Certain ceremonies are worth perpetuating. Like customs, some names have grown to become synonym of the venerable and enduring; traditions proudly upheld and celebrated. Such is the case of game company Tecmo Koei and its brainchild, Nobunaga's Ambition.
On its 30th anniversary the franchise is to be refreshed once again with a new title, christened Nobunaga's Ambition: Creation, or Nobunaga No Yabou: Souzou in Japanese.
With a longevity of this ilk, which few indeed can claim, it is noteworthy that this challenging strategy simulation series rooted in Japanese history is still around to defy the flashier contenders that have, off and on, been known to populate the segment alongside its several iterations.
How has dreariness been averted and interest maintained? The creator, Kou Shibusawa, enlightens:
The producer and designers came up with the basic ideas for each title, but we naturally take in ideas from players as well (...) Also, as general producer, I propose ideas that I think could help bring the game into new directions. We start by holding discussions to work out the general concept of the title, the way the new Nobunaga should go. For example, the original Nobunaga covered only 17 nation-states in central Japan, but that later got expanded to all of Japan after many player requests.
Unifying Japan was Nobunaga's greatest dream, one that was sadly crushed in the end, but we can create this virtual Warring States period in the game and let people realize the dream that he couldn't. That concept's stayed true across the entire series, from the first game forward.
A utopia that shall be pursued anew when this latest instalment (the 14th!) finally graces gamers sometime farther down the line this very year (in Japan at least).
Details are not in abundance at present, but novel game modes and features are very much to be expected, so we'll await their celebratory heralding to transmit them to you.
