Hakuoki hack-n-slash samurai game drops on PSP in February

Publisher Aksys Games isn't doing too bad on the visual-novel front in the West with games like Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, which critics lauded when it released late last year.

But the samurai love game Hakuoki may be a tougher sell. The newest installment in the series, arriving for PSP, puts an action-adventure spin on the visual novel Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, which came out early in 2012. Hakuoki: Warriors of the Shinsengumi releases on February 19 and features two storylines — that of Fleeting Blossom's ("Shinsengumi Memorial") and the alternate-universe "Shinsengumi Chronicle," where you change history as one of six main characters.

Skirmish mode lets you replay past battles, and Fury mode activates when your character's life is spent. This has consequences on what ending you receive.

Amazon is offering a warrior-themed bandana as a preorder bonus. In addition, each retail copy of the game comes with a 16-page full-color character guide. It costs $30 and is rated mature.

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[Joystiq]