Sengoku Basara 3 Utage

戦国BASARA3 宴 Sengoku Basara 3 Utage
Developer:	CAPCOM
Publisher:	CAPCOM
Director:
Designer:	Makoto Tsuchibayashi
Composer:	Masahiro Aoki, Rei Kondoh, Chamy.Ishi, Taiki Endo, Takatsugu Wakabayashi, Yoshihiko Wada, Yasutaka Hatade
Platforms:	PS3, Wii
Release Date:	JPNovember 11, 2011
Ratings:	CERO C

Sengoku Basara 3 Utage (戦国BASARA3 宴) is an expansion to Sengoku Basara 3 by Capcom and was released for PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii on November 11, 2011.

Sengoku Basara 3 Utage was meant to be a more light-hearted and bright game than its predecessor, hence the title "Utage", which means party. While it keeps the same background and general information about the time period as in Samurai Heroes, some of the eight new stories only marginally reference the plot that was introduced in the previous game.

Japanese Sengoku BASARA 3 save data can be synced with the Sengoku Basara 3 Utage. Any previously unlocked alternate costumes, personal items and allies will be brought over. Synching save data with certain achievements will give the player extra gold.

Characters

All previous characters and NPCs are playable in this game (with the exception of the area warlords). However, only eight characters have received their own story. The rest are playable only in other modes.

Story Mode Characters

• Hideaki Kobayakawa
• Hisahide Matsunaga
• Yoshiaki Mogami
• Sorin Otomo
• Muneshige Tachibana
• Tenkai
• Kojuro Katakura
• Sasuke Sarutobi

Non-Story Playable Characters

• Motochika Chosokabe
• Masamune Date
• Kotaro Fuma
• Ujimasa Hojo
• Tadakatsu Honda
• Mitsunari Ishida
• Kasuga
• Kanbei Kuroda
• Keiji Maeda
• Toshiie Maeda
• Matsu
• Motonari Mori
• Nobunaga Oda
• Oichi
• Yoshitsugu Otani
• Magoichi Saika
• Yukimura Sanada
• Yoshihiro Shimazu
• Shingen Takeda
• Ieyasu Tokugawa
• Tsuruhime
• Kenshin Uesugi

Area Warlords

• Haruhisa Amago
• Yoritsuna Anegakoji
• Miyoshi Trio
• Harumasa Nanbu
• Kanetsugu Naoe
• Yoshishige Satake
• Hirotsuna Utsunomiya

Gameplay System

Skill System

All Samurai Heroes characters, as well as the eight new story mode characters, receive a six skill moveset with three interchangeable super skills. However, the new Free Mode/Unification Mode only characters receive only one super skill that cannot be changed.

All characters receive an additional skill that can be performed by holding down the normal attack button.

Bases

This game continues Samurai Heroes's strategic element with the base system. In the map there are blue and red patches, which denotes allied and enemy areas. There is an officer standing on a platform in that area, acting as the base commander. Defeating this officer will cause the base to be captured as well as triggering a huge explosion that greatly increases the hit count. It also starts an enemy frenzy, where multiple soldiers from the enemy force will spawn continuously for a few seconds.

Allies

The ally system is a continued feature that is introduced in Samurai Heroes; it allows players to bring a bodyguard into battle with them. These bodyguards can range from playable character to an area warlord to generic officers to a tiger. These allies can also be used in tag teams (see below).

Playable Modes

Story Mode

Eight new characters receive three stage stories in this game.

Kojūrō, Tenkai, Sasuke and Hisahide have serious stories, while the other 4 have comical stories. Additionally, Kojūrō and Tenkai's stories are implied to have taken place before the events of Samurai Heroes.

Kenshin, Kasuga, Toshiie, Matsu, Shingen, and Ujimasa can be unlocked by completing various stories. All previous playable characters from Samurai Heroes start out unlocked.

Unification Mode

Returning from Sengoku Basara 2, this mode allows players to conquer Japan by completing a non-linear path across the country. Unlike the said game, the player may spread out and conquer any territory. There are numerous bonus stages that appear during play. Completing Unification Mode with a character unlocks their alternate costume (if they have one), gold weapon, as well as their Personal Item.

There are two version of Unification Mode. Standard Mode, and Sengoku Dream Chance, which allows the player to bet on which faction will win, aside from their own.

The starting positions of characters are based on their faction's position in Samurai Heroes's story mode. This means that Matsunaga Hisahide and Takeda Shingen, who do not have a faction position, can start from any location.

Free Mode

Returning from Samurai Heroes, this mode allows the player to play in any stage as soon as it is unlocked in either Story Mode or Unification Mode. Kenshin, Kasuga, Toshiie, Matsu, Ujimasa, and Shingen are playable only in this mode, Japanese Game, Decisive Battle or in Unification Mode.

Japanese Games Mode

This mode allows players to play 31 groups of four stages spread across Japan. Clearing stages will unlock bodyguards and gold; clearing a specific set of stages twice will max out the bodyguards' potential. There are different victor requirements to every stage, ranging from defeating a certain number of enemies to parrying a certain number of times.

Decisive Battle Mode

This is the versus mode of the game. There are 1-on-1 versus, team versus, and tournament against all 30 playable characters consecutively.

New Features

Tag Team System

Utage introduces the tag team system. With this system, once an ally has been maxed out to their fullest potential, any playable character can be equipped as a tag team partner instead of an ally. If equipped in such a way, the character can be switched with the existing controlled character. Tag team partners share experience and weapons after the battle.

Awakening Selection

Players can now choose between two "awakening" types when they press the R2 and L2 buttons together. This can be toggled in the preparation screen.

• Hero Time (the previous "awakening" from Sengoku Basara 3. Once enabled, time slows down, and the player can perform continuous combos for as long as Hero Time is active)
• Sengoku Boost (brought back from Sengoku Basara 2. This greatly increases attack and defense powers of the character for a short time.)

Character Perks

In addition to the perks brought by their personal items (which have now been reduced to one item), all characters have perks brought on by certain moves or button combinations.

Weapon Leveling

Similar to Sengoku Basara 2, weapons equipped by characters will now level up and gain stat bonuses as they are used. They will also gain accessory slots as they level up, enabling the player to further customise the weapon.

Lottery

Players receive lottery tickets by completing stages. These lottery tickets can be reimbursed at the Sengoku store. Known lotteries are:

• 10% off one item.
• 20% off one item
• 50% off one item
• One free item.
• 100 zenny
• 500 zenny
• 1000 zenny
• 10,000 zenny

There is a limit of 100 lottery tickets at any one time. They are shared between characters.

Items

Unlike in Samurai Heroes, equippable items are now earned either in battle or purchased in the store. Once bought, these items can be used by all characters. Certain weapons, such as the joke weapons, and personal items are also purchased in the store, ranging in price from 5,000 zenny to 500,000. It's recommended to use a lottery ticket to purchase the more expensive items.

Materials from Samurai Heroes are available in the store and give stat bonuses to the currently controlled character. Unlike equipped items, the purchase of these is unique to each character. Stat bonuses include +300 health, +10 attack, +20 defense, and an unknown amount of luck.

Character stat bonuses are no longer given by hunting down "fugitives" as in the previous game. Now the fugitives give out weapons, and the stat bonuses are replaced with weapon upgrades and by buying special items.

Gallery

Utage features a gallery, similar to Samurai Heroes. However, it also includes the option to play back cutscenes present in the eight stories. Character information and quotes, as well as most of the music present in the game are viewable in the gallery.

Themes

• Opening Theme: "Utage" by T.M.Revolution
• Ending Theme: "Tasogare" ("Twilight") by Do As Infinity

Guides

• Translation/Navigation Page
• Menus
• Preparation Screen Menus
• Tag Mode
• Stages
• Items
• Unlocking Characters's Special Features

Web links

Official site (Japanese)

Boards

• KOEI Warriors

Gallery

Sengoku Basara 3 Official Site Banner

Sengoku Basara 3 Utage Cover

Sengoku Basara 3 Utage Promo Art

Sengoku Basara 3 Utage Promo Art 2