Part of the Total War series, Shogun continues the familiar combination of tactical and strategic gameplay set in 16th-century feudal Japan. The shogunate has lost authority and the clans across Japan fight for control and the prize of Kyoto and the title of Shogun.
Having played Rome Total War I decided to check-in with the series with Shogun 2 released in 2011. Being older means the game zips along on my PC with all the settings at maximum.
These games take time and although it is possible to speed the game turn along by getting the computer to auto-resolve battles there is a far better outcome from manually fighting each encounter. Initially that is critical as limited resources mean that you can’t afford to loose too many units and need every cunning trick to win on the battlefield. Economics is significant too since armies need money so farms and industry have to be upgraded to increase tax revenue.
I played the game with the default Chōsokabe clan. They start on an island (Shikoku) which gives the advantage of limiting aggressors initially but means a need to build a navy to continue expansion. By which time the mainland clans have developed considerable forces.
After a bit of a slog to control the seas, trade routes and the island neighbour of Kyushu a march towards the capital of Kyoto and the Shogunate could begin. One significantly new feature over earlier Total War games is Realm Divide. Typically you reach a point where you as the player have amassed enough force to basically steam-roller any enemy. In Rome Total War it meant your legions heading out and crushing other regions on the map. Much like real history I suppose. For Shogun, once a tipping point is reached ALL the remaining clans unite to become your enemy making for a continuing challenge in the end-game.
One weak point is the computer AI is fairly predictable, it doesn’t really do things like feints or sacrifices. It doesn’t seem to attack strategic choke points or economic centres. So despite the Realm Divide I’d enough force at that point to occupy Kyoto and win the game.
Shogun is much as you would expect of a Total War game, it looks fantastic and with other clans with thier unique capabilities also playable the replay potential is very high. However I think I’ll be steering clear for a while as there really is no such thing as a quick campaign and I need the time.