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.