This article is contributed by Dana Draper. Please do not repost without authorisation.
Are you a fan of romance, werewolves, vampires, card collecting, or romance? If you answered yes to any of those options then Sengoku Night Blood might be the game for you! Sengoku Night Blood (戦刻ナイトブラッド) is one of the latest RPG otome games to hit the market. It combines the aspects of warring kingdoms, love, and the supernatural all in one game. There are many unique characters to choose from as well as six factions these characters belong to. It all sounds too good to be true so I’ll be breaking the game down in a review based on gameplay, story, art, and the sound of the game.
▍Gameplay: [7/10]
Upon starting Sengoku Night Blood you are greeted with your main man and several different options such as reading the story or heading out to battle. Luckily the interface is very clean and easy to use.
The game itself is fairly easy and straight forward. You can make a team consisting of five members from any of the factions and head straight in to fight the evil monsters coming your way. Battle is turn based and runs automatically so essentially the game plays itself. This is perfect for the casual gamer as you may simply select a battle and let your characters handle themselves. Skills trigger at random and automatically as well so you simply watch your warriors fight and win the battle for you.
These battles take place in the main story, through daily missions, and even in a PvP environment. Since the game is still fairly new there have been no events added as of yet but in the future there will be an addition of event battles!
At this point you may be wondering how you can acquire more boys and make them stronger for battle. Don’t forget that this is also a card collecting game and you have the option of scouting for more boys throughout the game via special limited time gachas, daily gachas, or point gachas. Depending on which gacha you choose you may or may not have to spend money. Most likely you will not have to spend money as the game is very, very generous in giving out shards as presents to use in scouts. I always find myself with an overabundance of shards but I only scout when my favorites have a rate up.
So now you have your new boys but you need to make them stronger! Like most other card games you are able to awaken your cards so they can reach higher levels and gain higher stats. Once your man reaches max affection he will transform and you will be able to level him up even more. In addition to this you also receive a special awakening story and a CG. Unfortunately there is no CG gallery, which is a total letdown, so you better snap a screenshot when you get it!
As you can see this game doesn’t stray much from the formula of other gacha otome games but the RPG elements are refreshing. One of my favorite things about the gameplay is how simple it is. I can watch a TV show while training my men without much thought. In the future the game may become more competitive in events, but right now is the time to download as it is calm and relaxing to just grow your characters. It’s also the perfect time to join as the card pool is small right now so you have better odds of getting the man you want!
▍Art: [8/10]
We all know that the pretty boys bring us out to play our otome games and this game is no different. It would be a lie if I said I didn’t look at the boys and base a decision in playing this game or not because of the art. In truth I find it to be quite gorgeous. Everyone has their own different tastes but there is a character style for everyone. Several renowned artists have illustrated the characters such as Usuba Kagero, who is well known for illustrating Wand of Fortune, and miko, who has worked on several Code: Realize titles.
▍Story: [5/10]
To me the main story is quite cliché and very similar to other otome games I have played. The story starts off as you, the player, waking up in the middle of the woods from a state of unconsciousness. You have no idea where you are and wander around frantically to find your way back to civilization. Just when you stumble across a few houses resembling those from an older time period some unidentified monsters attack. Just in the nick of time one of the factions will show up and save you from being shredded into a million pieces. After talking with them they take you back to their place where you come to understand your origins. You then live with them and live happily ever after with the man of your dreams.
I found some parts of the narrative eerily similar to Hakuouki. You get lost, get attacked by some crazies, the men you’re set to romance save your life just before it’s too late, and then they take you to their headquarters to live. The story itself is quite bland with nothing too engaging or exciting. Don’t get me wrong, there are some cute moments when you train with your boy or when you awaken him, but the story in general it is the typical “boy falls in love with you, does sweet things (or is a jerk), and wants to drink your blood” scenario.
▍Sound: [8/10]
One of the best things is this game is the voice acting. All characters are fully voice, except for in mini-scenarios during training. I feel as if the voices match the characters quite well! I loved logging in throughout the day and hearing my Kagekatsu tell me good morning or asking me why I wasn’t asleep yet. I even loved hearing Kagemochi ask if I’d like to take a walk with him in the gardens.
“I will be going to the city in the morning to buy fruit… Would you like to walk with me?”
Popular voice actors include Tetsuya Kakihara, who voices Shin in AMNESIA and Natsu in Fairy Tail, and Toshiyuki Morikawa who is famous for voicing Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII and Dante in Devil May Cry 4.
On top of the entire game having voice acting I found the music quite relaxing and appropriate for each situation. The home screen music is very soothing while battle music is rushed to give you a feeling for the moment. The music never overpowers the voicing which is nice as well.
▍Final Verdict: [7/10]
Overall I find the game really fun and it is a good contrast to the other mobile otome games I play. I am a huge fan of otome games personally and I love my RPGs as well so this is a perfect mix. I wish the battle system was a bit more engaging at times but this game is just right for those that want to get a quick play in as it doesn’t require a lot of time or effort. In the future I can see the game becoming more competitive but this calm atmosphere surrounding it right now is perfect.
I recommend this game to anyone that is in need of a new otome to play! You don’t need to be a fan of vampires or werewolves to even enjoy this game. It is fun within itself to just engage with the characters and have some quiet time reading the romance between you and your man of choice.
there’s a CG gallery in the top right of the box (book icon) when you want to choose main story, cards story or event story. they also gives you note when te CG plays