We all know that Kickstarter and IndieGoGo have no shortage of visual novels, and even broader is the general “anime game” category, but most of the time these visual novels lack something that we’ve come to love in the world of video games: gameplay. I’m not harping on the genre, but you’ve got to admit, a little action would be a nice addition to a few of these titles. This is where Winged Sakura: Mindy’s Arc comes in. With storytelling done similarly to a traditional visual novel, Winged Sakura makes a daring addition: fast-paced strategic gameplay.
The core gameplay is a little bit like tower defense meets gridlocked turn-based RPG gameplay. You deploy monsters onto a field and fight against an opponent doing the same, but combat moves swiftly, so you must quickly decide which monsters to put where at frantic speeds. Every monster does things a little differently, creating a bit of depth and strategy, and each Spirit (the game’s units) levels up alongside you. You and your Spirits each have your own skill trees, and the game will feature equipment shops to further personalize your team to fit your style.
Winged Sakura: Mindy’s Arc is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, and if you’d like to support the game, you can vote for it on Steam Greenlight. Backers can expect downloads, mouse pads, or even a giant wall scroll featuring a piece of artwork from the game.
Obviously, some people (like this writer) do not pay attention to already existing Japanese VNs that contain strategic gameplay and even 3D action. Refer to games of companies such as softhouse-CHARA (ex: Wizard’s Climber, Brown Doori) and Yatagarasu (ex: game, Seisai no Resonance), perhaps even Unicorn-A’s Sengoku Hime and Sangoku Hime series, as a few well-known JPN companies that often produce visual novels that ‘break the mold’. Next time be more specific and mention that Winged Sakura “breaks the mold” in “western Visual novels”, and not be so carelessly hasty in posting risky tabloids.