A picturesque portrait of daily life on Turb

   Easily one of the weirdest RPGs ever, Sengoku Turb features a storyline sure to leave many gamers scratching their heads. You play as a Jino-Chan, a space traveller named marooned on Turb (hence the game's name). Turb is inhabited by warring factions of super-deformed stick figure soldiers, and it's up to Jino-Chan to make peace between the combatants so she can return home.

   Though not quite as quirky as the storyline, the gameplay is somewhat of an anomaly as well, as it blends action RPG and strategy RPG elements. While you only control your hero directly, numerous other soldiers fight alongside you, and you can issue them general commands. The large 3-D battlefields allow plenty of room for movement and planning; and a variety of spells and other special attacks are available.

Wandering the battlefield

   The action alternates between two different phases: "drama" and "military." In the first phase, you simply chat with other characters and watch the unfolding storyline, which takes different directions depending on your performance in battle. The "military" phase occupies the bulk of the game; you enter a territory, then seek out and defeat all the enemies it, thus giving you control of it. Your eventual goal, of course, is assimilation of all the hostile areas.

   Sengoku Turb's bizarre premise and goofy graphics would normally render a U.S. release an impossibility, but, surprisingly, one is under consideration. Unfortunately, weird concepts don't always translate into entertaining gameplay -- but at the very least, it should appeal to gamers looking for something different.