Bakumatsu Rock Ultra Soul includes the full original game plus extra chapters featuring new characters and new songs. So you can pick this up without having played the first game.

Story:
Set in Japan’s Bakumatsu period in the 19th century, the Tokugawa shogunate has banned all music apart from Heaven’s Songs played by top idols Hijikata Toshizou and Okita Souji also known as the Shinsengumi. They are using this music to brainwash people. But passionate rocker Sakamoto Ryoma just wants to show the world his music! He meets fellow rockers Takasugi Shinsaku (Cindy) and Katsura Kogorou (Sensei) and they form a band to take on the Shinsengumi and undo the brainwashing!
In Ultra Soul we get a sequel story where a famous American rocker, Matthew Calbraith Perry Jr. sails over to Japan in order to capture all the ladies’ hearts. He detests men and wants all the women for himself. He is joined by J, his trusty guitarist and the only man he will let stay by his side.

Cast:
Sakamoto Ryoma – CV: Taniyama Kishou
Takasugi Shinsaku – CV: Suzuki Tatsuhisa
Katsura Kogorou – CV: Morikubo Showtaro
Hijikata Toshizou – CV: Morikawa Toshiyuki
Okita Souji – CV: Ono Kensho
Ii Naosuke – CV: Yasumoto Hiroki
Tokugawa Yoshinobu – CV: Saiga Mitsuki
Matthew Calbraith Perry Jr. – CV: Suwabe Junichi
J (John Manjiro) – CV: Yuh (from vistlip)
Yoshida Shouin – CV: Nakao Ryuusei
Kondou Isami – CV: Fujiwara Keiji
Iwasaki Yatarou – CV: Sugiyama Noriaki
Katsu Kaishuu – CV: Ebara Masashi
Otose – CV: Nomura Kenji
Oryou – CV: Toyoguchi Megumi
Ikumatsu – CV: Misawa Sachika
Ouno – CV: Shindou Kei

Gameplay:
The story runs like a normal visual novel with choices every so often but it also incorporates a rhythm game at certain points in the story.

You can play the rhythm game for fun at any time by selecting LIVE on the main menu and if you’re playing on the PS Vita you can earn trophies for it.
There are also bonus chapters and skits to unlock by playing the main story.
IMPORTANT: If you have already completed the original game, you can transfer your save data over so everything you have already unlocked will be done in this game too. By doing this you also unlock bonus video messages from the seiyuu.
Instructions are here: http://bakumatsu.marv.jp/game/ultrasoul/system/transfer.html
If you completed it on the PSP and you bought the PSP version of Ultra Soul, you don’t have to do anything.
For PS Vita users, you have to connect your PSP to your PC (or PS3) via a USB and copy the file named ULJS00598SYST00, full instructions in the link above. If you need any help, feel free to ask me.

My thoughts:
I adore Bakumatsu Rock so anything extra is a must buy for me.
I completed this game before I created this blog but Ultra Soul is one of my favourite games so I had to write a review for it. The new songs are amazing and the addition of the arrows and ultra soul mode in the rhythm game are a huge challenge. This is the most difficult rhythm game I have ever played and getting rank A/S on ultra soul mode is impossible for me but I love going back to the game and retrying it (read: failing) again and again.
The story itself is so fun, the comedy moments will leave you in tears of laughter while the unexpected serious moments will leave you weeping on the floor.
The art is beautiful. I love the comic style with the speech bubbles and over the top expressions.
But my favourite thing of all is the relationship between the characters. The way they give each other nicknames and bond over the course of the game is lovely to see and you can’t help but fall in love with them too.
If you’re a fan of rock music and any of the seiyuu in this game then you NEED to play this game. Bakumatsu Rock has captured my soul and I pray that there will be more in the future.

Screenshots: