Shōgun, the restricted TV sequence based mostly on the historical-fiction novel by James Clavell, shortly asserted itself as one in every of this yr’s greatest new sequence, because of a fascinating solid of characters and a stirring efficiency by lead Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Toranaga.
For those who’re nonetheless devastated by this week’s sequence finale and are on the lookout for a recreation to sate your want for extra nice storytelling set in historic Japan, we’ve acquired you coated. We’ve hand-selected a few of our favourite video games to assist ease the transition right into a post-Shōgun world. Let’s dive in!
Shadow Ways: Blades of the Shogun
The place to play: PlayStation 4, Home windows PC, Xbox One
Generally, a veiled knife at midnight is price greater than 100 swords on the battlefield. Working example: The tip of Shōgun’s second episode, when a shinobi disguised as a longtime home servant tears by way of guards and bystanders alike, leaving blood in his wake, earlier than being reduce down by Lord Toranaga. So, for those who’re on the lookout for a stealthy motion recreation the place technique and endurance are king, Mimimi Productions’ 2016 real-time techniques recreation is a must-play.
Set in feudal Japan shortly after the reigning shogun has unified the nation, Shadow Ways: Blades of the Shogun follows a gaggle of unlikely allies who band collectively of their frequent quest to take down a mysterious warlord that threatens the shogunate. It’s a superb and totally underrated stealth recreation that places emphasis on profiting from every ability your celebration of playable characters brings to each problem. —Toussaint Egan
Complete Conflict: Shogun 2
The place to play: Home windows PC
Shōgun takes place throughout the finish of the Sengoku interval, a time during which incessant civil warfare has divided the nation into numerous domains overseen by warlords seeking to broaden their territories. The sequence’ finale ends on the cusp of struggle, with Toranaga reflecting on what will probably be generally known as the Battle of Sekigahara. For those who have been disenchanted by the shortage of an enormous battle on the finish of Shōgun, this basic RTS is the right technique to expertise that.
Inventive Meeting’s path to strategy-gaming dominance started in 2000 with the unique Shogun: Complete Conflict. After a decade-long romp by way of historical Rome and Europe, the developer returned to Japan in 2011 for Complete Conflict: Shogun 2. The end result was a BAFTA award for greatest technique recreation, and the crystallization of a high-concept multimodal format that might go on to develop into the beloved trilogy Complete Conflict: Warhammer.
In Complete Conflict: Shogun 2, you’ll ship hundreds of troopers, archers, and cavalry into pitched real-time tactical battles. Out of your hen’s-eye view over the battlefield, you possibly can get them organized to flank, fireplace at, and cost the enemy. Then, within the turn-based overworld map, you’ll maneuver your forces to benefit from the terrain, utilizing it to unseat your AI-controlled opponents to dominate all of Japan. The timeline is an ideal match for the TV present, with items pulled from historic accounts of the sixteenth century.
To get essentially the most bang on your buck, choose up the Total War: Shogun 2 collection on Steam, which incorporates the bottom recreation and its most important expansions. —Charlie Corridor
Rise of the Ronin
The place to play: PlayStation 5
For those who’re on the lookout for a recreation the place you possibly can discover the attractive plains and rolling hills of Nineteenth-century Japan that Shogun solely briefly teased all through the sequence, Workforce Ninja’s first open-world motion journey is simply the sport to satiate your wanderlust. As a former anti-shogunate murderer turned ronin, gamers should traverse the countryside of Nineteenth-century Japan after their village is destroyed and their lifelong associate goes lacking. You’ll battle in opposition to ruthless bandits, surly American troopers, and even ravenous canine as you try to carve out a brand new life for your self. Not solely that, however gamers are given the selection to forge bonds with essential characters and ally with clashing factions to determine the destiny of Japan. If that doesn’t resonate with the themes of Shōgun, I don’t know what does. —TE
Nioh
The place to play: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Home windows PC
Whereas loosely based mostly on true occasions, Shōgun is technically a piece of historic fiction, with John Blackthorne and Lord Yoshii Toranaga as fictional analogs for the real-life English sailor turned samurai William Adams and daimyo turned shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. For those who’re on the lookout for one other, albeit extra violently exaggerated, tackle the occasions coated within the present, you must positively give Workforce Ninja’s 2017 Soulslike Nioh a shot.
Set in a darkish fantasy model of 1600s Japan, gamers assume the position of an Irish sailor named William who arrives in Japan on a quest of vengeance in opposition to Edward Kelley, an occult alchemist who seeks to perpetuate battle utilizing a military of oni. William shortly allies himself with Ieyasu and his ninja servant Hanzo Hattori, who agree to assist him in his mission to take down Kelley in their very own quest to deliver peace to Japan. It’s a wild and ridiculous motion RPG crammed with intense swordplay and horrifying bosses. It’s not precisely the equal of a slow-paced, emotionally wealthy status TV sequence, however it’s a blast to play. —TE
Like a Dragon: Ishin!
The place to play: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Home windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Collection X
The Like a Dragon (previously generally known as Yakuza) sequence has all the time had a repute for outlandish eventualities involving gold-hearted gangsters and over-the-top minigames. In 2014, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio took some of the radical steps within the franchise up to now, recasting the sequence’ mechanics and concepts for an action-adventure spinoff set in Nineteenth-century Japan. Like a Dragon: Ishin! places gamers within the position of the legendary samurai Sakamoto Ryōma (modeled after common sequence protagonist Kazuma Kiryu) as he fights to clear his identify after his adoptive father is murdered by an murderer.
For those who have been captivated by Shōgun’s meticulous rendition of Osaka Fortress, you’ll love exploring the sport’s huge and delightful model of the fort city of Tosa and Kyo, Japan’s capital metropolis throughout the Bakumatsu period. It’s a incredible recreation with compelling characters and nice fight, and with the current remake that permits gamers to get it on PC and current-gen consoles, there’s by no means been a greater time to strive it out. —TE