Sengoku Blade
Sengoku Blade, also known as Tengai outside Japan, is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up video game released for arcade machines in 1996 by Psikyo as a sequel to their 1993 shooter "Sengoku Ace". A home console version was also released for the Sega Saturn. The game was ported years later to the PlayStation 2, and again for iOS and Android devices and the Nintendo Switch. The game is set in a historical fantasy version of the Sengoku period of Japanese history, featuring demons, magic and steam-powered robotics. Gameplay. "Sengoku Blade" is horizontal-scrolling shoot 'em up . The game takes place in an imaginative and futuristic version of feudal Japan featuring steam-powered machinery. The Saturn version provides an option to choose a difficulty level between 1 and 7, configure controls, and set the number of lives between 1 and 4. The player may choose from five playable characters at the start and may unlocked two more. Items include a power-up to increase weapon power level, bombs, and bonus coins to increase score. Holding down the standard shot button can provide a more powerful shot. If the player touches an enemy ship, their weapon power level  will drop by one. The player will lose a life if they get hit by an enemy bullet. If all lives are lost, continues are provided. Once the game is beaten once, a second round will begin without the ability to use continues. Score rankings and other options can be saved to the system's memory. Plot. Story. The game is set in the world where magic and technology co-exist. A militaristic cult Shinrano, scheming the resurrection of their dark god, has kidnapped the Shogun's daughter Princess Futsu (Futsuhime) for a sacrifice. A group of heroes sets out  to stop this evil plot. The game features branching storyline and several different endings, depending on the characters chosen. Characters. The characters were designed by the now-famous Tsukasa Jun (at that time still an "underground" artist), based on the works of Hirofumi Nakamura in the original game. Tsukasa also returned to design the characters for the second sequel. Release. Originally released for the arcades in 1996, "Sengoku Blade" was first ported to the Sega Saturn on November 22 of that same year. This version was released as a two-disc double set, including a bonus omake CD-ROM which  featured hundreds of "Sengoku Ace" series artworks (including the official art, guest art, and fan art from a contest by Psikyo), and now is rare and expensive to obtain. Exclusive for the Saturn conversion was the implementation of voices during the brief cut scenes, and the addition of Marion from the "Gunbird" series as a bonus hidden character. In 2004, the game was also ported to PlayStation 2 as part of the "Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade" by Taito, which was re-released one year later as a budget-range title. The Japanese release contains both  Sengoku Ace and "Sengoku Blade", but in Europe the two games were sold separately. In 2014, the game was released internationally for iOS and Android mobile devices in Japanese, English and Korean. It was also released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. The game's manga adaptation was published on August 4, 1996. The game's original soundtrack was released by Pony Canyon and Scitron on May 17, 1996. Several PVC figures were also released for Koyori and Junis, as well as for the demon-ninja villainess Kaen (火燕) who has become one of the game's most popular characters . Reception. In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "Sengoku Blade" on their June 1, 1996 issue as being the thirteenth most-successful arcade game of the month. In a "gamesTM" retrospective, "Sengoku Blade" was found to be a simple but enjoyable shooter and given a score of 8 out of 10. They praised the unique graphical style and detail and compared the game favorably to Psikyo's earlier shooter "Gunbird". In 1997, the Japanese "Sega Saturn Magazine" ranked the game's Koyori as the 47th best female character on the platform. The Saturn version has become a collector's item. Sequel. It  was followed by "", released for the PlayStation Portable in 2005.