Lords of the Rising Sun
| Developer: Cinemaware | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Mirrorsoft | Sound: |
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| Year: 1989 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Strategy-arcade | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
7/10 | |
This wargame set in feudal Japan (12th century: the Genpei War) blends real time strategy with simple yet superbly presented arcade mini-games. Numerous textual inserts and soberly animated staging breathe an original atmosphere.
Your objective is to conquer the entire country to become Shogun. To this end, you command three armies, led by generals with unique characteristics. Direct them to capture and defend villages and castles, while managing logistics and preserving troop morale. It’s possible to ally with a neutral army or send a ninja to assassinate an enemy general, with various external factors taken into account, such as seasonal changes and weather conditions.
Your initial character choice determines whether you’ll bypass the arcade phases. Yoshitsune (the one on the right) lets you focus solely on strategy, while the other (Yoritomo) offers diplomatic and leadership benefits in return.
The main criticism I would highlight would be the haphazard mouse control during certain phases, exactly like Nord et Sud. I have no patience for poorly controlled mini-games. Additionally, the strategic section (Japan map) could have benefited from minimal guidance to avoid constantly referencing the manual. It’s not an extremely detailed simulation, so why such difficulty in getting into it?
There are console versions (CDi and PC Engine CD-ROM) that seem to differ significantly.
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