presented him with the birds as a gift. The one which Nobunaga liked most was a white-flecked falcon from Oushuu.
• Though the real Ranmaru is usually associated with the image of a beautiful young man, Sengoku Basara portrays him as an unruly brat. YamamotoD had envisaged him as a spunky boy right from the very beginning of the design process.
• As they continued to work on his physical appearance, Tsuchibayashi Makoto, who was in charge of design, developed Ranmaru's 'naughty brat' look further. His face gradually became increasingly impish; he became more mischievous with every change they made.
• The interviewer remarked that Sengoku Basara's Nobunaga seemed very fond of this naughty brat. Since Nobunaga, Nouhime and Ranmaru almost seem like a family of three, could Nobunaga have fatherly feeling towards Ranmaru?
• YamamotoD answered that although it seems as though Nobunaga is acting in a fatherly way, there's another possibility which comes from that historical anecdote he mentioned before - Nobunaga could be thinking of Ranmaru as a beloved pet rather than a human being. As he said in the previous article, Nobunaga hasn't been portrayed as displaying many human emotions recently and Ranmaru hasn't appeared much recently either.
• As for Ranmaru, his feelings towards Nobunaga are much simpler; he's attracted to how 'cool' Nobunaga is! He's a kid and he loves powerful, stylish things. It doesn't matter whether a person is a hero or an antihero. The meeting between the two of them was depicted in Ranmaru's Sengoku Basara 2 opening movie.
• Ranmaru gets along well with Nouhime; they have a pure mother-child dynamic. She cares about Ranmaru in a maternal way and he's attached to her as well.
• In contrast, his relationship with Akechi Mitsuhide is terrible. They squabble like the characters from Tom and Jerry. To Mitsuhide, Ranmaru is an annoying brat - while Ranmaru considers Mitsuhide one of his underlings.
• Ranmaru's fighting style is different to (fellow bow-user) Tsuruhime in that he throws himself into his attacks and fights at point-blank range. Tsuruhime was created to be someone who makes an opening and fires her bow at a distance. Even though they both use bows, their play styles are completely different.
• The interviewer asked what would happen if Ranmaru ever met Tsuruhime, since in a way they're both pure children. YamamotoD laughed and said that the two of them are on completely different wavelengths. If Tsuruhime was the head of the student council at school, Ranmaru would be the idiotic boy running around the classroom. He'd probably call her stupid and refuse to listen to a single word she said.
• The interviewer asked what YamamotoD would like to do with Ranmaru in future. He answered that just like Nouhime, Ranmaru would have to be revived as a playable character first of all! Since the pair of them have been imprisoned by Mitsuhide in the world of Sengoku Basara 4, YamamotoD would like to show how the two of them escape behind the scenes one day.

Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi Reference Materials

This post will be continuously updated with gameplay information and minor translations for Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi, serving as a general reference guide. More detailed explanations of everything in the list can be found on the main blog.

Please note that this is a work in progress; if anything seems to be missing it might be because it was already mentioned in my old Sengoku Basara 4 reference guide.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 8

I can't believe that it's already time for another issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine! Shibata Katsuie graces the cover and exclusive Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap to mark the winter issue and indeed, it's a highly recommended purchase for his fans. A selection of preview images can be seen in this official blog post.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 8 was released a week later than it's usual month end slot in the schedule, on 2nd March 2015. Priced at ¥2,500, it can be purchased from all good Japanese bookstores which offer international shipping such as Amazon Japan, HMV, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. The anime-style cover artwork from character designer Ookubo Tooru seems to have worked its magic once again as the book has reached the top of Amazon's gaming magazine charts several times in the last few days.

The bonus CD is Showgeki Basara Talk! Chousokabe & Mouri No Maki Vol. 2 with seiyuu Ishino Ryuuzou and Nakahara Shigeru. I missed their team antics at Basara Matsuri so it's good to hear from them again.

The pair start off by reading their fan mail (several people submitted questions about Sengoku Basara Judge End) then launch into the newest 'Basara Challenge' skit. The task this time is that Motochika and Motonari have to conduct an interrogation - except that they're too busy arguing and undermining one another to get anything productive done. The bad situation gets even worse when Motonari points out that a pirate isn't really in any position to look down on a criminal and the task is eventually abandoned in favour of a battle between the two warriors.

Lastly comes the 'Bonds Game' where they have to answer weird questions and compare their answers. Ishino and Nakahara seem to have a lot in common!

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 7

Autumn's issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine was released a few days ago with Sengoku Basara 4 newcomer Shima Sakon taking the honour of appearing on the cover and on the cute Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap. For Sakon fans, this book is likely to be indispensible; it's the first time since his debut that he's been the star of an entire publication.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 7 went on sale on 27th November 2014 priced at ¥2,500. It can be purchased from most Japanese bookstores which offer international shipping, such as Amazon Japan, HMV, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. Prices will rise once stock starts to become scarce and the last issue is already out of print; given that this particular issue seems to be quite popular thanks to character designer Ookubo Tooru's anime-style cover illustration, it may sell out more quickly than usual.

With this being an odd-numbered issue it means that there's a new pair of characters featured on the CD. Showgeki Basara Talk! Motochika & Motonari No Maki Vol. 1 features two of the most beloved seiyuu of the series, Ishino Ryuuzou and Nakahara Shigeru. They're both lovely and tend to work as a natural comedy duo even during the unscripted parts of the show.

Their 'Basara Challenge' skit requires that Motochika and Motonari try to look after some children, which ends up being Motochika looking after the children while trying to prevent Motonari treating them as pawns in his army. The whole thing is greatly enhanced with childish background music and prerecorded sound effects of the children cheering at comical moments. No matter how much fun Aniki has trying to instil his values in his young charges, Motonari is always ready with a joyless insult of some kind to darken the mood.

The other special activity on the disc is a quiz where both seiyuu talked about their characters' more challenging lines. Overall, it's a pretty good Basara Talk CD.

My usual run-through of the rest of the magazine's contents follows.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 6

The summer issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine is devoted to Mouri Motonari, with a brand new CG illustration of him on the front cover and an adorable Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 6 was released on 27th August 2014 priced at ¥2,500. It can be purchased from most Japanese bookstores which offer international shipping, such as Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. Once new copies have sold out the prices are likely to rise as they have for the previous issues.

The talk CD this issue is the follow-up to the previous one: Showgeki Basara Talk! Ieyasu & Mitsunari No Maki Vol. 2 starring seiyuu Ookawa Tooru and Seki Tomokazu. At close to an hour, it's the longest bonus CD yet! Since the Sengoku Basara Judge End anime has now started its run, they were able to talk about it more freely than before. It's funny how different Seki sounds when he's speaking normally and not using Mitsunari's intense voice. Among other topics, they replied to questions from fans and played a 'Bonds Game' where they had to answer strange questions about the series and compare their responses. Most of their answers were completely different...

The CD's 'Basara Challenge' skit was the 'Children's Telephone Consultation Room'. It parodies a real Japanese radio show called Kodomo Denwa Soudanshitsu where children call in with questions for adults to answer on a variety of topics. The seiyuu had to pretend they were talking on the phone since there wasn't really anyone on the other end during the live recording. Ieyasu was really good at speaking to the children! He tried to guide Mitsunari through the process and prevent him from terrorising the kids, which didn't work all that well - still, the results are very funny.

Having covered all of the bonus items, it's time to take an in-depth look at the contents of the magazine itself!

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 5

This season's issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine is a dazzling hot pink to celebrate Chousokabe 'Aniki' Motochika. Just like Mitsunari and Masamune in previous issues, he's received a brand new CG illustration for his role as the cover star. The collectible rubber strap shows a different side of Motochika in his cute Mame Sengoku Basara form.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 5 was released on 27th May 2014 priced at ¥2,500. It can be purchased from most Japanese bookstores which offer international shipping, such as Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh.

The talk CD this issue is Showgeki Basara Talk! Ieyasu & Mitsunari No Maki Vol. 1 starring seiyuu Ookawa Tooru and Seki Tomokazu. I'm not usually interested in the 'Sekigahara duo' but thanks to their funny seiyuu they're hilarious in this kind of informal discussion. The conversations between the two seiyuu have a natural flow, then when they get into character for their 'Basara Challenge' drama Ieyasu always sounds as though he's provoking Mitsunari on purpose simply by being nice to him. The entire 'Basara Challenge' segment is amazing with members of the Toyotomi army cast as the purple, yellow, white and red warriors in a theoretical 'Sentai Hero' team: Sengoku Sentai Basaranger.

Somehow, hearing Ookawa saying the words 'Sengoku Basara: Judge End' in the CD's introduction made the upcoming anime adaptation feel closer than ever.

My rambling summary of the rest of the magazine follows!

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 4

I don't think it's unfair to call this fourth issue the least interesting volume of Sengoku Basara Magazine so far, primarily because its release comes long after most readers will have picked up their copies of Sengoku Basara 4. There's very little new information left to reveal about the latest game that hasn't also appeared in Weekly Famitsu, Dengeki Playstation and the various books which have been published, and it's apparently still too early for Capcom to share any news about the upcoming stage play or anime adaptation too. I'm hoping that will change next month after the Anime Japan event takes place but there's no way to know for sure.

Anyway, the magazine was released on 27th February 2014 for the usual price of ¥2,400. At the time of this review it is still available for order internationally through Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. All of the previous issues sold out reasonably quickly (the prices for used copies of the first issue are ridiculous) so it's best to place an order swiftly if you plan on adding this to your collection someday.

Ishida Mitsunari is the fourth warrior to feature on the magazine's cover and Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap. Like Masamune last year, he's received a new CG illustration - I hope that the other cast members (along with Yukimura and Ieyasu who missed out) will receive new artwork in the coming months now the game has been released!

The bonus talk CD is Showgeki Basara Talk! Yukimura & Sasuke No Maki Vol. 2 with seiyuu Hoshi Souichirou and Koyasu Takehito. I had a quick listen as I worked earlier and they were both adorable as they navigated topics about the Sengoku Basara 4 characters; Koyasu muttered that he liked Nouhime at one point and lamented her absence in the latest game. The popular 'Basara Challenge' segment involved Yukimura and Sasuke visiting an amusement arcade and trying out a crane game. Yukimura's tortured howls of disappointment made it very funny.

The first 28 pages of the magazine are devoted to tips and information about Sengoku Basara 4. Every single playable character gets some coverage, though since most of the space is devoted to the various story routes those with just one don't get as much attention as those with several. The gameplay tips don't include anything that hasn't already appeared in previous publications (we have to wait for the Complete Guide book for that). The article analyses each story (with occasional comments from the creators too) and small CG pictures of everyone posing in their alternate outfits provide a taster of the kind of content the Official Complete Works book will be presenting in the next few weeks.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 3

No matter how quickly the postal services work and how much information Japanese fans shared online, waiting for my copy of Sengoku Basara Magazine vol.3 was hard. Released on 27th November 2013 priced at ¥2,400, the magazine is still available through Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh at the time I'm writing this post. The two earlier issues are now quite rare (and expensive) so fans who didn't preorder are advised to pick up their copy as soon as possible.

Tokugawa Ieyasu is the cover star this time, featuring on the Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap freebie and also in a special profile and interview within the magazine. Yet Sengoku Basara 4 fans are perhaps more interested in the magazine's surprise announcement that Mouri Motonari will be appearing in the upcoming game. I've already summarised a large portion of the other gossip from the magazine in an earlier post.

Ieyasu has to share his cover issue with another distraction too since the bonus disc is a talk CD starring Hoshi Souichirou (Sanada Yukimura) and Koyasu Takehito (Sarutobi Sasuke). The pair of them are in fine form and their chatter was full of energy; it made me want the new game even more so I can hear their new frantic mid-battle conversations!

The very first page of Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 3 includes the picture of Motonari and Sourin in a vast round-up of the latest Sengoku Basara 4 developments. There's a very clear statement next to a picture of the roster (with Mitsuhide and Tenkai shown separately) which confirms that there will be 40 characters in the new game with 32 among them being playable characters. A huge article highlights each character introduced since the previous issue (including Motonari) and incorporates snippets of background information from series director Yamamoto Makoto and producer Kobayashi Hiroyuki.

Sengoku Basara 4 Reference Materials (Part 2)

This is the second part of my collection of translated Sengoku Basara 4 reference materials after the first grew too large for a single post. You can see the other part here; it contains menu translations, a stage list and weapon enhancement information.

Sengoku Basara 4 Reference Materials

If I have time, I'll gather my Sengoku Basara 4 information here as a reference guide. News and article translations will remain on my main blog; this summary is just for the main menus and system details for the game itself. More detailed explanations of everything in the list can be found on the main blog.

This is currently a work in progress. Unlike my usual posts this one will be updated periodically. Please note that as this blog entry became too long for Blogger I have moved the later chapters to a second post.

The Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi additions are in a separate guide here.

News roundup: Gossip from the Fukuoka Sengoku Basara 4 in-store preorder event and more translations

Rumours from today's Sengoku Basara 4 in-store preorder event

It's Saturday once again, which means that the third of the five weekly Sengoku Basara 4 preorder events has now taken place in Yodobashi Camera, Hakata. There was a presentation by game producer Kobayashi 'KobaP' Hiroyuki and another video was unveiled.

Here is the usual collection of rumours from Twitter, 2ch and other sources. As Hakata is located less centrally it sounds as though there were fewer fans in attendance than there were last week - or fewer fans who use social media networks. It's really tough to separate the rumours from the facts with so few reliable sources.

• The main thing everyone is talking about is Amago Haruhisa. There are a lot of rumours about him being in the game as an enemy, though nobody seems to know for sure whether he's a full enemy NPC, a cutscene character or some kind of minor boss again.
• The source seems to be that the name 'Amago' appeared in a timeline shown somewhere in the new video, so it could be a mistake and something to do with Shikanosuke's story. One person thought they saw the phrase 'a world of sand'.
• The vagueness of the rumour hasn't stopped everyone from speculating wildly about the old regional warlords again...
• Someone asked whether there would be regional warlords or cutscene-only characters. KobaP couldn't reveal that yet.
• The fan theory that Shikanosuke's deer is actually Amago was rejected at the event.
• There's still no news about Motonari even though people asked.
• KobaP said that Oichi is really cute in Nagamasa's story.
• It seems that Matabee was in the Toyotomi army at first but departed along with Kanbee. He then became thoroughly disgusted with Kanbee and left him, but it's touching when they reunite in the game. KobaP wouldn't say whether Matabee rejoins the Kuroda army.
• There aren't many anime endings at all.
• The new video features Sengoku Creation Mode and the march screen. There was a lot of text again so people can't really describe it.
• There was some discussion about the way characters move on the march screen (Ieyasu riding on Tadakatsu, Mitsunari running and other characters riding horses as we've seen already).
• KobaP said something about Aniki (Motochika) moving in a very 'Aniki-like' way on the march screen. One fan speculated that he might be depicted riding on some kind of vehicle.
• You can apparently rotate the camera to view your character from the front on the march screen.
• The new video supposedly includes footage of Magoichi as a playable character with Tsuruhime as support.
• There's a shot of Katsuie and Sakon standing back to back in the new Echizen: Kitanoshou Castle intrusion stage.
• I've only found a handful of pictures of the event venue so far courtesy of @ito_bsr (2, 3) and @rekkuza96. It was an all-girl crowd when everyone was queueing at the start.

I'll add to the list if I find anything else of interest.

Even though the event information was weak, while I was searching I stumbled upon this new post on the Sony Playstation blog. There's the first in a series of weird videos with KobaP at the bottom.

The Bushou Matsuri 2013 DVD cover art is revealed

The cover artwork for the upcoming Butai Sengoku Basara Bushou Matsuri 2013 event DVD is now available. I still have no idea whether the Dais Shop version is sticking to its 'late November' date now that a general release is on the way. I can't wait to see Ikeda Shuuichi's appearance at last!

With the news out of the way, I'm going to delve back into the most recent gameplay video and translate more of the menu system. You can click on the pictures to see them at full size.

Translations of some more Sengoku Basara 4 content: Character Levelling

We discovered that you could level characters up out of battle a few days ago and the latest video revealed exactly how it works. First, you need to select it from the menu in the Battle Preparation screen. Here's an annotated version.

Next, here's a screenshot of the Character Levelling interface. For an explanation of how the Inrou of Enhancement stores experience, please consult the first of this week's translation posts. I think everything else is self-explanatory.

Translations of some more Sengoku Basara 4 content: Weapon Enhancement

You can access Weapon Enhancement through the Basara-ya Shop using the menu screens I translated in my previous post, or by going to Battle Preparation → Equip Weapon then pressing R1 once to switch screens. You can see which screen you're in by checking the navigation in the top left corner.

This next one looks intimidating but it's just a matter of learning the layout. Square controls the weapon's Rarity level, which affects its maximum stats. Triangle boosts stats by random amounts using your stock of fortune hammers, while the Circle button lets you increase individual stats with your stock of whetstones.

Translations of some more Sengoku Basara 4 content: Play Books

I've mentioned the flat, rectangular items you can receive as rewards or buy from the in-game shop a few times now and they appear to be called Play Books or Game Books. In this case I'm going with the former for my translations since the word 'game' is used a lot elsewhere. I've adjusted the annotations on the march screen in my previous translation post to take this decision into account.

In the bottom left of the main march screen is a section labelled Play Settings which you can access by pressing L1. I believe that this will take you to your Play Books, allowing you to set up to three of them in the slots below. It looks as though they'll work like the accessories did in the previous games.

Here's a list of the books and their effects that I've seen so far. Since the icons all seem to look the same anyway, I'm going to present the translations as a list instead of a picture to make it easier to update over time.

Name	Translation
体力倍増	Double hit points
敵体力倍増	Double enemy hit points
敵兵治癒	Enemy soldier recovery
ばくち打ち	Gamble
捨て身の覚悟	The resolve to risk your life
大将殺し	Slayer of generals
会心乱発	Random criticals
鋼のからだ	Steel body
粋早々	Quick Style
手数重視	Emphasis on hassle

The effect and bonus reward for 'Enemy soldier recovery' is also shown: enemies gradually regain their hit points, and if you win you get a 200% bonus to the money you earned.

Translations of some more Sengoku Basara 4 content: Weapon Fusion

To add Inscriptions to your weapons, you need to use the Weapon Fusion system. It can be found in the same menu as Weapon Enhancement above. First, choose your weapon from the list as usual. The blue label means the weapon is equipped, the yellow label means you're performing the synthesis on that weapon (I'm calling it the 'base weapon'), and the red label is used for the weapon you're using as raw materials for the upgrade. Here's the first Weapon Fusion screen from the video with text annotations in English.

When you've picked the weapon you want to use as your 'raw material', you're taken to the main Weapon Fusion screen. You can move Inscriptions from the 'raw material' weapon to the one you're upgrading.

Selecting a slot which already has an Inscription gives the message 'Discard'. Be careful you don't do this unless you want to reclaim that slot!

Certain types of Inscription can be placed on top of others to boost them. The video shows the 'Extreme' Inscription being added to a basic type, making it stronger.

Once you're done, you can press Triangle to complete the fusion, destroying the 'raw material' weapon in the process. Each upgrade has a cost, and you have to pay the total price when the button is pressed.

Translations of some more Sengoku Basara 4 content: Inscriptions

You can view the table of Inscriptions by pressing R2 when you're in the shop or on the main battle preparation screen, or straight from the Weapon Enhancement menu above.

I've given each individual Inscription a number in this diagram:

News roundup: Some minor news and a few Sengoku Basara 4 screenshot translations

This Saturday, there are going to be a staggering four Sengoku Basara events running in Japan at once. I'm not anticipating any news from the stage play, manga signing or college demonstration, but producer Kobayashi Hiroyuki will be presenting a brand new video again at a branch of Yodobashi Camera in Hakata, Fukuoka and there is bound to be some news to report on after that. Because of this I thought I could hold out until Saturday before writing another news roundup post, however it turns out that I was wrong; there's more to report about than expected!

Basara Magazine Vol. 3 is formally announced for release on 27th November 2013

They really took their time with the official website update to announce the details of this issue. Until this week, all that was there was a simple PDF file and I had to scavenge my information from shop listings.

Anyway, the update means we have the first picture from the new one-shot manga, Wan-Nyan Sengoku Basara, which reimagines the series with the characters as cats and dogs. It sounds interesting.

New manga Sengoku Basara Comic Anthology 'Setouchi Chronicle' now has a firm release date

The magazine's website also confirmed that 21st December 2013 will be the release date for the delayed Sengoku Basara Comic Anthology 'Setouchi Chronicle' manga compilation. The details are as previously reported and while we don't have final cover artwork yet, there's at least a little preview picture to make it feel more as though the book might one day exist.

Perhaps they're planning on unveiling the full details along with Motonari in next week's magazine?

Basara Club prepares for its December launch with a survey

The new Basara Club fan club will be commencing activities at the start of December, and as a warm up they've asked members to start submitting messages and fan art for the first issue of the official newsletter ahead of its January 2014 release date. For those of us with less imagination and talent, there's also a fun survey - hopefully the first of many - which asks fans to vote for their favourite of the following:

• Date Masamune's famous lines.
• Weapons you want to use.
• Costumes you want to wear.
• Names of moves which you can't help shouting out.

It's not multiple choice so there will probably be some really weird suggestions, though they're trying to keep things sensible by asking people to name the character the weapon/costume/move belongs to and justify each answer. I haven't decided how I will vote yet...

Translations of some more Sengoku Basara 4 content: Menus

Since I had some free time (my Crunchyroll subscription temporarily expired this week...please don't tell me what happened in today's Kakumeiki Valvrave!) I decided to quickly prepare some visuals to attempt to demystify some of the new material we saw in the newest trailer and screenshots. I'm not very good at this kind of thing so please forgive the amateurish presentation.

Firstly, Sengoku Creation Mode's main 'march screen', with annotations. You can click the picture to make it larger.

I've noted that there's a sale running in the Basara-ya shop (indicated by the red ticket over its name). If there's a 'special deal' instead of a sale, the shop icon will look like this:

The shop has various sections you can browse, so this is what the next menu apparently looks like.

Finally, the shop itself. I merged two different pictures together to show how the sale items and special deals appear.

Unsure whether these annotations will actually help anyone... but you never know! The weapon inscription screen will have to wait for another day.

Translations of some more Sengoku Basara 4 content: Stages

Next, here's a list of every confirmed stage in Sengoku Basara 4 so far to the best of my knowledge. To qualify for the list, I must have visually confirmed the name in a screenshot or video. Even though it's obvious who the bosses will be on some of the levels where that data is missing, I only want to include information which is 100% confirmed.

Please note that the punctuation is sometimes inconsistent between screenshots in Japanese so I just picked one version. Some of the names sound more like story encounters than battles...

Stage	Japanese Name	Type(s)	Enemy Commander
Abrasion: The Beauty of Insufficiency	研磨　不足の美	Outbreak	-
Azuchi-Shiten Gathering	安土四天結集	Outbreak	-
Battle of Sekigahara: Eastern Sun	関ヶ原の戦い　東陽	Outbreak	Tokugawa Ieyasu
Bizen: Ujou (Okayama Castle)	備前・烏城	Normal	Kobayakawa Hideaki
Echizen: Kitanoshou Castle	越前・北ノ庄城	Normal	Shima Sakon, Shibata Katsuie
Fate: One-Eyed Dragon	宿命　独眼竜	Outbreak	-
Incident at Honnouji	本能寺の変	Normal/Outbreak	Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide
Investigation: Shikanosuke	探索　鹿之介	One-on-one	Yamanaka Shikanosuke
Izumo: Shiraga Castle	出雲・白鹿城	Normal	Yamanaka Shikanosuke
Kaga: Maeda Kabuki-Matsuri	加賀・前田花吹祭	Outbreak	-
Kai: Tsutsujigasaki Yakata	甲斐・躑躅ヶ崎館	Normal	Takeda Shingen
Kawanakajima: Hachimanpara	川中島・八幡原	-	-
Mikawa: Komaki-Nagakute	三河・小牧長久手	Normal	Tokugawa Ieyasu
Oda: Azuchi Castle	織田・安土城	Normal	Oda Nobunaga
Osaka: Toyotomi Hajou	大阪・豊臣覇城	Normal	Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Oushuu: Aoba Castle	奥州・青葉城	Normal	Date Masamune
Pirate Fortress: Hyakki Fugaku	海賊要塞・百鬼富嶽	Normal	Chousokabe Motochika
Remains of Ounin: Souden	応仁の跡　走伝	Outbreak	Ashikaga Yoshiteru
Revenge: The Sword of the God of War	復習　軍神の剣	Outbreak	-
Shizugatake: The Oda Vanguard Advances	賤ヶ岳・織田尖兵進行	Outbreak	-
Takeda Otoko Dojo	武田漢道場	Outbreak	-
Tango: Sengenji	丹後・泉源寺	Normal/Derivation	Kyougoku Maria
Tootoumi: Iinoya Castle	遠江・井伊谷城	Normal/Omen/Derivation	Ii Naotora
Toyotomi Reminiscence Struggle	豊臣回顧闘争	Outbreak	Toyotomi Hideyoshi

If you're wondering about the 'Type' column, stage types are a new mechanic introduced in this title. I'm not sure whether all stages are available in all five variations, so I thought it would be interesting to make a note of this information too.

Normal stages are the same as usual; fulfil the objectives and win the battle. I think most of the battles you'll fight in the first round of Sengoku Creation Mode will be like this. The newest video shows the rewards for a normal battle as the standard mix of weapons, money and enhancement materials.

Outbreaks have red backgrounds behind their names and suddenly appear depending on the actions taken by the armies in the game. They seem to be just like the special stages which traditionally appear mid-game depending on your performance. The rewards shown in the video looked similar to the normal ones only with some nicer enhancements on the weapons.

Omen battles appear on the map just like Outbreaks, except they have an ominous purple background. Going by the newest video, they reward the player with books and experience points.

If you ignore an Omen battle, it might turn into a Derivation. These have a blue background, and a mixture of rewards.

The fifth and final type of encounter is a One-on-one match; a quick boss fight which is touted as being a good source of weapons. The single screenshot of one of these shows that every single reward tier offers weapons, even the lowest rank.

I'm a little confused about the colour scheme for Omen stages and One-on-one fights, because Investigation: Shikanosuke was specifically used as an example of the latter in several articles yet it seems to have a blue label. The picture shows Shikanosuke fooling around instead of a stage background. Is that the main difference between them?

Anyway, that's the end of today's speculation! I may have misunderstood how this 'stage type' system works and the colours might mean something else (if so, let's blame Weekly Famitsu magazine for the original article rather than my incompetence).