''Sengoku 3'' is a 2001
side-scrolling
A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller) is a video game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling grap ...
beat 'em up
A beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game
** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware
** Arcad ...
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
developed by
Noise Factory
was a Japanese video game developer and publisher based out of Osaka, it was one of the developer companies of SNK, established in 1998 by former Atlus staff members who previously worked on '' Princess Crown'' for Sega Saturn. Its more known ...
and published by
SNK
is a Japanese video gaming and interactive entertainment company. It was founded in 1978 as
by Eikichi Kawasaki and began by developing arcade games. SNK is known for its Neo Geo arcade system on which the company established many franchises ...
.
It is the third and final entry in the ''Sengoku'' series.
In the game, players battle against undead enemy spirits. Though initially launched for the
Neo Geo MVS
The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video ga ...
(arcade), the title was later released to
Neo Geo AES
The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video gam ...
(home), in addition of being re-released through download services for various
console
Console may refer to:
Computing and video games
* System console, a physical device to operate a computer
** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device
** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...
s. It was met with positive reception from critics and reviewers since its initial release.
Gameplay
As with previous ''Sengoku'' titles, ''Sengoku 3'' is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game where players take control of one of the four initial playable characters with two more characters being unlocked during gameplay across various stages filled with an assortment of undead evil spirits.
[''Sengoku 3'' user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US)]
Development and release
''Sengoku 3'' was developed by
Noise Factory
was a Japanese video game developer and publisher based out of Osaka, it was one of the developer companies of SNK, established in 1998 by former Atlus staff members who previously worked on '' Princess Crown'' for Sega Saturn. Its more known ...
and was first released for arcades on July 18, 2001.
The soundtrack was composed by Toshikazu Tanaka, who was previously employed at SNK and worked on project such as ''
Fatal Fury: King of Fighters''.
Tanaka stated in an interview that his biggest challenge when composing for the project was getting the music quality nearly up to levels of other games at the time.
Tanaka decided on using streaming playback for the music, as he felt he could not guarantee the high quality he desired with previous methods.
The sound driver used was not designed with streaming in mind, proving difficult for Tanaka to do so and he considered modify the sound driver himself but could not make it so due to time schedule.
However, Tanaka was able to do the work by himself.
''Sengoku 3'' was later released for the
Neo Geo AES
The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video gam ...
system on October 25, 2001.
The North American AES release has since become one of the more expensive titles on the platform, with copies fetching over
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
2200 on the secondary video game collecting market. In 2013, ''Sengoku 3'' was digitally re-released for the Japanese
Wii Virtual Console
The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on past ...
service, courtesy of
D4 Enterprise
is a Japanese video game publisher currently specializing in content delivery services like Project EGG, EGGY and PicoPico over the Internet. The company has also collaborated with Nintendo to re-release Neo Geo, MSX and arcade titles for t ...
. ''Sengoku 3'' is included in the Neo Geo 25th Anniversary
Humble Bundle
Humble Bundle, Inc. is a digital storefront for video games, which grew out of its original offering of Humble Bundles, collections of games sold at a price determined by the purchaser and with a portion of the price going towards charity and ...
, released in 2015.
Hamster Corporation
is a Japanese video game publisher, with office located in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. The game division of Toshiba-EMI Limited spun off Hamster Corporation in November 1999.
On the Japanese PlayStation Store, more than 360 titles are distribut ...
re-released ''Sengoku 3'' for the
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
, and
Nintendo Switch
The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
in 2018 under their ''
Arcade Archives
is a series of emulated arcade games from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s developed and published by Hamster Corporation. A sub-series called focuses on re-releasing Neo Geo titles in their original arcade format, unlike many s ...
'' series.
Reception
''Sengoku 3'' has been met with positive reception from critics and reviewers alike since its release. Both Kyo and Ben of French magazine ''HardCore Gamers'' noted the improved visuals over its predecessors and regarded it to be an "excellent" beat 'em up game.
In 2014, ''
HobbyConsolas
''HobbyConsolas'' is a Spanish video game magazine founded in 1991 by Hobby Press and published by Axel Springer SE. The first issue appeared in October 1991. The monthly magazine offers information about games for all consoles, and since 2012 ha ...
'' identified ''Sengoku 3'' as one of the twenty best games for the Neo Geo AES.
In 2023, Time Extension included the game on their top 25 "Best Beat 'Em Ups of All Time" list.
Notes
References
External links
*
''Sengoku 3''at
GameFAQs
GameFAQs is a video gaming website that hosts guides and other resources, as well as an active Internet forum, message board forum. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and has been owned by Fandom (website), Fandom, Inc. since October ...
''Sengoku 3''at
Killer List of Videogames
Museum of the Game, which includes the Killer List of Videogames (KLOV), is a website featuring an online encyclopedia devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. It is the video game department of the International Arcade Museum, and h ...
''Sengoku 3''at
MobyGames
MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sengoku 3
2001 video games
ACA Neo Geo games
Arcade video games
SNK beat 'em ups
Cooperative video games
D4 Enterprise games
Hack and slash games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Neo Geo games
Nintendo Switch games
PlayStation Network games
PlayStation 4 games
Side-scrolling beat 'em ups
SNK Playmore games
Virtual Console games
Video game sequels
Windows games
Xbox One games
Video games developed in Japan
Hamster Corporation games
Noise Factory games