Book review: Sengoku Basara 4: The Complete Guide

The 'review' part of this post will be brief as there's not a great deal to say about an official strategy guide. Sengoku Basara 4: The Complete Guide was published back on 22nd February 2014 by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki label. It was priced at ¥1,800 and is still readily available from most online stores, including CD Japan, Amazon Japan, Yesasia Global and HMV Japan.

The book is thick at 400 pages and contains exhaustive lists of just about every possible piece of information a person could want to know about Sengoku Basara 4; it's much more detailed than V Jump's earlier Sengoku Basara 4 PS3 Edition: Sengoku Sousei Eiyuutan Dramatic Heroes Guide. If you can only buy one of the two and want a detailed resource to go with the game, I'd recommend this one. My first edition copy also included a Shibata Katsuie bookmark, which was a pleasant surprise! It seems that there are at least three bookmark designs available since commenter VegaManX4 received Sakon instead and I've seen talk of a Masamune design elsewhere. There's probably a Mitsunari bookmark available as well.

Another bonus comes in the form of six Mame Sengoku Basara 4-panel comics strips right at the end of the book. They're very simple gags which parody certain moves and scenes from the game; even though they're drawn more simply than the regular series, they're a welcome addition.

I can't even begin to fully summarise the new information contained in this book - and I wouldn't particularly want to annoy the publishers by trying - but there are some important details which I think that other fans would like to know. I'm going to make a few translated notes which might make it a little easier for people trying to track down all of the game's secrets through the language barrier.

First of all, some general facts.

• Kyougoku Maria's element is officially wind.
• Ashikaga Yoshiteru's is 'all of them'.
• Naoe Kanetsugu's element is 'invincible'... as is his attack power, movement speed, etc. His character profile is taped into the book after the official ones and it looks as though he added it himself.
• As many people have suspected, there are official 'tiers' for how strong each warrior is in a kengeki sword clash. Hideyoshi, Tadakatsu and Yoshiteru are all regarded as 'A' rank and the list extends down to Oichi, Tsuruhime and Kingo who are all considered 'F' rank. The higher tier characters win clashes more easily, deal more damage upon victory and gain significantly more of a boost to their Style Gauge.
• Although all weapons can be made equal in the end, each different weapon type is linked to specific inscriptions and statistics. For example, if you're looking for the 'Six Realms' inscription you should be looking for the blue 'Derivation' battles as much as possible and playing on Basara difficulty. It only ever appears on the characters' sixth weapons in Normal difficulty so it will be exceptionally hard to find it that way.
• The chance of success with the 'Change' inscription is greatly affected by the quality of the inscription you combine it with. Using it on the gold-coloured inscriptions means that you'll get a green-coloured inscription as a reward approximately half of the time (even when the gold-coloured inscription hasn't been upgraded to the 'Extreme' version).

The bulk of the new information is about the game's stages. The stage selection system in Sengoku Basara 4's Sengoku Creation mode has confused a number of people, so I think I'll try to explain how it works using my experience and the data in the book. I'll start with the basics.

• You will always be given a maximum of six stages to play through in Sengoku Creation mode.
• If your character is one of those with alternate routes, you'll be prompted to choose your Drama (blue/white scroll) or Anime route (red/white scroll) after the third battle.
• Unlike most stages in a normal ('Creation') route, the stages for Drama and Anime routes are predetermined.
• If you're looking for a particular stage, don't play one of its boss characters or the stage won't appear (obviously). It's best to play as someone from an enemy faction!
• The Outbreak (red) stages can either appear at random based on the actions of other armies or as a result of you ignoring the random Omen (purple) stages.
• The Omen (purple) battles which appear during your campaign will lead to specific encounters if you ignore them.
• Clearing certain stages can cause specific Derivation (blue) stages to appear afterwards. In some cases, a single stage can lead to a chain of up to three related battles.

With that out of the way, I'm going to present the next set of information in a huge list. We now have confirmation of how to achieve some of the more obscure special challenges on each stage - as well as the conditions for triggering the stages in the first place. It's more obvious in-game if you can understand Japanese since the battle reports announce the developments before each stage appears with a cutscene.

Abrasion: The Beauty of Insufficiency

• Can lead to Toyotomi Reminiscence Struggle if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Aki: Itsukushima

• Can lead to a chain of Iyokouno Ship: Tsurunomaru followed by Remains of Ounin: Souden.
• Can lead to Floating Fortress: Tenkuu Nichirin if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Azuchi-Shiten Gathering

• Can lead to either Osaka: Dragon-Tiger Formation or Battle of Sekigahara: Western Shadow.

Battle of Sekigahara: Eastern Sun

• Can lead to either Tootoumi: Iinoya Castle or Pirate Fortress: Hyakki Fugaku.

Battle of Sekigahara: Western Shadow

• Can lead to either Oumi: Sawayama Castle or Osaka: Toyotomi Hajou.

Bizen: Ujou (Okayama Castle)

• For the second objective you have to take the first two camps (meat and fish) within 40 seconds of the scene where Hideaki comes out and shouts at you.
• Can lead to either Incident at Honnouji or Minstrel: Pale Blue Bellflower.

Dewa: Mogamigawa

• Can lead to either Kawanakajima: Uesugi Battle Formation or Oushuu: Aoba Castle (Matabee Intrusion).

Echizen: Kitanoshou Castle

• Can lead to either Oumi: Sawayama Castle or Fate: One-Eyed Dragon.

Eiroku Palace: Resolution

• There are thirty different rooms in this stage: the starting area and boss room, and twenty-eight others which depend on whether you pick black or red, and whether you win or lose the bet.
• Picking the right colour is simply a matter of timing. If you're struggling to time the doors, you can try exploiting Maximum Style mode with inscriptions and play books to give yourself a boost.
• Can lead to either Kaga: Maeda Kabuki-Matsuri or Incident at Honnouji.

Eiroku Palace: Samsara

• There are only only sixteen different rooms since guessing the wrong colour doesn't change the layouts this time.
• The version of Sourin you need to defeat for this stage's second bonus objective is hiding in a specific room with the (Ryaku) Omoide-gou tank. To reach him you need to stop all of the doors on red - this will also clear the other objective at the same time.
• Can lead to either Hinomoto Tunnels: Josui Line or Ootomo Xavi Land: Closed.

Fate: One-Eyed Dragon

• Can lead to Oushuu: Aoba Castle.

Floating Fortress: Tenkuu Nichirin

• Can lead to either Aki: Itsukushima, Ootomo Xavi Land: Closed or Satsuma: Inner Castle.

Hinomoto Tunnels: Josui Line

• Can lead to either Shizugatake: Advance of the Oda Vanguard or Oushuu: Aoba Castle (Matabee Intrusion).

Incident at Honnouji

• Can lead to either Oda: Azuchi Castle or Minstrel: Pale Blue Bellflower.

Investigation: Shikanosuke

• Can lead to either Izumo: Shiraga Castle or Kaga Border: Shizugatake.

Iyokouno Ship: Tsurunomaru

• Can lead to a chain of Tango: Sengenji followed by Kaga Onsen: Gathering Of Maidens.

Izumo: Shiraga Castle

• Can lead to either Investigation: Shikanosuke or a chain of Aki: Itsukushima followed by Ootomo Xavi Land: Closed.

Jigen: Oni Shimazu

• Can lead to a chain of Fate: One-Eyed Dragon followed by Abrasion: The Beauty of Insufficiency and then Takeda Otoko Dojo.

Kaga Border: Shizugatake

• Can lead to either Shizugatake: Advance of the Oda Vanguard, Pirate Fortress: Hyakki Fugaku or Bizen: Ujou (Okayama Castle).
• Can lead to Kaga: Maeda Kabuki-Matsuri if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Kaga Onsen: Gathering Of Maidens

• To peep on Maria in the bath, you have to beat Naotora within six minutes of starting the stage. Maria will appear in a special room.
• If you defeat Tsuruhime or Magoichi within 45 seconds of encountering them, there will be more treasure hidden around the stage and you'll be able to take a shortcut to Naotora.
• Can lead to either Tootoumi: Iinoya Castle or Kaga: Maeda Kabuki-Matsuri.

Kaga: Maeda Kabuki-Matsuri

• Can lead to either Kaga Border: Shizugatake or Kaga Onsen: Gathering Of Maidens.

Kai: Takeda Grudge Time

• Can lead to either Kawanakajima: Uesugi Battle Formation or Jigen: Oni Shimazu.

Kai: Tsutsujigasaki Yakata

• To open the 'Inscrutable as a Shadow' door you have to beat Yukimura within 30 seconds the second time he appears.
• Can lead to either Fate: One-Eyed Dragon, a chain of Osaka: Toyotomi Hajou followed by Battle of Sekigahara: Eastern Sun or a chain of Takeda Otoko Dojo followed by Jigen: Oni Shimazu.
• Can lead to either Osaka: Dragon-Tiger Formation or Kawanakajima: Takeda Battle Formation if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Kawanakajima: Takeda Battle Formation

• Can lead to either Tootoumi: Iinoya Castle or Takeda Otoko Dojo.

Kawanakajima: Uesugi Battle Formation

• Can lead to either Kawanakajima: Takeda Battle Formation, Revenge: The Sword of the God of War or a chain of Floating Fortress: Tenkuu Nichirin followed by Remains of Ounin: Souden.

Kawanakajima: Uesugi Battle Formation (Matabee Intrusion)

• Can lead to Kawanakajima: Takeda Battle Formation.

Mikawa: Komaki-Nagakute

• Can lead to Tootoumi: Iinoya Castle.
• Can lead to Battle of Sekigahara: Eastern Sun if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Minstrel: Pale Blue Bellflower

• Can lead to either Azuchi-Shiten Gathering or Bizen: Ujou (Okayama Castle).
• Can lead to Incident at Honnouji if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Oda: Azuchi Castle

• Can lead to either Abrasion: The Beauty of Insufficiency or a chain of Tango: Sengenji followed by Azuchi-Shiten Gathering.
• Can lead to Shizugatake: Advance of the Oda Vanguard if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Ootomo Xavi Land: Closed

• Can lead to either Eiroku Palace: Samsara or Tango: Sengenji.

Ootomo Xavi Land: Grand Opening

• The outcomes of the three reels are random.
• The first reel sets the music. It can be Waltz (angry soldiers), Dance (dancing soldiers) or Hymn (angry Sourin).
• The second sets the script. It can be Prayer (exorcists which slow movement), Battle (hammer-wielding soldiers) or Comedy (foot soldiers with cannons).
• The third reel sets the scene. It can be Exciting (bombs drop from overhead), Romantic (soldiers appear from the ferris wheel) or Fantastic (items and Xavi dolls drop down).
• Can lead to either Dewa: Mogamigawa or a chain of Jigen: Oni Shimazu followed by Eiroku Palace: Samsara.
• Can lead to Ootomo Xavi Land: Closed if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Osaka: Dragon-Tiger Formation

• Can lead to either Echizen: Kitanoshou Castle or a chain of Kaga: Maeda Kabuki-Matsuri followed by Battle of Sekigahara: Western Shadow and then Battle of Sekigahara: Eastern Sun.

Osaka: Toyotomi Hajou

• Can lead to either Toyotomi Reminiscence Struggle or Hinomoto Tunnels: Josui Line.

Oumi: Sawayama Castle

• Can lead to either Toyotomi Reminiscence Struggle or a chain of Osaka: Toyotomi Hajou followed by Battle of Sekigahara: Eastern Sun.
• Can lead to either Battle of Sekigahara: Western Shadow or Echizen: Kitanoshou Castle if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Oushuu: Aoba Castle

• Can lead to either Dewa: Mogamigawa or a chain of Mikawa: Komaki-Nagakute followed by Battle of Sekigahara: Western Shadow.
• Can lead to Osaka: Dragon-Tiger Formation if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Pirate Fortress: Hyakki Fugaku

• Can lead to either Floating Fortress: Tenkuu Nichirin, Iyokouno Ship: Tsurunomaru or Satsuma: Inner Castle.

Remains of Ounin: Ginga

• A lot of people have debated the exact requirements for having Yoshiteru acknowledge your 'mind, skill and body'. It states the basic requirements as you play but there's more to it than that. Yoshiteru gives you points based on how well you perform at a number of tasks and acknowledges your worthiness if you make enough progress.
• Yoshiteru will acknowledge your 'mind' if you manage to beat Shikanosuke within one minute the first time he appears. There will be an on-screen confirmation message.
• You get 10 points for beating Shikanosuke within 30 seconds of starting the level, or 5 points if you can do it within a minute.
• After the first gate opens, you get 5 points for defeating Shikanosuke (again) within a minute.
• Yoshiteru will acknowledge your 'skill' if you achieve a 1,000-hit combo after the Azai couple appears and before you defeat them.
• You get 5 points if you can achieve this and defeat Oichi and Nagamasa within a minute of their arrival.
• You get 10 points if you defeat 400 or more enemies between passing through the third gate and killing the guard at the fourth gate, or 5 points if you only defeated 200-399 enemies.
• Yoshiteru will acknowledge your 'body' if you have defeated more than 200 enemies at this time.
• Defeating Maria within a minute of her appearance is worth 5 points.
• At the end of the stage, Yoshiteru will rate you based on your performance and your score will affect the final confrontation; less than 15 points and he'll 'power up' when he has 20% HP remaining, 15-24 points and he'll do it at 40%, and 25 or more points and he'll 'power up' at 60%.
• Can lead to either Battle of Sekigahara: Eastern Sun or Osaka: Dragon-Tiger Formation.

Remains of Ounin: Souden

• Can lead to either Floating Fortress: Tenkuu Nichirin or Kaga Onsen: Gathering Of Maidens.

Revenge: The Sword of the God of War

• Can lead to either Remains of Ounin: Souden or Ootomo Xavi Land: Grand Opening.

Satsuma: Inner Castle

• Can lead to either Izumo: Shiraga Castle or a chain of Hinomoto Tunnels: Josui Line followed by Ootomo Xavi Land: Closed.

Shizugatake: Advance of the Oda Vanguard

• Can lead to either Oda: Azuchi Castle, Echizen: Kitanoshou Castle, Tango: Sengenji, Minstrel: Pale Blue Bellflower or Kaga: Maeda Kabuki-Matsuri.

Takeda Otoko Dojo

• Can lead to either Kai: Tsutsujigasaki Yakata or Kai: Takeda Grudge Time.

Tango: Sengenji

• Can lead to either Remains of Ounin: Ginga, Toyotomi Reminiscence Struggle or a chain of Investigation: Shikanosuke followed by Remains of Ounin: Ginga.

The Emperor: Granting An Audience

• To make Yoshiteru 'kneel' you have to parry him so he staggers. As this can be tricky, the book recommends taking a character with a light-elemental inscription on their weapon to gain an advantage.
• Can lead to either Echizen: Kitanoshou Castle, Oda: Azuchi Castle, Kai: Tsutsujigasaki Yakata, Aki: Itsukushima, Iyokouno Ship: Tsurunomaru, Bizen: Ujou (Okayama Castle) or Jigen: Oni Shimazu.

Tootoumi: Iinoya Castle

• The requirement for triggering Tadakatsu's 'intrusion' on Tootoumi: Iinoya Castle is to reach Naotora within five minutes. There's an exception in one of the Anime routes when the intrusion will happen no matter how long you take for story reasons.
• Can lead to either Mikawa: Komaki-Nagakute, a chain of Tango: Sengenji followed by Kaga Onsen: Gathering Of Maidens or a chain of Kai: Takeda Grudge Time followed by Takeda Otoko Dojo.
• There's a special rule for deriving Mikawa: Komaki-Nagakute after completing Tootoumi: Iinoya Castle. If you got to Naotora in time to fight Tadakatsu, you'll get the normal version of Mikawa: Komaki-Nagakute. If you took too long, you'll get Mikawa: Komaki-Nagakute (Matabee Intrusion) instead.
• Can lead to Kai: Takeda Grudge Time if you don't clear the Omen (purple) version.

Toyotomi Reminiscence Struggle

• Can lead to either Eiroku Palace: Resolution, Oumi: Sawayama Castle or Osaka: Dragon-Tiger Formation.

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If you can read Japanese or really love detailed lists of statistics then I definitely recommend picking up a copy of the guide if possible; the sheer amount of data it contains is incredible.