Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. IGN Italia
    Sep 16, 2015
    74
    An interesting alternative to western strategic games, but too hard for players new to the genre.
  2. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Sep 7, 2015
    70
    Strategy gamers rejoice! There is finally a game worthy of your time on the PlayStation 4.
  3. TheSixthAxis
    Sep 3, 2015
    70
    When the cogs start turning, Nobunaga’s Ambition becomes this intriguing spectacle as clans employ a variety of strategies in order to adapt, survive, and expand. Although far from perfect, this is likely the best grand strategy title you’ll find on a home console.
  5. PlayStation Universe
    Sep 14, 2015
    60
    A long-awaited localization of a famed franchise that fails to make an impact. With little depth or strategy, this is a game designed for those who love Japanese history or are franchise diehards. Only that love will keep you wanting to play through the game more than once.

Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best PS4 Game of 2015
75
#75 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

User Reviews

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User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 62
  3. Negative: 12 out of 62
  1. HeavyGamer
    Sep 8, 2015
    10
    If you suck at strategy games, dont buy.
    Koei strategy games has been most complicated and deep in both politics and choice you make.
    and    If you suck at strategy games, dont buy.
    Koei strategy games has been most complicated and deep in both politics and choice you make.
    and yet this title is among the most complicated one. Have your expectation on check when you buy this game.    … Full Review »
  2. henri5
    Sep 11, 2015
    9
    despite a rather steep learning curve (no more than CKIV and less than HOI3), this deep strategy game is one of the best of the year. Theredespite a rather steep learning curve (no more than CKIV and less than HOI3), this deep strategy game is one of the best of the year. There are many details that are easy to miss, and a wiki would help a lot. The manual is fairly complete, but very compact, son one is likely to miss a lot on the first reading. The game has many settings of difficulty, even for the least competent of gamers.… Full Review »
  3. BoredGamer42
    Nov 16, 2016
    8
    tl;dr This is an RTS inside an RTS inside a strategy game designed for consoles, and it works. The AI makes this game. Game was ~60 hourstl;dr This is an RTS inside an RTS inside a strategy game designed for consoles, and it works. The AI makes this game. Game was ~60 hours of fun for a $22 price tag. May play it again. An all-around good value.

    I bought this game on sale at a Gamestop because I played the original Nobunaga's Ambition on NES and loved it (the little ninja assassins would poke the sleeping guy in the belly and jiggle the blade around making techno murder sounds^^).

    When I first started a match of Sphere of Influence, I thought that the gameplay seemed disappointingly basic. I think a lot of the character flavor's supposed to be assumed because gamers in Japan are more familiar with their own famous Warring States period personalities. Nobunaga's a famous evil genius type, but I remembered Takeda being a schemer from another game (Shingen the Ruler, also NES), and he liked horsies more than guns, so went with him. He was fun.

    There are two phases to the game - a base building phase, which you can skip (AI handles the basics for you), and a conquest phase, which consists of marching little triangular armies to enemy castles and sacking them with pointy sticks. I expanded for a bit, ate a few weaker neighbors, thought that extreme mode seemed easier than the NES version's, and then was suddenly mass-invaded by Hojo (a bigger AI faction), which slaughtered me.

    Tried again. Same results. The AI on Extreme invades you almost like a player would (they keep about 10% more troops in reserve, which in retrospect isn't a bad idea), and therein lies the fun in the game.

    Tried again. Expanded faster than my largest foes this time, so they formed a coalition and sacked me.

    Last time I played I won. Played Hojo, and gutted my most dangerous foes through sheer random luck when one invaded another instead of me. Got enough territory to make a province. Gave it to a hawt chick officer, who went all Joan of Arc and started mass invading on her own, expanding my territory. Towards the end, these lady butchers made the game for me, as I was assisting them more than the other way around.

    The true shining star of Sphere of Influence is the AI, which plays like a strong human player without significant cheat assists (on max difficulty it gets a little gold and food bonus, I think, which's meaningless). It invades like you would invade. It expands like you would expand. It teams up on you when you get too far ahead.

    The game I won, I had conquered the eastern half of the map, overcoming foes and coalitions my size or greater, only to realize another foe had conquered the western half in the same time, and that I was at best on equal footing for a final mega-showdown that took ~10 hours to complete.

    Final note: I only unlocked 2 of ~20 ingame cutscene videos, so there's plenty more to see, and the ending credits are quite neat. A good purchase.    … Full Review »
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