Get Acquainted with LIPS in Sakura Wars’ Character Trailer

We’re a little more than a month out from Sakura Wars‘ April 28 release date on PlayStation 4. A big part of the game’s focus is on how you handle relationships with fellow cast members, and the latest trailer for the theater-management-meets-mecha game zeroes in on a very important part of that: the dialogue system. 

Sakura Wars uses an interactive choice system called LIPS, where you get different options in each scenario. That’s par for the course, but the twist here is that the tone of what you say and when you say it matters just as much as the choice itself. 

For example, when the pint-sized assassin girl tries to kill you, you playfully offer her a snack (of course…?). And when the snarky Imperial Combat Revue cast member tries embarrassing Sakura, you can give it back in kind. Whether that’s the right choice is another matter.

According to the latest Sakura Wars entry on the PlayStation Blog, there are different LIPS scenarios depending on the context as well:

• Standard LIPS – The most common, in which you are presented with a series of dialog options to choose from. Or, you can choose none of them, which itself is an answer!
• Click LIPS – These are typically seen during special events involving face-to-face conversations with context-sensitive actions. For example, clicking on someone’s mouth starts or continues a chat.
• Analog LIPS – Encountered in moments where you’re asked to provide a response, and it’s up to you to decide how much emotion you’ll put into that response based on how much you fill up a gauge on screen.
• Environment LIPS – Similar to classic point-and-click adventure games, you are presented with a puzzle that you must solve by searching your surroundings for clues.

You’ll need to think your choices through to get the best advantages during combat and to achieve specific character endings at the end of the game. How you interact with the specific cast member during each chapter also affects how their personalities develop and what responses you get prior to the ending.

Sakura Wars is getting a digital deluxe edition and a standard edition too. Each comes with a dynamic PS4 theme, and the digital deluxe includes several costume add-ons as well.

You can check out the full details over on the PlayStation Blog. If you’re just now catching up and aren’t really sure what’s going on, head over to our story trailer summary as well.

Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more Sakura Wars news as it busts out onto the stage.