Rurouni Kenshin : Meiji Kenkaku Romantan Kansei

Released in Japan for PSP on August 30, 2012, Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan Kansei is a 2D sword-fighting game developed by Natsume Atari and published by Bandai Namco Games. It is the follow-up to the 2011 PSP game Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan Saisen, rather than an alternate title for that earlier release.

Drawing on the Rurouni Kenshin anime and its related animated works, the game follows the former assassin Himura Kenshin in the turbulent years spanning the Bakumatsu and Meiji eras. Kenshin, Kaoru, Sanosuke, Yahiko, Saito, Aoshi, Shishio and Enishi are among the figures whose rivalries and alliances supply the matches and story scenes. The selection also reaches into the cast of the television series, the Kyoto storyline, the Remembrance material and the film.

Matches are side-view, one-on-one duels built around each combatant's distinct sword style, normal attacks, special techniques and cinematic finishing moves. Kansei retains the fighting-game foundation of Saisen but revises the controls and pacing: jumping is assigned to an upward directional input, while character actions and their recovery were made more responsive so that combinations connect more readily.

The main narrative presentation is New Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, whose book-like chapters let players relive both the original TV-anime material and the New Kyoto Arc OVA. Animated scenes are woven into the progression, and the new Kyoto material gives the sequel story content absent from Saisen. The game also includes characters such as Sagara Sozo, Han'nya, Takeda Kanryu, Kashiwazaki Nenji, Tatsumi and the powerful Iwanbo construct, expanding the range of encounters beyond its predecessor.

Kansei's central long-term mode, Kansei no Sho, turns combat and story completion into a collection path. Battles award points used for weapon training and for obtaining Kenshin cards, which branch through the mode's unlock tree. Those cards open character-related rewards including animation stills, weapons and voice material, tying repeated play to a broader archive of the franchise.

Save data from Saisen can provide an early advantage by making most of that game's returning fighters available from the start, with specified exceptions. Together with the revised combat, expanded roster, New Kyoto Arc story and large collection of anime imagery, this makes Kansei a substantial sequel designed to gather several interpretations of Rurouni Kenshin into one portable fighting game.