Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada

Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada (戦国無双 ～真田丸～, Sengoku Musou ~Sanadamaru~) is a spin-off title of Samurai Warriors 4: Empires, centering on the exploits of the Sanada clan. Its Japanese release coincided with the similarly-named 2016 NHK Taiga drama Sanadamaru; this game even reuses the same Kou Shibusawa supervised 3D maps that are used in the drama, Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence, and the live-action film Sekigahara.

Hisashi Koinuma is the general producer, Osamu Mieda is producer, and Jun Kawahara is the director. They remark that Koei has shared a friendly relationship with NHK ever since their Gunshi Kanbei collaboration. While the developers were working for the drama Sanadamaru, the wish to produce a Sanada-themed work involving Samurai Warriors began. The Japanese subtitle was permitted with NHK's full consent. Omega Force's goal for this particular game is to further emphasize the drama between the cast. The general concept is "forty-nine years of Yukimura", with the added aims of highlighting the historical feats of his father Masayuki.

Buy the game new to receive a Sanadamaru Nobushige costume for Samurai Warriors Yukimura. The Treasure Box edition includes an artbook, Six-Coined themed coasters, and an original soundtrack CD. Reserve the game at Gamecity Shopping to receive a red Sanada colored costume for Kunoichi. Other bonuses were offered at various Japanese stores.

Gameplay
The Sanada camp acts as the player's headquarters for the main story, with free-roaming features similar to those introduced in Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2. The player may talk to various characters to gain varying perspectives of the current time setting. As the player progresses with the main narrative, the base will be further expanded into Ueda Castle, and later into Osaka Castle's castle-town.

The castle-towns come with various facilities that will be unlocked based on the player's progress with the main narrative.
 * 1) Gate - Exit for battles or exploration missions.
 * 2) Raifuku Temple - Ueda Castle feature. Talk to the temple's administrator, who is a conch shell collector. Players can exchange conches to unlock additional playable characters to use in battles outside of the main story mode, or to receive Sanada EXP.
 * 3) Field - A farming field that can be used to harvest plants and to play the "hoe digging" mini-game. Mash on to make the character dig; the higher the gauge is filled, the better the harvest and rewards. Keep playing the mini-game to raise the rank of the field and to obtain better materials.
 * 4) Jizou - Visit the stone statue and play a card drawing mini-game. Pick one of three facedown talismans to obtain materials.
 * 5) Teahouse - Summon other characters for conversations over a cup of tea, as well as to give them gifts. Here, the player can raise their Friendship Levels with other characters. Each character has their own gift preference, and two favorite gifts that will always boost their affinity ratings. Maximized Friendship Levels allows players to bring them along for Exploration missions.
 * 6) Unusual Shop - Osaka Castle feature. Randomized merchandise and rare items.
 * 7) Blacksmith - Buy or customize weapons using materials found during exploration trips. Maximum level for weapon skills is 99. Advance the story to gain additional skills.
 * 8) Store - Sells materials, bait, and other miscellaneous goods. The only place to purchase "Secret Medicines", which can alter the allied army during battles, and are similar to the Strategies from previous titles.
 * 9) Dojo - Spend EXP points to level up characters, or pay gold to level up a character's moveset, such as adding more Charge Attacks, more Musou bars, or expanding the Spirit Gauge. Can also spend gold to upgrade Exploration time limits.
 * 10) Warehouse - In-game gallery and encyclopedia feature. Provides in-depth details of characters, events locations, battles, and so forth. The Vault contains background music tracks and even cutscenes for viewing. The Library allows players to revisit any previously played battle using any of the unlocked playable characters. Once the player has unlocked the stable for their castle-town, warhorses can be purchased from here.
 * 11) River - Ueda Castle feature. Fish for specific fish that can be given as gifts. Each fish has their preferred bait and each region has their own specific fish. Press to fish and wait for a bite. Once the fish is caught, press  on the meter before the line breaks and fish gets away (red zone). Quicker reactions may yield better fish.
 * 12) Stable - Buy horses or any other mounts available to use for the character.

Exiting the base area will lead to the world map screen. undefined reveals the battles and exploration maps. Battles that directly affect the main story are marked with signpost icons. returns the player character to their base.

"Sanada Six Coins" is a new feature which affects allied morale for battles. The more the gauge is filled, the higher morale will be at the start of battle. These coins can be filled by performing optional "Tasks" in the base area, fulfilling special conditions during battle (which can be checked by pressing Select in the battle preparation screen/pause menu), or achieving a high evaluation grade after battles. Tasks within the base can often be triggered by talking to characters with the Six Coin icons hovering by their character names; their tasks may include locating items within the campgrounds or spreading information.

During battle, the player can trigger Stratagems (called "Next Move" in Asian ports) if they have the coins completely filled. In exchange for consuming the Six Coins, the player can send in allied reinforcements to drastically change the flow of battle. It can be used to save a losing battle or to completely dominate opponents.

"Multi-Stage Battles" act like story chapters: they are Sanada-centric campaigns that progress the main story. Each multi-stage battle will be split into smaller conflicts that took place during each major campaign. These battles will have a contextual character selection, and may be restricted to soloing or partnering with a character to complete them.

Battles that don't focus on the Sanada clan's perspectives are called "Sub-Battles". These battles allow players to focus on conflicts that are happening at the same time as the long-term battles.

Outside of the major battles and the castle town, the player may choose to "Explore". This feature allows the player to freely wander battlefields to hunt for materials scattered across Japan. Certain materials are exclusive to specific regions; these materials are needed for altering weapons. Boost Friendship Levels to max to bring along different partners. If the player's home base is not Ueda Castle, the fishing mini-game can be accessed near rivers found during Exploration. Gracia and Chacha will have special tasks through this feature.

Other traits for this game include:
 * A day and night cycle is implemented in battles, to alter aesthetics and to limit the time available for a stage. Certain missions may be reliant on the time of day.
 * Weapons are given grades that affect their base attack value. Grade ratings are from E (lowest) to A (highest) and can be boosted by repeatedly using a particular weapon.
 * Similar to Neoromance titles, character dialogue now includes an optional glossary feature. Press undefined to read an encyclopedic entry regarding the specific highlighted text.
 * Generic officers retain their customized appearances from Samurai Warriors 4: Empires.
 * The Nintendo Switch port has save data benefits with select Warriors Switch titles.

Story Mode
Starts with Masayuki's first battle (fourth Kawanakajima campaign) and ends with Yukimura's final battle during the Osaka Summer Campaign. Since the story aims to be more faithful to history, the early chapters of the main story stars Masayuki, since his children were too young to fight. The Sanada clan, Chacha, Hidetada, and Ieyasu will visually age throughout the narrative. Yukimura in particular gets a few new moves at his 'matured' appearance.

Epilogue
Experience the events after the Winter Siege of Osaka with Nobuyuki.

Download
Downloadable content includes Sanadamaru collaborations, weapons, and costumes.

Data Sharing
Share and download data through PSN.

Characters
The entire cast returns with the following new additions:
 * Masayuki Sanada
 * Chacha
 * Sasuke
 * Katsuyori Takeda
 * Hidetada Tokugawa
 * Lady Muramatsu - unique non-playable character

Related Media
The game was brought on stage for the first three days of Tokyo Game Show 2016. A press completion conference took place November 18, 2016. Another livestream to tease the game before its release took place November 21, 2016.

From September 27 to 28, 2016, Yomiuri Giants fans could purchase acrylic key holders of Yukimura and Mitsunari donning the team's colors.

A voice actor event called Sengoku Musou Seiyuu Ougi 2016 ~Sanada Natsu no Jin~ took place on July 30, 2016. The deluxe edition of the DVD recording includes the event exclusive CDs and a Sanada themed umbrella.

The game was featured at Sanada Jyuyushi Garden Place on November 20, 2016 with Hisashi Koinuma as the event's main guest. The event included live paintings of Yukimura that were done by OKAZU. The series's ongoing collaboration with the historical exhibits Sengoku Jidai Ten -A Century of Dreams- allowed attendees to receive a clear file of the prominent Sanada male figures within this game.

The complete guidebook was published on December 10. Merchandise for the game was offered at Koei's 91st Comiket booth.

In celebration of the Taiwanese release, Koei Tecmo Taiwan teamed up with Lion Travel for a special giveaway of Chinese dubbed copies of the game and two designated travel plans dedicated to the Sanada clan. Consumers who spread the news about the game or the tours during the campaign could receive 700 yuan discount coupons. The WiFi booths for the campaign are specially decorated. This same giveaway campaign is tied to Readmoo's appreciation of medieval Japanese culture book fair; contestants can potentially win 50 yuan discount coupons for e-book purchases at Readmoo.

To commemorate Nobunaga no Yabou Online's twelve anniversary, the MMO hosted a Sanada themed dungeon and a giveaway for this game. The giveaway ended on May 10.

Legacy
Katsuyori Takeda's design is reused in Samurai Warriors 5.

A remixed version Youthful Courage and Giant Among Men are used in Samurai Warriors 5.

Chacha and Sasuke's voice actors recast their new roles as Mitsuki and Shikanosuke Yamanaka respectively in Samurai Warriors 5. Presumably, Chacha and Sasuke aren't appeared in Samurai Warriors 5.

Trivia

 * Unshō Ishizuka is the last role as Ujiyasu in the Warriors series before his passing on August 13, 2018.
 * Hidetada is voiced by Yusuke Handa. However, originally Hidetada was voiced by Shouta Ebina in the Anime.
 * Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada is the last Warriors title to be released in PS3 port as well as the last to be released in Heisei era.