
Release Date: July 20, 2023
Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is a strategy game set in Japan during the Sengoku era. Clan management, forming armies and handling the economy are all turn-based. Battles, meanwhile, take place in real-time.
Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is a turn-based strategy game and the sixteenth main installment in the iconic series by Koei Tecmo, originating from 1983. It was developed in celebration of the series' 40th anniversary.
Like all the series' previous installments, the game is set in Sengoku era Japan (15th-16th century), a time of constant civil wars between the local rulers (daimyo). The player takes control over one of them, their goal being to conquer the entire Land of the Rising Sun.
Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening expands on the ideas introduced earlier in the series. The game is a turn-based strategy revolving around warfare. The player must build fortifications, train soldiers and officers, then use them in real-time battles.
Military alone, however, is not enough to succeed. We must also handle our economy, trade and diplomacy. One of the most important features are decrees, that shape the laws in controlled regions.
There are over 2,200 unique officers in the game - more than ever before. Each officer has their own personality and we can talk to them directly, to seek advice or to convince them not to leave our clan. Enemy officers can also be converted to our side.
The game was created as a celebration of the franchise's 40th anniversary, therefore many fan-favorite mechanics make a return here, such as officers, music, scenarios and custom clan creator.
There are also many new features as well. The most important is the Dominion System, letting us grant territory to characters in return for their support. Such subordinates make most decisions on their own and often offer advice on how to strengthen our domain.
The game only supports singleplayer.
The visuals of Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening are simple, but appealing, their main strength being the faithful recreation of Sengoku era.
Platforms:
PC Windows July 20, 2023
PlayStation 4 July 20, 2023
Nintendo Switch July 20, 2023
PlayStation 5 June 5, 2025
Switch 2 June 5, 2025
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
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System Requirements for Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening Video Game:
PC / Windows
Minimum System Requirements:
Intel Core i3-3220 3.3 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 660 / Radeon R7 370 or better, 25 GB HDD, Windows 10/11 64-bit.
Recommended System Requirements:
Intel Core i7-3770 3.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce GTX 1060 / 8 GB Radeon RX 580 or better, 25 GB HDD, Windows 10/11 64-bit.
Game Ratings for Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening Video Game.
TheSixthAxis: 6 / 10 by Jim Hargreaves
There's a satisfying strategy sim here, running behind design choices that try to streamline the experience, but don't necessarily make it more accessible. Awakening feels like a reshuffling of ideas without necessarily evolving the Nobunaga's Ambition formula or pushing it forward. We're hoping the next instalment is a little braver, or at least cherrypicks the best elements from past games, refining them into the ultimate Sengoku strategy game.
Nintendo Life: 7 / 10 by Trent Cannon
Despite the graphical issues and the most bare-bones of tutorials you'll find in a historical simulation sandbox, Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening offers plenty of great moments. We loved the historical vignettes that played out as events unfolded and certain conditions were unlocked. Even on Easy mode, the game will make you surrender and start over multiple times before you can achieve Nobunaga's dream of a united Japan. The Switch version is far from perfect, but if you're willing to work with it, there's a rich, deep, addictive strategy sim to get lost in here.
Entertainium: by Eduardo Rebouças
If it weren’t for some of its issues with a less than satisfactory tutorial and cumbersome UI, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening would be an eyes-closed recommendation for just about every type of player looking for this sort of gaming to crunch away hours and hours. As it is, though, if you are the sort of player that can muscle your way past issues like the ones that this game suffers from, you will find that there’s a lot of entertaining content to sink your teeth into in this latest entry of this long-running and successful franchise.