Total War: Shogun 2
2011
- real time strategy (rts)
- simulator
- strategy
- turn-based strategy (tbs)
- tactical
- historical
- warfare
- single player
- multiplayer
- co-operative
The story
In Total War: Shogun 2 you choose from one of 9 (10 with Ikko-Ikki dlc) clans, each with their own unique traits and skills and each with their own RPG-style warlord to lead them. Use a mixture of diplomacy, political manoeuvring, province building, research and special agents such as Ninja assassins or Geisha spies to get your enemies exactly where you want them. An intuitive user interface and a lovingly-created, complex and detailed campaign map make it both easy and enjoyable to build and run cities, recruit and move troops and issue commands – both noble and dishonorable, all with the aim of mastering enemy forces and seizing their lands.
What it’s like
Sun-washed ink-and-parchment campaign maps give way to rain-soaked, mist-hung battlefields where lacquered armour glints and banners snap in the wind, the whole thing rendered in a painterly, slightly storybook palette that softens the grim business underneath. The turn-based campaign layer moves at an unhurried, contemplative pace: you linger over province menus, watch the scroll of a clan's lands expand, and sip tea between decisions while a shakuhachi-tinged score drifts through the background. Real-time battles bring a sharper pulse of drums, clashing steel and volleys of arrows, though the camera stays at a comfortable distance, so the carnage reads as strategy rather than close-up horror. Violence is constant but bloodless in tone: lots of routing soldiers and fallen men, no gore on screen, and the dishonourable tools (assassins slipping through shadow, geisha spies whispering at a rival court) add a sly, scheming undertow. Vibe: thoughtful, patient, quietly tense. It suits long evenings with a warm drink, planning sessions stretched over weekends, or a focused solo night. Best for players who enjoy slow political chess, historical texture and the satisfaction of a well-timed plan, rather than anyone seeking gentle, low-stakes calm.
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