Steam summer sales are around, and Shogun 2 was subject to a deep discount, which means it was 90 % off. Now, I already have most of the Total War titles in my steam library, includingthe Warhammer ones. Truthfully, whilst I have spent hundreds of hours on them, the gameplay has changed to an arcady version of the original battle system. I haven’t tried any of the newer titles like Pharaoh, as they seem to lack the spirit of the original titles.
So why not jump back in with Shogun 2? After all, I did start my journey with these games with the original Shogun.
Of course, this game was released back in 2011, so in many ways it’s oudated. Still, it does seem worth a try.
Swords, Spears, Bows and Matchlocks
The original gameplay is centered around 16th century Japan. The Fall of the Samurai DLC in turn takes place in 19th century. This means that firearms feature heavily, which is a rare setup for Total War game. Usually they are a gimmick or an afterthought (Empire and Napoleon aside), but here they play an important role. If you want to make away with firearms you can try out the Rise of the Samurai DLC, set in 12th century.
The base game runs from 1545 to 1600, at least if you play the full length campaign. There are nine clans to choose from. Each having their own bonuses, but all vying for a pretty similar objectives. Basically, you need to capture certain provinces, together with a number of other provinces depending on which campaign you chose.
Now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s see how this game looks and feels by 2024 standards.
Weather and Waned or Fresh as a Lily?
Graphics are often a topic of discussion for games, especially strategy games. One group of people want the latest 3D models, whilst others say the look and feel can be achieved with pixel graphics too. And it’s a common mistake to compare the two to each other.
The truth is that retropixel games today look much better than pixel graphcis ten or twenty years ago, and same obviously goes for 3D graphics.
With Shogun 2 you have the latter, and of course it’s not as sharp as in newer titles. Likewise, it’s much better than in older titles. And best of all, pretty much any modern computer can run these graphics at full detail.
Interface
Today’s moidern interface really does hold your hand through everything, ensuring that you need to make as few clicks as possible and have all the information necessary neatly displayed. In Shogun 2 the setting is almost there, though at times you might click a thing or two and expect a simpler result. For the most part it works perfectly.
The All Important Gameplay
We’re not going to go into great detail here. The basis of Total War gameplay has been covered in greate detail by a million other reviews all over the internet.
If you’re familiar with the series, as all should be, then it suffices to say that things are as they always are. You conquer provinces, raise armies and agents, and grow your cities. In Shogun 2 the system is based on cities and villages/districts, something that has changed in later titles. It works quite well in my opinion. You never really run out of space to build things either.
The battles feel quite fast-paced, and casualties mount up quickly. They do follow the standard rock-paper-scissors format, and of course the high tier units always rule over lower tiers. There’s a lot more strategy and tactics to everything than in the later titles, and the feel definitely isn’t one of an arcade game. Morale tends to be very important.
Religion plays a big part, in the sense that any city of wrong religion (Christianity or Shinto-Buddhism) will quickly cause a rebellion. Luckily a handful of garrison units is usually enough to put them down.
Is It Still Worth the Money
For full price? Absolutely not. The game is aged in all respects. But if you see it on sale, especially with 90% off, you might pick it up for nostalgia alone. It’s definitely good for a playtrhough or two.
