February 14, 2026(Steam Version)
Sakura Gozen(Japanese:桜御前, English:Sakura Gozen) is a蟹ヘッドクラブ developedAdult-orientedRole-playing game.
Game Synopsis
Long ago, in Japan, there was a domain called "Sakuraba."
Sakura Ouka, who lived there, was an incredibly strong samurai, but she seemed to have a screw loose. Not only was she unemployed, but she was also punished for her constant strange behavior, resulting in the confiscation of her remaining family property and weapons.
One day, she rescued a child named Suzune in the pleasure district, which became the catalyst for the two of them to embark on a journey to "Revitalize the Sakura Style."
To return to the way of the samurai, they chose to challenge the "Gozen Tournament." A journey of trials and growth begins now!
- Some events contain a certain degree of blood depiction (no heavy gore).Basically just losing an arm or an eye...
- Some parts of the story involve settings from the previous work, "Strange Horror Theater," but players who haven't experienced the previous work can still play, while those who have cleared it will be able to appreciate the content more deeply.
Character Introduction
Has a rough personality that respects the strong, simple-minded and easily schemed against.
Can sense through wild intuitiondefeat events'danger signs.
The current successor of the "Sakura Style" who can use five types of weapons, and a rare Sakurama Samurai of the current era.
A reticent girl who appeared on the streets and became a disciple under Sakura.
The bells on her hands seem to have significant meaning and never leave her side.
To learn various knowledge from Sakura, she often records terminology and insights in "Suzune's Notes".
Growth Rate: A+
A blacksmith who performs weapon enhancements at exorbitant prices.
Her side business is mechanical contraptionsand "_張型”production, deeply trusted by the townspeople.
Likes fundoshi and has a strange obsession with them.
Responsible for making clothing and charms, tailoring various outfits for Sakura.
Passionate
Her mother's body length exceeds thirteen shaku (approx. 4 meters), and she has recently been trying to persuade her to lose weight.
One of the few proper physicians, also indirectly responsible for handling tax collection and other affairs within the castle.
Proficient in potion-making, they have repeatedly lent a hand to Sakura despite their constant complaining.
Game System
Basic Instructions
This work uses a pseudo-side-scrolling perspective. Except for certain cross-scene movements and vertical movements like ladders, characters can only move horizontally left and right. Pressing the Up arrow key allows for investigating objects in the scene, but to talk to NPCs, you must interact with them from the side to start a conversation.
Arrows displayed on the map indicate scene transitions. The blue shoe icon with a "J" is a jump prompt; investigating it allows you to jump to the corresponding location.
Controls:
- Arrow Keys: Move
- Space/Enter: Interact/Confirm
- ESC/X: Menu/Cancel
- E: Open Equipment Screen
- M: Open Quest Screen
- F: Open Fast Travel Screen
Map Design
This game is a chapter-based RPG. Various collectible items appear on the map, such as item bags and cabinets. Yellow item bags and items appearing as sparkling points are renewable and will respawn when switching scenes, while items in cabinets and pink bags will not respawn.
After completing a certain side quest, the function to automatically collect renewable items you come into contact with will be unlocked.
In addition to towns, there are several field maps that unlock with chapters. Enemies roam these field maps, and contact will trigger a battle.
Each field map contains a similar set of elements, such as facilities to collect drops from that map, a function to instant-kill monsters on that map (rare monsters will not be encountered when enabled), hidden areas, and outfits that allow for quick passage through the map. These must be obtained by completing side quests.
The bottom-left corner of the screen displays currently active support functions and the inventory of materials obtainable on the current map.
Characters and Equipment
Character performance in this game can be improved by changing equipment and increasing character attributes.
The protagonist of this game can equip five weapons, one piece of armor, and two charms.
- Weapons are divided into five types: Wakizashi, Spear, Bow, Chain Weapon, and Tachi, each with different effects in battle.However, generally choosing those with high attack power is sufficient.
- Armor can increase a character's durability (defense). Casual wearand the "Death Raiment" used during the Gozen Matchare the armors with the highest defense but no other effects. Other outfits have slightly lower defense but provide some additional effects. Armor also affects the character's appearance.
- Charms simply provide various buff effects.
There are several ways to improve character attributes. In addition to adjusting equipment, it includes natural growth when leveling up, and consuming enhancement points in the Menu - Upgrade to obtain enhancements.
In the upgrade interface, the following options can be selected:
- Upgrade the character's 6 basic attributes, up to a maximum of level 6. The increase per level varies for different attributes.
- Increase the QTE judgment area (see#Combat System) size for each weapon; each weapon can only be upgraded once.
- Obtain QTE assist functions.
- Toggle various enhancement functions. (Does not consume upgrade points)
- Exchange for special items.
Upgrade points are obtained when the character levels up, and can also be obtained by using Level Pills.
Combat System
This game features turn-based combat, where the action order is determined by the Agility attribute.
The protagonist can perform attacks, defend, use items, and change equipment during battle.
- Defense, items, and changing equipment have no major special features; the only thing to note is that outfits cannot be changed during the "Gozen Match".
- In the attack menu, players can choose to consume SP to use various weapons, with SP consumption varying by weapon.
- Up to five attacks can be selected in one turn. The Tachi can only be used for the fifth attack, and after selecting Fists, no subsequent attacks can be chosen. There are no usage limits for other weapons.
- After selecting the attack method and target, a QTE segment will begin. Pressing the confirm button when the cursor overlaps with the attack judgment area will increase the damage of that attack.
- The SP consumed by attacks starts at its maximum value at the beginning of a battle, and thereafter, SP is recovered each turn based on the Fighting Spirit attribute.
In general mob battles, enemy status is displayed below the enemy character, while in BOSS battles, it is displayed in the top left corner.
- The enemy's status bar displays their current HP, Break Gauge, weakness attributes, and status ailments.
- For the vast majority of BOSSes, a "Soul" icon will appear in the status ailment bar upon entering battle. This indicates that the BOSS cannot be killed at this time. Once their HP drops to a certain level, this status will be removed, they will recover some HP, clear their Break Gauge, forcefully interrupt the protagonist's attack, and will definitely use a powerful skill in the next turn. Some BOSSes will also be temporarily immune to Break Gauge increases after triggering this effect.
- When a BOSS is preparing to use a powerful skill, a "Special Move" or "Ultimate" icon will appear in the status ailments, requiring the player to interrupt or defend.
- The protagonist's attacks can accumulate the enemy's Break Gauge. Once the Break Gauge is full, the enemy will not act that turn, and the damage they receive this turn and the next will be greatly increased.
Town Facilities
In town, you can interact and trade with various NPCs. Generally, NPC locations do not change, and most NPCs can also be found at home in the late game. Additionally, the item synthesis NPC will unlock advanced synthesis later on.
- Main Street - East - Blacksmith - Enka: Upgrade weapons, synthesize weapon materials.
- Only provides upgrades and does not sell weapons directly.
- Main Street - West - Bathhouse - Tamako: Synthesize medicines.
- Includes recovery potions and items that apply debuffs to enemies. Advanced synthesis also allows for the creation of more powerful combat items or permanent stat-boosting potions.
- Main Street - West - Pleasure District - Kirari: Synthesize outfits/charms.
- Some outfits require blueprints.
- Main Street - West - Delang: Sell specific items here for money; you can also purchase some consumables here.
- Main Street - Center - Recollection Room: Not a gallery, but a facility for re-fighting strong enemies, useful for quickly collecting specific types of rare drops.
Suzune's Notes
One of the collection elements of this game, serving as a glossary and story supplement.
Divided into two parts: Equipment Encyclopedia and Character/Terminology Notes. The Equipment Encyclopedia requires obtaining the corresponding equipment (weapons with the same name before and after enhancement count as different entries), while Character/Terminology notes are obtained by triggering specific dialogues, where keywords appear in orange.
- Weapon Encyclopedia: Supplements background stories.Prequel。
- Armor Encyclopedia: Kirari's comments on outfits, as well as hints for the locations of some hidden outfit blueprints.
- Character Notes: For the characters, anonsensicalbrief introduction.
- Terminology Notes: Explaining special terms within the game.Including serious explanations of various loanwords that shouldn't appear in this setting.
Game Flow
At the start of the game, you can choose to start from the Prologue or skip it.
- If you choose to start from the Prologue, you will proceed through the Prologue and Chapter 1 consecutively; the dividing point between the two is the completion of the request tutorial, which unlocks Fast Travel and the Request system.
- To progress the main story, you only need to complete Main Requests marked with "M," but Side Requests marked with "S" can unlock things that make obtaining materials and experience easier, so it's recommended to complete them along the way.
- After completing all Main Quests marked with "M," you can head to the castle to participate in the "Gozen Match"; completing the consecutive battles counts as finishing the chapter.
- After completing Chapter 1, you will enter the Chapter Selection area for the first time, where you can choose to enter the next chapter or re-enter a previously cleared chapter.
- At this point, you will obtain an item used to interrupt the chapter story and return to Chapter Selection.
- Each chapter has several loadable nodes; when entering a cleared chapter, Main Quest progress will roll back, but Side Quest progress will not.
- There are also weapon boxes in the Chapter Selection map, which unlock as the game progresses.
- By the way, the main menu background changes every time you clear a chapter.
- The structure of Chapter 2 is roughly the same as Chapter 1 and won't be repeated; Chapter 3 begins to change—it is divided into two parts, and there is no Gozen Match; at the end of the first half, you will enter an "Interlude" where you control another character.
- The structure of the Interlude is relatively simple with no side quests; after completing the Interlude, you enter the second half of Chapter 3 to prepare for the siege. Once the siege begins, you cannot leave, so please handle side quests beforehand.Side quests in this stage will affect the ending branches.
- Start the siege. After fighting your way into the laboratory, you will reach the final branching point of the game (accessible quickly via the Chapter Select area after reaching any ending). Talking to different characters will trigger different final boss battles and lead to different endings.
- Ouma (
Burning Sakura Horse（ ））Ending: No prerequisites, talk to Kirari. - Bushi (武死）Ending:Requires completing the side quest "Fox of Memory", talk to Delon.。
- This quest requires collecting three memory fragments, located at:
- Beast Mountain - Entrance
- Sai no Kawara - Interlude
- Tachibana Residence (Requires returning to the Interlude to collect as Delon)
- Sakura (
Sakura Gozen（ ））Ending:Requires collecting 5 cherry blossom petals, talk to Rinne.。- Among the items to be collected, 4 can be obtained by completing other side quests in the latter half of Chapter 3.
- The final collectible is located atChapter Selection area, obtain by breaking the two Jizo statues above after completing the O&B ending。
- Ouma (
- Although the S ending is the best of the three endings, it is still not the "True Ending" of this work
| After reaching the S ending... |
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Awards
This work won the 2024 DLsite Award Hokkaido "Regional Choice" award.[1]