In a way, this is probably the most casual Total War game (at least until Rome 2 since I haven't played anything after Rome 2 yet). And I mean it as a good way (mostly). The battles feel much faster and easier to grasp because how streamlined the units work and just overall how lightweight this feels.
It also laid groundworks for what I understand to be the staples of future Total War games, by implementing a light RPG systems for your generals. While making decisions for your clan is still bare-bones at minimum, it's a nice change of pace that adds more dynamic to your army controls.
However, it's not without its problems. Obviously, being in a single country where everyone roughly had the same military culture means the units are more or less the same. If you are not interested in this period of Japanese history, you would not give a sht about why Oda and Tokugawa are different, and frankly you would be alright. Of course, if you are interested in Sengoku Jidai, stuff like a unit made up solely of Samurai or a fcking Hattori clan as daimyo will make you incredibly annoyed.
But the biggest flaw of this game is the dreaded Realm Divide mechanic. Once you become too powerful in the campaign, you are declared the enemy of the state, which adds diplomatic penalty to your faction cumulatively. This goes on forever, and once you are in a war when Realm Divide is called on you, you are not getting out of that war whatsoever. You are bound to turn everyone in Japan as your enemy sooner or later.
It's a mechanic designed to keep you busy in late-game stages, but it only works to make it incredibly frustrating and one-dimensional. Unlike in real history when Toyotomi Hideyoshi was able to hastily negotiate a peace treaty with Oda's historical enemy, the Mori clan, to deal with internal problems, there is no diplomacy here. Everyone hates you and that hatred is relenteless and unending. So in the end diplomacy is basically a tool to delay Realm Divide, if anything, and really is useless after a certain point in the game. This also means that some backwater clan in Shigoku or Tohoku will randomly land a small army far away from the frontlines and lay siege on your castle. It doesn't matter if that clan is so feeble that it is not logical to declare war on my almighty clan. They will do it as if they are beholden to some religious calling that blinds them from any kind of rational thinking. The result is an annoying game of cat and mouse until you finally become the shogun and hold all required territories at the same time.
With Realm Divide disabled with a mod, I would say it is an excellent game for those who would like to get into Total War series. Its battles are just streamlined enough to be not too overwhelming or drawn-out, and the campaign is just right length and scale for an entry point. Sieges still suck but let's be honest, terrible siege battles are basically a series tradition at this point.
It also laid groundworks for what I understand to be the staples of future Total War games, by implementing a light RPG systems for your generals. While making decisions for your clan is still bare-bones at minimum, it's a nice change of pace that adds more dynamic to your army controls.
However, it's not without its problems. Obviously, being in a single country where everyone roughly had the same military culture means the units are more or less the same. If you are not interested in this period of Japanese history, you would not give a sht about why Oda and Tokugawa are different, and frankly you would be alright. Of course, if you are interested in Sengoku Jidai, stuff like a unit made up solely of Samurai or a fcking Hattori clan as daimyo will make you incredibly annoyed.
But the biggest flaw of this game is the dreaded Realm Divide mechanic. Once you become too powerful in the campaign, you are declared the enemy of the state, which adds diplomatic penalty to your faction cumulatively. This goes on forever, and once you are in a war when Realm Divide is called on you, you are not getting out of that war whatsoever. You are bound to turn everyone in Japan as your enemy sooner or later.
It's a mechanic designed to keep you busy in late-game stages, but it only works to make it incredibly frustrating and one-dimensional. Unlike in real history when Toyotomi Hideyoshi was able to hastily negotiate a peace treaty with Oda's historical enemy, the Mori clan, to deal with internal problems, there is no diplomacy here. Everyone hates you and that hatred is relenteless and unending. So in the end diplomacy is basically a tool to delay Realm Divide, if anything, and really is useless after a certain point in the game. This also means that some backwater clan in Shigoku or Tohoku will randomly land a small army far away from the frontlines and lay siege on your castle. It doesn't matter if that clan is so feeble that it is not logical to declare war on my almighty clan. They will do it as if they are beholden to some religious calling that blinds them from any kind of rational thinking. The result is an annoying game of cat and mouse until you finally become the shogun and hold all required territories at the same time.
With Realm Divide disabled with a mod, I would say it is an excellent game for those who would like to get into Total War series. Its battles are just streamlined enough to be not too overwhelming or drawn-out, and the campaign is just right length and scale for an entry point. Sieges still suck but let's be honest, terrible siege battles are basically a series tradition at this point.