As someone who knows nothing about Japanese history, the mostly realistic nature of the game was very interesting to me. You’ll have several scenarios available to you, each starting at a different time period, and some depicting real world or fictional events from the Sengoku and Warring States era to drive the story forward. Depending on the level of play you choose, you can shape events in Japanese history to your liking and witness the eventual aftermath in incredible detail. It has existed since the dawn of video gaming itself, with this being its latest incarnation. Nobunaga’s Ambition is a simulator/world building game that reminds me of the Tropico series, with the largest difference being a focus of real world Japanese historical events. A huge crater in Nobunaga’s Ambition is that the ambition is implied with games like these, I like a little hand-holding, but here it outright lops the appendage off with a daikatana and says, “Get along then, solider.” Impossible to figure out, and skimpy of anything resembling guidance, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence – Ascension is an enigmatic nightmare that will mesmerize you with its charms and then hurl you against the rocks, Odyssey style.
#NOBUNAGA AMBITION SPHERE OF INFLUENCE HOW TO#
However, the experience abandons any hope in explaining what the hell is going on, and how to actually play the game in any recognizable fashion. From a God’s eye view of Japan, down to the individual battlefields of a great war, this game spares not a single inch of wonderful details throughout. There is so much wonderful detail in this game that brings a built kingdom to life.
I’ve been doing this reviewing gig for a while now, but never before have I been faced with such a difficult judgement as the one I have to give to Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence – Ascension.