Sengoku 3
Ok, now I’ve already mentioned that I feel Sengoku 3 is the greatest brawler of all time, and I’ve also explained why I feel the game manages to transcend the genre and enter the all-time greatest games list. The reason is the Beat Bonus (BB): not only do you have to survive the stages and kill the enemies, like in every other brawler game out there, but you can also take advantage of the BB system to link together your acts of violence into one great symphony of destruction.
This post will be a guide for those seeking to unlock the hidden depths of the BB system (no Sengoku 3 guide I have read has dealt with this subject, so I feel this is something worth writing). I will be dividing this up into two sections: tactics and strategy. Tactics will include all the general tips for how to play while amassing your BB, and Strategy will include stage-specific tips on how to ‘link’ the enemies you will encounter there into your BB.
The strategy section will only include the first three stages because beyond those I currently have to concentrate 100% on just surviving and killing badguys. But the first three stages are just wonderful for BBing.
Ok, first of all here’s a quick run-down of how the system actually works:
The Beat Bonus bar can be found on the bottom left of the screen. It partially fills each time you land a hit (the amount of bar filled depends on the type of move landed). It then immediately starts to run down, very quickly. Each subsequent hit, however, will top the bar up further. Once the bar has been filled by a flurry of landed hits it will begin to flash and the Beat Bonus proper will begin. The bar will now run down more slowly than before, giving you more time to land hits to keep it topped up. When the bar runs out, the Beat Bonus ends, and you are presented with a number telling you how many hits you managed to land.
[quick note on notation: I’ll be using ‘A’ for a weapon attack and ‘B’ for an unarmed attack]
Tactics
- How to begin your BB
The most important thing to do straight away is max out your BB bar. Some combos that are good in the middle of a BB are no good at this point as the hits are landed too slowly. So always begin with a very quick sequence such as:
Bx5 -> Dash (Hit) -> Dashing B
That 6 hit combo will easily max out your bar.
I use Falcon and he has a particularly good jumping A move (spinning blade slash) that hits twice. So sometimes, after the Dash (Hit) above I instead following my opponent into the air by dashing and perform a B -> C air combo for three very quick hits.
Using your A (weapon) attacks to max out your bar is generally not a very good idea, the exception being if you are striking multiple enemies at the same time. If you hit three opponents with one slash it will count as three instantaneous hits, so two slashes will fill your bar in no time.
- Juggling basics
If you want a good BB you need to juggle a lot. The enemies being juggled are no threat so you can concentrate on landing the hits. I’m going to refer to enemies being juggled or grounded as “passive” and those on their feet as “active”. The early part of the dash (the part that hits) and your unarmed dashing attack are both launchers, and also your jumping C (the second hit of Falcon’s). A good ‘filler’ combo for the middle of a BB can go something like:
Bx3 -> Dash (Hit) -> Dashing B
If there are two or three active enemies on screen you might want to substitute a weapon attack for a B attack, in order to finish them off more quickly, although be very careful with any particularly slow weapon strike as you might not get time to continue your BB afterwards (I’m thinking Falcon’s last hit of his standing slash chain here). But, in fact it’s probably best to mix in a slash here and there with the above combo as jabs don’t fill the meter that much on their own, especially if you are delaying them to juggle effectively.
Also the hitboxes in Sengoku 3 are tailored for juggling: you can jab and slash enemies way above your head, so get comfortable with the hitboxes.
- Juggling advanced
One very important thing to learn is to change direction during a juggle combo. This can be achieved after striking a passive enemy with a very deep, and high, dashing B. You then have time to turn around before jabbing, and this will hitstun the enemy in the opposite direction. This is incredibly useful for keeping any active enemies who are still on screen in front of you, so you can strike them with a slash if they come in range and add them to your juggle combo (the best situation is to have all four enemies passive and being juggled, and yes you will never face more than 4 enemies in S3).
Also, if an active enemy is sneaking up behind you and you just need to get the hell out of there, follow your juggled enemies into the air with a dashing leap and quickly rip out a B>A combo (again, this works best for Falcon who has a two-hit jumping A). You can then quickly turn around when you land and continue the combo back the other way, so it’s also good for changing sides.
- Knock-downs
These can spoil a BB but they don’t have to. All you have to remember is that, if you knock an enemy down, you will be able to continue your BB on him when he gets up so long as you manage to hit something at least once while he is on the ground. So if you drop an enemy, land a slash on another, and return to the fallen enemy as he gets up, you’ll be able to land a jab before your bar empties.
If YOU get hit by a move that doesnt knock down then no matter, you’ll still have time to continue the BB so long as you had a decent amount of meter. If you’re knocked down then that’s it, combo over.
- General manouvring
Angled dashes are not only effective for general attacking, but they’re great for use in a beat bonus. You’ll have to be dashing all over the place. Also, sometimes it’ll make sense to cancel a move into a dash in the opposite direction. So quickly slash an enemy in front of you, and cancel into a dash away from him. Always be aware of how much life each enemy has as you can’t waste time sending a fresh slash at an enemy who has already died. You’ll have to wait through all the animation and be unable to cancel it. This is made more tricky by the fact that in sengoku 3 enemies see fit to stand up and do a dramatic death-throe before they die. So watch their bars.
Jumps can be useful for begining combos in a beat bonus but to be honest you’re usually better off just dashing in. Though if you have the right range you can crossup really well with a dash-jump slash. This also juggles, works really well with Falcon anyway.
- Scenery
Inanimate scenery is ALWAYS passive and is an absolute must for those seeking to maximise their beat bonuses. It is vital if you’re waiting for enemies to get up, or even to run on screen, and also just generally for maxing out the number of hits in your combo. The absolute number 1 best move to hit scenery with is a dash. Just repeat this over and over if you can. It has the best combination of features for hits in a beat bonus:
- It does very little damage (so you can land a lot)
- It tops up your beat bonus gauge really well (much better than a jab, which does comparable damage)
Also keep an eye on your bar as you dash into scenery, you don’t want to be doing it too quickly (as you’ll be wasting hits), just time it so after each hit you just about top up your gauge. Then rush back into the action when enemies become available.
- Specials
Don’t use them too often during beat bonus combos. With falcon, I do sometimes use his Fireball special as it’s quick, but I’ll make sure there’s either one enemy left standing after it or a piece of scenery, as it knocks down. Slower specials that knock down are great for boss battles, and general gameplay, but terrible for Beat Bonusses.
Ok, after all that I feel like having a game. Will return with the Strategy section later! Oh and my Beat Bonus record so far is 233. Happy comboing! 
