Reviews

The latest installment in the 30-year old franchise makes its debut on the PS4, challenging players to gain supremacy over rival warlords in feudal Japan in this thrilling strategy title.

Dumbed-down - it's a criticism that's sometimes aimed at console gaming. Cynics argue that everything is always clearly signed-posted for us joypad lovers; that there are no subtleties on the average console developer's race to appeal to the “lowest common dominator”. And, yes, there is perhaps a slither of truth to such a charge but - and it's a big but - there are a huge number of exceptions to this supposed rule.

One is the Nobunaga's Ambition series, a strategy colossus that made its debut way back in 1983, and a franchise that has found an enduring home on consoles as much as it has on the PC. Think of Nobunaga's Ambition as Japan's answer to the West's Total War series - you start out as a Daimyo, a feudal lord of the Sengoku era (that's 15th-16th century Japan, folks) who's charged with uniting the war-ravaged country through a mixture of expansion, diplomacy and all-out war in turn-based gameplay.

Presented via an isometric view, you can start out as an already revered warlord boasting a sizeable chunk of land or best of all, a near nobody who must build up their territory via the 'Creation vertical' (that's the publisher's marketing catchphrase, not ours). It sees you growing your economy, entering into trade agreements with your neighbours, building roads and more, all while embracing the 'Diplomacy vertical' where you'll create allegiances, get married for land and power, deploy spies and much more besides.

But as is the way with human civilisation, at some point when you're large enough, you'll cast an eye over your neighbour's kingdom and think: “Hmm, I think that should be mine. All. Mine”. Enter the 'War vertical', which sees you training up troops, creating defences and sending off armies into battle to expand your kingdom.

The battles themselves can be fought automatically or like any self-respecting armchair general/shogun, you can oversee every skirmish in realtime, ordering troops about and deploying your officers' special abilities to ensure victory on the battle field.

That's the basics covered then but Nobunaga's Ambition is layered with a vast array of options on top of such basic 'verticals'; want to undermine a neighbouring warlord's efforts? Then destroy the confidence of their finest warriors - or simply march up to the warlord's front gate with a big enough army and demand they hand over the keys. Job done.

Such complexity is what makes the game such an engrossing experience; one which, yes, takes time to uncover but offers the kind of in-depth strategy that makes you feel like you're truly the master of your own destiny. And it's why Nobunaga's Ambition is an essential purchase for any console gamer who wants to engage their grey matter as much as their trigger finger.