Warlord: Awaji

Warlord: Awaji is the second entry in the Warlord series developed by Darkmatter Games. The player takes the role of a samurai warlord sent by the Emperor to conquer the island of Awaji. The game combines a first-person perspective with strategic gameplay, which the developer refers to as immersive strategy. From this viewpoint the player leads an army, builds a camp, captures villages and forts, and can fight in battles directly alongside their own troops in real time. The game has now released on Steam, where it holds a Mostly Positive rating from more than 100 user reviews.

The open world is based on real heightmap data of Awaji and includes temples and shrines drawn from actual locations. Civilian convoys and warrior bands move across the map in real time, and local clans respond to the player’s actions. Players can target enemy strongpoints to weaken quick-reaction forces, capture rival shrines to affect a spiritual aura mechanic, and work with warrior monks to curse enemies or arrange coalition attacks. Armies are made up of individually named samurai who gain experience over time and can be given improved weapons and armour. Conquered land is used to promote leaders and increase army capacity, and formations of melee, ranged and cavalry troops are arranged through a drag-and-drop menu.

Base building lets the player set up a war camp anywhere in the world, pitching tents, meeting troop needs such as sleep and food, building fences and screens for a perimeter, and posting guards at night. The camp can be packed up and moved at any time. According to the developer, the weapons, armour, structures, names and gameplay systems are drawn from literary, iconographic and archaeological sources, with input from specialists in samurai warfare.