Top 20 Best RPG Series of All Time

#9. – Sakura Taisen

# of Good Games in the Franchise: 6

Active: Yes

This series was created entirely with the Japanese market in mind. Role playing games and dating sim visual novels were all the rage back in the 32-bit generation, and so why not combine the two into one title? That’s where Sakura Taisen comes in to play. The original Sakura Taisen was released for the Sega Saturn and was developed by Overworks. It plays like a dating sim during the story segments, but is pure strategy RPG within battles. The sequel also came out on the Japanese Saturn and was largely more of the same with a continuation of the story and some quality of life improvements. Sakura Taisen 3 and 4 came out for the Sega Dreamcast (as well as remakes of the first two) and part 5 was released for the Wii and PS2. Sakura Taisen was revived for the PS4.

I didn’t get to experience this franchise until the fifth iteration on the Wii, but from here I became hooked. In my opinion it’s similar in philosophy to Persona, but actually better in many ways. I know, blasphemous right? The first one has since been fan translated and it’s incredible. Simply one of the best strategy RPGs ever released. Since then I’ve followed translation guides to play the others and they’re amazing as well. It’s such a shame that a publisher like Working Designs wasn’t allowed to localize these games because I’m sure they would have been a hit. Sakura Taisen is basically Persona, but much, much better.

The Best Way to Play:

Sakura Taisen titles unfortunately are locked behind older hardware. The first two titles were on the Saturn and remade for the Dreamcast and again for the PS2/PSP. I recommend sticking with the Saturn releases personally because some changes were made that I don’t think are beneficial. Sakura Taisen 3 is available for the Japanese Dreamcast and PS2. Part 4 however is a Dreamcast exclusive unfortunately. Part 5 is the first available in English and can be played on either the Wii or PS2. Then we have the sixth installment simply titled Sakura Wars. It’s a huge departure, and not as fun as the old titles, but it’s the only one available on modern hardware (PS4/5).