Sakura Wars 2 English & Portuguese Fan Translations Is Available Now!; Voice Auditions Opened For Sakura Wars 1 + 2 OVA English Dub

Exciting news for fans of the Sakura Wars series and SEGA Saturn fan translation projects arrived today! After 17 years since its original release in Japan, Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die has been fully translated into English. The patch is now available to download—thanks to the dedicated team behind the first game’s English fan translation. Alongside the English patch, a Portuguese translation has also been released. Developed by a team led by Gopicolo in coordination with the English team, this version can also be downloaded here.

Originally released in 1998 for the SEGA Saturn, Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die continues the story of the Imperial Combat Revue’s Flower Division as they defend Tokyo against new demonic threats in the wake of the first game’s events. The sequel expands on the original’s innovative blend of tactical RPG combat and dating sim-style visual novel storytelling, introducing new characters, deeper strategic gameplay, and further developing the bonds between the cast in the Taisho-era steampunk setting.

In related news, auditions have opened for an original English dub of the Sakura Wars OVA 1 and 2, led by burntends. Voice actors interested in contributing to the project can audition now. Now that both mainline Sakura Wars games along with Hanagumi Taisen Columns 2 (known as Sakura Wars Columns 2) and Sakura Wars GB have been fully translated into English, it’s only a matter of time before we see progress on the third entry—Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning?, which is still actively in development.

Hit the jump to see the full list of contributors behind the Sakura Wars 2 fan translation patch and check out some screenshots!

Sakura Wars 2 Receives Fan Translation for SEGA Saturn; Demo Available for Download

Translated by the same team behind the original Sakura Wars game for the SEGA Saturn, the sequel, Sakura Wars 2: Thous Shalt Not Die, will be receiving a fan translation for the SEGA Saturn. The project was worked on last summer for a year in a half. Not only that the game will be translated, the team has released the special edition demo of the game for everyone to try out.

Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die, is the sequel to the original game developed by Red Company and SEGA for the Sega Saturn and was released in Japan in April 1998 and ported to other systems, including the Dreamcast in September 2000. The game takes place one year after the first game following Ichiro Ogami and the all-female Flower Division of the Imperial Combat Revue as they fight against new supernatural entities in Tokyo as well as hostile political forces led by Keigo Kyogoku.

Not only Sakura Wars 2 is getting a fan translation, the third game in the series is also receiving one as well. It’s only a matter of time that all four main Sakura Wars games will be available to play.

Here is the link to the demo and screenshots to check out to below.

 

Retro Review: Sakura Taisen 2

After the first Sakura Taisen game was met with commercial and critical success in 1996, a sequel was inevitable. The SEGA Saturn, though successful in Japan, was hemorrhaging money abroad, making a sequel to one of the company’s few late 90s success stories all the more important. So, SEGA collaborated with RED again to produce a sequel.

Sakura Taisen 2: Kimi, Shinitamou Koto Nakare, which roughly translates to “Beloved, You Must Not Die” was released for the SEGA Saturn on April 4th, 1998 as a three disc set. Introducing two new characters and improved game play, it remains the most successful game in the series. It sold over half a million copies, making it the second best-selling dating sim of all time. It was re-released for the SEGA Dreamcast two years later with brand new features that showed what the system was capable of.

Here is our retro review of Sakura Taisen 2 for the Saturn and Dreamcast.