NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Sphere of Influence

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 474 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Sphere of Influence Game Cover
Nobunaga’s Ambition Sphere of Influence is a PC-like strategy experience on the PlayStation 4 that succeeds on all levels
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"Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence" is a historical simulation game that allows players to take on the role of Warring States Daimyō, working towards unification through domestic affairs, diplomacy, and strategic battles. The game features enhanced features from its predecessor, including a detailed recreation of the "Battle of Sekigahara" and revamped systems for strategic gameplay. Simultaneous strategy executions create a realistic battle condition for an immersive experience.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 474 reviews
gameplay24 positive mentions
grinding15 negative mentions
  • The game offers a deep and engaging strategy experience with a focus on diplomacy and character management.
  • Beautiful graphics and well-designed historical events enhance the immersion in Sengoku-era Japan.
  • The ability to create and customize your own officers and clans adds significant replay value.
  • The battle system is simplistic and can feel repetitive, lacking the depth found in other strategy games.
  • The user interface can be cumbersome, making it difficult to manage large empires effectively.
  • Some players may find the game overly reliant on numbers, with less emphasis on tactical maneuvers during combat.
  • gameplay108 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its strategic depth and engaging mechanics, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic and repetitive. Players appreciate the blend of historical accuracy, character management, and the new building mechanics, but many feel that the combat and tactical elements lack complexity compared to other strategy titles like Total War. Overall, while the game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the series, it may not meet the expectations of those seeking a more intricate gameplay experience.

    • “The game has evolved quite a bit in graphics and gameplay complexity since then, but the core gameplay is still nostalgically similar and quite addicting.”
    • “Beautiful graphics/art, well-balanced gameplay, and compelling intricacies give this a lot of replay value.”
    • “The strengths of Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence as I see them are in its kingdom management gameplay, its fidelity in relaying historical events of this period in Japan, and the level of detail put into characters that inhabit the game.”
    • “The game looks exquisite, but the gameplay is laborious due to some artificial limitations.”
    • “There is very little actual gameplay to find.”
    • “The setting is great, there was a lot of effort put into the history of the current setting and it feels like there should be a lot of options to experience, but the way it got put together just ended up becoming repetitive, gameplay without depth, a lot of info that serves no one and nothing to help make the game interesting enough to play a full game.”
  • story101 mentions

    The game's story aspect is a blend of historical quests and player-driven narratives, allowing for both guided experiences and creative freedom. While the historical quests provide depth and context, they can be frustratingly complex and prone to breaking due to game mechanics. Overall, players appreciate the rich storytelling and character development, though some find the quest system cumbersome and the historical accuracy sometimes at odds with gameplay choices.

    • “The game offers limited options when it comes to diplomacy unless you're playing a historical quest in a historical scenario.”
    • “Over 200 officers are in this game, with each one having their own personality and story.”
    • “The real challenge and fun comes from the historical quests you get playing as the major clans in the different scenarios, where you have to achieve various goals to emulate actual famous battles and other events within specific deadlines.”
    • “And then something goes wrong and the quest doesn't trigger anyway, which is quite frustrating!”
    • “If, for example, a quest triggers from a certain clan in a certain year, but you have already wiped them out, that's it, the quest line is broken.”
    • “Some quests are also unnatural in the sense that they make you do things that would be suicidal.”
  • graphics71 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many users praising the beautiful artwork, character designs, and overall visual appeal, despite some noting that the 3D graphics feel somewhat outdated. While the graphics are not considered state-of-the-art, they are deemed acceptable and well-suited for a strategy-based game, with a mix of good map visuals and exquisite 2D artwork. However, some players expressed disappointment with certain graphical elements, feeling they lacked detail compared to other titles in the genre.

    • “Historically accurate story, beautiful graphics, and entertaining gameplay.”
    • “Beautiful graphics/art, well-balanced gameplay, and compelling intricacies give this a lot of replay value.”
    • “The artwork in cutscenes is splendid to look at.”
    • “The building detail is lacking, resulting in poor graphics.”
    • “The 3D graphics are old-fashioned, resembling something from 2005-2006, though they are fully functional.”
    • “For someone that likes epic strategy and complex development decisions, I felt Nobunaga falls short; the mechanics felt clunky to me, and the graphics were disappointing.”
  • music38 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its epic soundtrack, which blends traditional Japanese tunes with orchestral elements, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion. Players appreciate the ability to customize their favorite tracks and find the music both beautiful and fitting for various moments in the game, although some note that certain tracks can be repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “Like all the games in this series released in the past 15 years, the music is ridiculously epic - a glorious mix of traditional Japanese tunes with western orchestra, as if to symbolize the great conflict at the heart of this era in Japan.”
    • “The score for this game is beautiful as well, with each track suited for the moment; I sometimes found myself just sitting there and listening to the music rather than playing the game.”
    • “The songs are a little repetitive and loud personally.”
    • “They do not really provide any ambience and I found myself turning off the music itself.”
    • “The music helps set the atmosphere in the game as well and it made me feel a little connected with the game.”
  • replayability19 mentions

    The game boasts exceptionally high replayability, with users praising its beautiful graphics, balanced gameplay, and the ability to start from various points with custom lords and shuffled clan positions. Players can enjoy hundreds of hours through diverse scenarios, historical quests, and extensive customization options, although some note that certain iterations may feel repetitive. Overall, it is highly recommended for fans of strategy games, offering a complex and engaging experience with significant replay potential.

    • “Beautiful graphics/art, well-balanced gameplay, and compelling intricacies give this a lot of replay value.”
    • “A tremendously fun game that offers hours of replayability (for both historical clans and self-created clans).”
    • “However, if you do happen to tire of rising to power as any of the various factions across the various time periods, there is also an 'edit mode' in this game which provides literally unlimited replayability.”
    • “But this was removed in SOI, making each clan somewhat similar, repetitive and greatly reduces the replay value of SOI.”
    • “The main aspect of this that provides replayability is that you can 'shuffle' the starting positions of the clans in the game, completely changing the flow of any era.”
    • “So much replayability, plenty of tweaking of options, and yes, make good use of the in-game encyclopedia.”
  • grinding15 mentions

    Players note that while the game offers systems to delegate tasks and reduce tedium, grinding can still become a significant issue, especially in the late game as clan management and officer oversight can feel repetitive. The ability to micromanage or automate certain functions helps alleviate some of the monotony, but many still find the gameplay tedious after a few battles. Overall, the experience can be enjoyable, but it risks becoming clunky and laborious without effective delegation.

    • “Late game might get a bit tedious.”
    • “This can get tedious.”
    • “The gameplay is really tedious after you have had two or three battles.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with users reporting smooth performance, minimal loading times, and no crashes. While some find the UI and icon-based menus to be unoptimized, many players can run the game effectively on older systems, indicating a well-optimized experience for PC. However, the complexity of managing provinces may lead players to rely on AI for decision-making as they progress.

    • “Game runs smoothly with no crash or any problem whatsoever.”
    • “Performance - ran flawlessly for me, minimal loading times.”
    • “Update: 3 hours in, no crashes, very good optimization as far as I can tell.”
    • “Early on it's not too bad, if a bit time-consuming and granular even at such a small scale, but the rewards of a well-managed province aren't overwhelming; after you've got one or two optimized provinces and expanded a bit, you'll probably find yourself letting the AI make the decisions.”
    • “Koei's return to the western PC market is hampered by icon-based menus and an unoptimized UI.”
    • “How is the performance?”
  • stability7 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing frequent crashes and bugs that hinder gameplay, while others report smooth performance even on older systems. Overall, there is a consensus that the game is still in need of patches to address these issues, despite some users enjoying a stable experience.

    • “The game runs great; my laptop is kind of old, and it ran this game like butter.”
    • “I experienced no crashes or bugs during my entire playthrough, which is impressive.”
    • “The performance is smooth and consistent, making for a seamless gaming experience.”
    • “My time was spent troubleshooting why the game is freezing on my PC.”
    • “Great game, still buggy though. I wish the English release got patches to fix it.”
    • “I have loved this game series since the first Nobunaga's Ambition was released, but this game is too buggy and crashes too often to be playable.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its evocative music, fostering a sense of connection for players. Additionally, the beautifully designed, immersive cities evolve visually as players progress, contributing to a captivating experience reminiscent of the Sengoku Jidai period, similar to Total War: Shogun.

    • “The music helps set the atmosphere in the game and made me feel a little connected with it.”
    • “On top of this, the atmosphere of the game is absolutely beautiful, with thriving immersive cities that actually grow visually as you develop them.”
    • “For comparison's sake, Total War: Shogun is also a fantastic game for capturing the Sengoku Jidai atmosphere.”
    • “The music helps set the atmosphere in the game, and it made me feel a little connected with the game.”
    • “For comparison's sake, Total War: Shogun is also a fantastic game for capturing the Sengoku Jidai atmosphere, but quite honestly, the main reason to play that game (the deep and intricate battle system) starts to get old and time-consuming quickly, to where I start auto-resolving everything.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game often arises from unexpected AI behavior, such as attacking other clans and disrupting quests, leading to amusing scenarios. The independent nature of diplomatic stances and ratings can create comical situations, while time-sensitive objectives, like capturing castles or employing characters, add to the game's lightheartedness.

    • “Hilariously, even if you know exactly what to do to meet all conditions, the AI may sometimes break the quests by simply attacking other clans.”
    • “The diplomatic stance (friendly, in awe, wary, hostile, etc.) and rating (percentage number, used for diplomatic actions) are independent of each other, which may lead to funny situations.”
    • “At times, there will be objectives for you to complete before deadlines, such as capturing castles, gaining diplomatic points, or even attempting to employ Hanbei Takaneka, which was very funny.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players find that the game's music significantly enhances the emotional atmosphere, fostering a sense of connection and immersion within the experience.

    • “The music helps set the atmosphere in the game, making me feel a deeper connection with the experience.”
    • “The storylines are incredibly moving, leaving me emotionally invested in the characters' journeys.”
    • “I found myself tearing up during key moments, which speaks volumes about the game's ability to evoke genuine emotions.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

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Play time

12hMedian play time
17hAverage play time
4-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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