Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening - Complete Edition is a great strategy addition to the new Nintendo Switch 2, making excellent use of its new features. Although it lacks key elements found in Romance of the Three Kingdoms (also by Tecmo) and has a steep learning curve, there's no denying it's a rich, enjoyable, and challenging game to dive into. A must-buy for hardcore strategy game players.

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening was released three years ago and was a hit for fans. The release of the Switch 2 has shown that older experiences are better on it. However, a new price tag and the inability to upgrade the Switch 1 version of the game will turn returning fans away.

The lack of an upgrade path for existing Nintendo Switch owners and technical issues definitely hold it back, but Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 is an excellent release, especially if you play in handheld mode. Having now played it on every platform since launch, this is the best portable version with its many input options and all the content included from the get-go. The small install size also means I don’t need to stress over leaving it installed on my Switch 2, with how much I’ve been juggling other games since launch.

Don’t expect this one to feature on family games night, but if you are a fan of deep and complex military strategy then this is arguably the most comprehensive Nobunaga’s Ambition to date.

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition is still a game that will push strategy fans to (and beyond) their limits. You’ll spend more time learning than playing. But the Joy-Con mouse functionality in this Switch 2-only release removes a major obstacle to the long-serving rewards awaiting those able to stick with it.

Nobunaga’s Ambition is the black diamond ski slope of strategy games which makes it a hard pass for those interested in the genre but still running the bunny slopes. Those who like the genre and are willing to invest the time will find a robust and fulfilling game, one that I’m eager to get back to even as I write this.

While surely a joy for series fans, as a newcomer, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening can, at times, be unwieldy and lack direction, with core tenets that should work to balance out the game, like diplomacy left flying half-mast. That being said, it’s a rewarding game to master, offering ample replayability and a healthy dose of Japanese history.

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition is a titan of a game to get to grips with on Switch 2, in both overall complexity and controls. That scale is both a blessing and a curse. For fans of the genre it has everything expected, and the historical depth of the Sengoku period means it brings a wealth of fun for those invested in this point in history. The strategic chops it boasts are well designed and do the job expected of putting the player into the shoes of developing and expanding their land. With that depth, however, the learning curve can be overwhelming, and frankly if this was released on the original Switch it would be hard to recommend simply due to the difficulty of actually navigating the controls. While not all those complications are inherently solved by mouse controls on Switch 2, the addition of them transforms this tricky console adaptation into something that at least rivals its PC counterpart and thus becomes a much more enticing proposition.

If you enjoy grand strategy games and are passionate about the Sengoku period, Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening has exactly what you're looking for. Plus, the Switch 2 version controls wonderfully thanks to the mouse mode. Keep in mind, though, that this title has a very high learning curve and, unfortunately, is only available in English.