I am thrilled to have recently discovered Nobunaga's Ambition 1. I am not an avid strategy game player, yet this game has completely sucked me in. As a warlord in feudal Japan, you are challenged to unite multiple quarreling kingdoms through strategic battles and artful politics. Rule with an iron fist, ruthlessly invading every weak country around you or create allies through civil pacts and marriages. Be aware, however, that marriages are expensive and pacts can be broken… and that war is really fun!
Using a combination of both aggression and political manipulation turned out to be my favorite method.
Re-rolling until you secure a good set of starting stats really helps the game along later on. Charm and Luck has saved me many times from very tight spots and Health is vital.
A little research on the various fiefs is also a good idea. Knowing who and how you want to play is important. You may decide to rule over a fief situated securely on a peninsula with only one easily defended border yet very limited money and soldiers and easily broken dams or opt instead to play the lord of a larger fief with an already budding economy and a small army ready to be deployed at the cost of having more borders to look after, risking constant invasion. Your overall choice in fiefs
has a huge role in whether or not you will want to play offensively or defensively.
However, building a sturdy economy in the very beginning of game play seems to be dire across the board. Don’t be shy in taxing your people but be sure to keep their loyalty by giving them gifts as often as you can afford or they will revolt. Keep a close eye on the happiness of your soldiers as well or you will find that they easily and happily deflect to the enemy in battle. The combination of civic responsibility with strategic know how makes this game hard to quit.
Furthermore, the game has great replay value in that multiple levels of challenge are easily available to you, not only in what level of difficulty you decide to set your AI enemies to (I haven’t yet gotten past 1!), but also in which warlord you decide to play. Each fief has its own strengths and challenges keeping game play fresh and fun every new game. The menus are more than a little confusing, however. And the game lacks any sort of tutorial or instructions. Expect at least a couple of hours or tedious trial and error before you really get a good game going. Don’t give up, though!
Overall, Nobunaga’s Ambition is well worth the time it takes to learn to play it. Be sure to have a few hours to burn before starting a game of Nobunaga’s Ambition because once you get it rolling, it’s near impossible to stop!
