It was just a couple of weeks ago that SEGA announced it would be restructuring its company to publish digital content. Even though its retail publishing side would be severely cut to only Sonic, Total War, and Aliens games, its digital publishing side would the company’s main focus. I said in my original news article this could potentially be good news for mobile gamers, and I was right as SEGA has just released Total War Battles: Shogun.
If you’re familiar with the PC Total War games, then you’ll know exactly what to expect in Total War Battles: Shogun. The game is a re-imagining of Total War and has been designed specifically for mobile devices and multi-touch interfaces. Players will assume the control of a young samurai who is seeking revenge for the death of his father. His adventure will take players on a journey across medieval Japan, delivering over 15 hours of gameplay.
You’ll play across 27 core missions as you construct your bases, train and build your army of Samurais, Warrior Monks, and Ninja to march them towards your enemy’s forces to complete a number of objectives. Aside from the 27 missions, you’ll also be able to take on 18 challenging side-quests that offer additional experience which can be used to upgrade buildings and units.
Once you feel you’ve got a grasp of Total Wars: Shogun, you can then invite your clueless friends and family to a game through Shogun’s local multiplayer mode. The game scales its appearance in order for both players to gain an equal advantage over their troops and the enemy’s. The game performs exceptionally well on the new iPad thanks to its Retina Display support.
I’ve been playing Total War Battles: Shogun since yesterday and I’m really impressed so far with how The Creative Assembly re-imagined this game for mobile devices. The gameplay offers a nice mix of RTS with micro-managing and will certainly keep both fans of the series and newcomers interested from start to finish. I just with there was an online multiplayer mode instead of local. Hopefully an online mode is planned for a future update.
Total War Battles: Shogun ($6.99 Universal)