News: Dengeki PlayStation vol. 605 (14th January 2016) includes a Sanada Yukimura-den interview (updated with video!)

As we already knew from the leaks a few days ago, the newest issue of Dengeki PlayStation magazine released this week featured some Sengoku Basara: Sanada Yukimura-den content.

I have now purchased the magazine, so here's my summary. Most of the article is a recap of the information revealed last week but there's a new interview with KobaP and producer Nonaka at the end. Some of this information is very similar to what we've heard before; I've skipped the parts which were exactly the same.

• The first question from the interviewer asked why the staff had changed, since the team of KobaP and YamamotoD has been associated so closely with the Sengoku Basara games in the past. KobaP explained that he nominated Nonaka as producer this time; he wanted this title to be different to the previous games in the series.
• As for YamamotoD, his workload has become so great that it was decided that director Tanaka Toshihiro would join the project too. Of course, YamamotoD is still involved when it comes to character design, story ideas and planning out the game. Tanaka is in charge of the main story and YamamotoD is supervising.
• Since this is the first game which focuses on a single character, picking the title gave them some trouble. They came up with the name Retsuden Series to show that they were making a single long story focused on a single warrior.
• (Raindrops' note: As I said before, Retsuden is an ordinary word which means 'chronicle' or 'life story' but they deliberately write it slightly differently to give it the connotation of being an intense, hot-blooded story.)
• The reason Yukimura was chosen for the first game in this series is that they wanted to showcase a prominent moment in the history of the Sengoku period, like they did with the Battle of Sekigahara in Sengoku Basara 3. They settled on the Siege of Osaka. Since it's the 400th anniversary of the conflict, they thought it would be perfect to have a story with Yukimura as the lead.
• It's also an appropriate way to celebrate the series' tenth anniversary since Yukimura was one of the two leads in the very first game.
• Focusing on a single character wouldn't have been feasible if they had chosen to make Sengoku Basara 5 instead.
• Nonaka followed up with a longer explanation. In the main Sengoku Basara series there are many warriors, and one of the charms of the games is that each one of them can be the 'main character'. They wouldn't have been able to concentrate on a single storyline with one main character without the Retsuden Series. Not many of the warriors in the game were directly connected to the Siege of Osaka but Yukimura played a key role. They realised that by covering the story of his life they'd be able to delve deeply into the Siege of Osaka.
• KobaP would be delighted if people could pay close attention to the bonds between Yukimura and his older brother, and between Yukimura and his father. He hopes the fans will try to come up with their own theories based on historical records while they wait for further information.
• Since the story draws from actual history, some character relationships and backgrounds will be a little different this time. In some cases, characters who know each other in the main Sengoku Basara games didn't interact historically. As a result their relationships have been altered for this game.
• KobaP elaborated further; games like Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi are essentially 'what if?' scenarios. Since this game isn't like that, it's tough for them to include characters who weren't involved historically. They don't want to go against established history so they reluctantly decided that some characters wouldn't be appearing at all.
• The interviewer asked about Sasuke, noting that he has a deep relationship with Yukimura in the series despite being a fictitious character. KobaP refused to answer, saying it was still a secret at this point.
• Instead, he mentioned that Shingen and Yukimura's interactions were the same kind of thing, 'what if?' scenarios rather than historical events. Since Yukimura's father and older brother are appearing this time, Yukimura's position has changed with regards to Shingen. These examples show that the world of Sanada Yukimura-den is different, with its own characteristics.
• However, the new continuity won't affect the personalities of the existing Sengoku Basara characters who appear in the game. Some relationships have changed, but don't worry, the warriors' individual personalities and voice actors haven't.
• The new trailer (from Jump Festa) is going to appear on the game's official website on Christmas Eve.
• In the trailer, Yukimura is shown as he faces his final battle - the Osaka Summer Siege. In the actual game, he gradually matures into the 'unprecedented' Yukimura shown in the video.
• Nonaka wanted to show Yukimura growing over the course of the game, so his appearance and weapons become flashier over time. Yukimura's association with fire is strong so the flame imagery is at the forefront.
• KobaP noted that he has more aerial moves this time. It's a good match for the phoenix imagery on his new outfit.
• We can look forward to a story which has both Yukimura-style hot-blooded content and serious moments.
• Masamune uses his six-claw style all the time in this game. We can expect new moves which make use of the six swords.
• Since this is a new game, there are new gameplay elements. But we have to wait for further details.
• Nonaka said that there are also new elements to keep people coming back and playing after they complete the main story.
• KobaP added that there's only one story so to keep people wanting to play, they've included all kinds of Basara-ish things. The stages have been put together especially for this game so they're different to before, and the stages have different win conditions. They can't say more for now.
• However, the difficulty level hasn't changed. It's possible to play in a relaxed way as usual, sitting back and enjoying the solemn story. People who want more of a challenge can select a higher difficulty.
• It's appeared in previous games but since Osaka Castle is the climax of the game, it's a completely new stage this time around.
• KobaP joked that this Osaka Castle looks very flashy from outside.
• Although Tokugawa Ieyasu was an old man by the time of the Osaka Summer Siege in real life, they haven't retained that element in the game (lol).
• Please expect all of the returning Sengoku Basara characters to look the same as usual. Nonaka wants to surpass the fans' expectations when it comes to making the characters stronger, but he doesn't think there's any need to change their core character concepts. So there won't be any dramatic alterations like changing their ages.
• Nonaka thinks there are many characters in the series who would work as a lead in a future Retsuden Series game. If it was his decision, he'd like to make a game about Xavi! Honda Tadakatsu would also make an interesting lead for a future title.
• KobaP thinks that they'll end the Retsuden Series if it isn't well received. Even though he's a little nervous, he's really looking forward to hearing what fans think about it. His heart is pounding because it's a new experiment!

Raindrops' note: I said that Nonaka was the director last time, rather than the producer. This was a mistake on my part due to overexcitement, he's definitely the producer. Sorry. It's not even written in Japanese.

I didn't spot anything new from Weekly Famitsu in this week's bumper year-end issue. That fits the pattern they have used in the past, though, where Weekly Famitsu breaks the news one week then Dengeki PlayStation (which is on a fortnightly schedule) adds a few more details while Weekly Famitsu concentrates on other titles.

As per KobaP's comments, the game's official website will update tonight and add the video from Jump Festa. I'll add the direct link to this post when I wake up. What a great Christmas gift!

Edit: The video went online at 10:00 Japan time!

You can watch it on the official YouTube channel.