A weirdly charming game that despite starring a MC that has...a personality...and a horny one at that, the actual game is quite wholesome compared to JRPGs that followed.

The combat was pretty but also kind of forgettable, but the story and cast are quite charming, seeing you go on dates to power up and forge new weapons.

If this game was made today, we'd see some stoic and emotionless MC surrounded by a forgettable harem that showed their boobs off or were filled with lewd scenes.

Thankfully it wasn't made today, but in the past! So if you want a game that has dating mechanics interwoven with its gameplay, try giving this game a shot.

Thousand Arms - the brainchild of Sakura Wars' co-developer Red Company (although reportedly a Tose Software creation), took another stab at that genre crossover but within a regular JRPG format, characterized by a steampunk-fantasy setting, 3-battler parties and better-integrated RPG/dating systems. Sakura Wars' soul is also evident in their vivid, animated character art, their sense of humor and a heavy use of voice acting, while its weapon upgrade feature relies on ally relationships (not surprisingly nurtured via dating-sim segments) and environmental collectibles to unlock skills. Unfortunately, the battle system kills much of its potential. Despite flexible ATB mechanics and an abnormal layout (one active fighter supported by up to two members in the background), the long intervals between commands strain the user's patience, and serve no real purpose other than to - presumably, pad out the game. In any case, its combat is difficult to tolerate. That's not to say that this project is devoid of entertainment - far from it (thanks mainly to its charming cast and ambitious graphical range), but the enjoyable moments all have to compete for screentime with rather slow and tedious gameplay.

I like some of the visual design here. I'm a big fan of 2D characters in 3D environments, and this game does it in a charming, high-color way. The towns are attractive, full of fun detail and structures that the camera weaves and rotates around. Speaking of the camera, I really like how swirls down into the action during dialogue to substitute its character sprites for their anime counterparts.

Virtually everything else about the game is substandard, though. I get it's going for a classic JRPG meets Sakura Wars thing, but the story, combat system, and dating system are all thin and don't feel like they're in conversation with one another. The whole thing is easy, slow, and bloated despite being on the shorter side. Characters aren't well developed, the world doesn't feel coherent or alive, and the story is the usual. Think of a JRPG plotline, it's that. Some of the technique being applied here is impressive to me, but what it's being applied to leaves a lot to be desired.