Sakura Nova

When you’re a gamer looking for an entertaining new story that doesn’t demand too much in terms of mechanics, you can’t look past the appeal of a game like Sakura Nova.

Story and Setting

This anime-inspired visual novel is one that follows the lives of some aspiring young knights as they do what it takes to reach the top of their prestigious academy. Their clashing personalities and conniving attitudes makes for an interesting dynamic that keeps the game’s flow very satisfying.

Our main character is a good draw to the story of this game as Mikage manages to be a lead with an interesting background. As the son of the realm’s strongest knight, it’s no wonder that girls like Kaguya and Arisa make their moves on him. However, the narrative can feel a tad bit predictable in Sakura Nova as it doesn’t exactly stray away from visual novel conventions.

The way this academy is designed is quite interesting and left us wanting to see more of their world. It definitely feels reminiscent of something like Sword Art Online. So if you’re a fan of that series, you’ll likely enjoy what Sakura Nova has to offer.

Characters

Kaguya and Arisa are the two main points in Mikage’s love triangle and you meet them at the start of the game while you’re trying to get into a changing room to put on your new suit. The banter between these characters is always interesting to see and the game doesn’t shy away from some over the top reactions to certain scenarios. This is nice to see as we feel like visual novels tend to shine when there’s an interesting plot that is able to advance when necessary.

Gameplay

In Sakura Nova, you’re getting a gaming experience that is bound to last for about six hours with the main storyline. There are also multiple endings to be found for the game, making it interesting to backtrack and see how certain decisions could have affected the progression of events. Although this sounds exciting, don’t be too invested as the game’s plot only really branches at around the 3rd act of the game. Don’t expect something as deeply spaced out like Life is Strange.

As a Visual Novel, it’s nice to see that Sakura Nova’s developers did not skimp on design as the UI is responsive and pretty much flawless to use. Navigating the game or advancing dialog is easy to do thanks to the mouse clicks or pushing keys on your keyboard.

Japanese voice acting for the main characters is also provided in this game, allowing you to get a full experience that immerses you with these characters. The soundtrack that is included is also worth mentioning as it is impressively done.

Pros

• Amazing voice acting
• Interesting characters

Cons

• Branching paths aren’t very present