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NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening

Accomplish Nobunaga Oda's unrealized ambition to unify Japan! PS4 version reviewed.Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is a fun, challenging strategy game, but it feels bloated at times, and playing on a controller is a hassle.
NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening Game Cover
75%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, stability
81% User Score Based on 270 reviews
Critic Score 69%Based on 10 reviews

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NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening Game Cover

About

NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening is a single player turn-based strategy game with warfare and historical themes. It was developed by KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. and was released on July 19, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening" is a strategy game that allows players to manage and grow their own feudal Japanese clan with the ultimate goal of unifying Japan. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes various digital extras such as an artbook, commemorative book, soundtrack, exclusive scenario, and additional officer traits. Early purchases come with the "Battle of Tetorigawa" scenario.

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Play Modes
NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening screenshot
NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening screenshot
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81%
Audience ScoreBased on 270 reviews
gameplay18 positive mentions
stability2 negative mentions
  • The game offers a deep and immersive experience with excellent graphics and a smooth battle system, making it highly recommended for fans of the series.
  • Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening combines elements from previous titles while introducing new features, making it accessible for newcomers and enjoyable for long-time players.
  • The game has a rich historical context and a dynamic campaign mode that allows for multiple perspectives, enhancing replayability and engagement.
  • The user interface is cluttered and cumbersome, making navigation and management frustrating for players, especially those accustomed to previous titles.
  • Many players feel that the game has been simplified compared to earlier entries, leading to a lack of depth in strategy and city planning.
  • The AI can be inconsistent, often leading to unchallenging gameplay, and the siege mechanics are criticized for being overly difficult and frustrating.
  • gameplay
    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening" is noted for its depth and multiple victory conditions, providing ongoing challenges even after extensive playtime. However, it has faced criticism for simplifying key mechanics, such as city-building and officer management, which some players feel detracts from the strategic experience. While the game introduces interesting new features and historical events, the reliance on AI for management and a confusing UI have led to mixed feelings about its overall execution.

    • “But what truly sets Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening apart is its depth of gameplay.”
    • “And with multiple victory conditions to pursue, there's always a new challenge to tackle, even after dozens of hours of gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, in my opinion, it is the best entry in the series, combining fun gameplay and authentic historical events together.”
    • “The game is by no means perfect; the UI is confusing, the tutorial is poor, and some of the mechanics are poorly explained.”
    • “What that means in practice is that many aspects are greatly dumbed down and end up feeling like mobile game mechanics. There are many micro-managing elements that were removed in favor of automating them through delegations to your friendly AI generals.”
    • “Since these failures are in core gameplay systems, the overall experience is greatly handicapped and ruined.”
  • graphics
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game are generally praised as excellent, with detailed artwork, particularly for individual leaders, and a smooth user interface. While many users note improvements over previous titles, some feel that the visuals are good but not groundbreaking, with a few stating that the overall graphical experience is solid yet lacks significant innovation.

    • “Graphics are excellent, user interface terrific, battle is smooth.”
    • “Graphic is better than previous titles in the series.”
    • “Nice game with very detailed graphics.”
    • “Graphics are good but not great.”
    • “Bar the artwork that represents individual leaders, most visuals are good but rarely great.”
    • “There's a slight improvement in graphics, but overall there's nothing substantively different in controls, only reconfigured without real advantage.”
  • music
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music, composed by renowned musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, significantly enhances the game's immersive experience, capturing the grandeur and drama of feudal Japan. While the soundtrack is praised as excellent, some users note limitations regarding accessibility, as it can only be enjoyed within the game and is not available for extraction. Overall, the music is a standout feature, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.

    • “The soundtrack, composed by legendary musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, further enhances the immersive experience, evoking the grandeur and drama of feudal Japan.”
    • “Excellent music soundtrack.”
    • “The soundtrack, composed by legendary musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, further enhances the immersive experience, evoking the grandeur and drama of feudal Japan.”
    • “The only disadvantages are the price is expensive, the digital books and soundtrack can only be read and listened to via the game and cannot be extracted from the game directory.”
  • story
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is inspired by real events, adding a layer of authenticity and emotional depth to the narrative.

  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users express significant frustration with Koei's stability, citing frequent bugs in their games, a lack of timely updates, and an inexplicable decision not to translate older titles that previously had English releases. This pattern has led to a perception of unreliability and dissatisfaction among the audience.

    • “Koei has many faults, many times that it has failed its audience, including buggy games, relatively few updates, and especially a bizarre refusal to translate older games that already had English releases on console.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users generally find the replayability of the game to be high, citing multiple paths, varied character choices, and dynamic story outcomes that encourage multiple playthroughs. Additionally, the inclusion of unlockable content and challenges further enhances the incentive to revisit the game. Overall, players appreciate the depth and diversity that contribute to a fresh experience with each session.

  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its depth, rich historical context, and vibrant character, creating an immersive experience for players.

    • “But beyond that, there is a deep game with great atmosphere, rich in history and full of character.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report a positive experience with optimization, noting the absence of bugs and performance issues. Overall, the game runs smoothly without any significant technical problems.

    • “I also encounter no bugs or performance issues so far.”
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69%Critics’ scoreBased on 10 critic reviews
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160h Median play time
160h Average play time
160-160h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening is a turn-based strategy game with warfare and historical themes.

NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck and others.

On average players spend around 160 hours playing NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening.

NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening was released on July 19, 2022.

NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening was developed by KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD..

NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening is a single player game.

Similar games include NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Sphere of Influence, NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Sphere of Influence - Ascension, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 14, NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Taishi, Aggressors: Ancient Rome and others.