![Sengoku Turb [戦国TURB] Game Sample - Dreamcast](/images/yt/mv/sengoku-turb-turb-game-sample-dreamcast-uy9cp.jpg)
Sengoku Turb [戦国TURB] Game Sample - Dreamcast
461As a near-launch Dreamcast game and dubbed as the first RPG on the system (the spine card refers to it as a "Full Polygon Multi-Character Wartime Role Player"), Sengoku Turb was created in 1998 but faced last minute delays and was released at the beginning of 1999. Developed by qnep, it actually got a lot of (brief) coverage back in the day as the DC was hotly anticipated and many were wondering which titles would get released overseas, but most opinions on the game were that it was too bizarre and repetitive to have any lasting appeal, and it was quickly forgotten about... overseas anyway.
ST actually has a strong cult following in Japan due to its origins as a PC-98 shareware title released back in 1992 and its designers, Masao Masutani and Yoko Kuroyanagi. Masao originally developed the game and the absurd concepts behind it while Yoko designed the characters and is best known for partially spear-heading the Tamagotchi craze (she designed Tamagotchis too). The DC game is actually pretty faithful to the PC-98 game and is an evolution of the surreal world presented years prior. A fan disc was even released later that year which was a collection of mini-games set in the same bizarre universe as a testament to its popularity.
Most sites cover this much on the game, but what are the game's actual intricacies? To find out, simply read on.
The player controls Jino-chan, an Intergalactic anti-hero bounty hunter who does what she wants with little to no regard for the consequences who has a case of "Complete Heterochromia" and a form of the exceptionally rare "Highlander Disease". Due to her travels, a temporal shift in space altered her body and slowed her aging... you see, Jino is described as having the body of a teenager, but she's actually in her early 30s. Weird? It gets weirder. While chasing her nemesis, an alien named Doppa, she accidentally destroys another planet and narrowly escapes to "Planet Lion". On this planet, evolved Cat Folk and Sheep Folk are at war and the cats are slowly losing the battle (where most characters address the carnage in sarcastic or nonchalant ways, asking questions like "Does it hurt?" and "Is dying scary?"). But Jino's no animal... she's a human (mostly) and can turn the tides of battle in the supposedly peace-loving cats' favor.
The problem? Jino can choose to help or basically say "nah, I'm out" which leads to two hilariously different "Drama Scenes" (if you choose not to help, Jino leaves, one of the cats are killed, and Jino accidentally kills one of the sheep while picking up the deceased cat's weapon, getting caught up in the war regardless... this is dubbed HARD Mode as you start with one less troop and they have lower stats). Most Drama Scenes don't have a major impact on how the game plays out, but a few do, such as some that adjust difficulty, net you items you wouldn't get otherwise, or tweak your ending. They're just plain strange and often don't make much sense. The stark contrast between what's said and what's displayed compels you to play more just to see different outcomes.
The game is also broken up into "Episodes" and "Stages", and some Episodes have particular parameters to clear them. You can revisit old areas to farm items (and seldom move the plot along) and go to Stage Zero to get different secrets in different Episodes (for example, in Episode 2, talk to Sudoo / Stage 0, to get a strong sword to help clear the first few levels or talk to the nurse in Episode 5 to get infinite random support items). This would be helpful if the game wasn't an absolute grind -- the game has different checkpoints where you can farm "fairies" (who are EATEN to boost primary stats) and "rabbits or bears" (who can be transformed into cat allies with a "Kuma-Neko Converter"... I can't make this up). Items don't have descriptions and the game is purposefully vague to incite a feeling of nostalgia and mild frustration, but know that there are over a dozen different weapon types and they have variables in strength, range, debuff, and durability (weapons break). Players can also level up and Jino can leak EXP to her pawns (at a low rate), but leveling is slow in general.
Menu management is clunky as you can't throw away regular items and around stage 18 or so, they introduce the "rot" mechanic without saying anything, where eating rotten items can have disastrous consequences (the "Black Yousei" is the worst... it takes the majority of EVERYONES health and inflicts poison... it can wipe out nearly an entire party... not cool in a game which more or less has permadeath for allies). The game plays partially like an RTS as well since the game is always moving by default and you can issue a variety of strategies to teammates (which are actually quite helpful) as well as view the field and track enemies by radar. The game has an almost minimalist, highly blocky look on purpose and a small but serviceable soundtrack. The game is rough but interesting overall.
*To be continued*