Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening Reviews

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Jun 13, 2025

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening was released three years ago and was a hit for fans. The release of the Switch 2 has shown that older experiences are better on it. However, a new price tag and the inability to upgrade the Switch 1 version of the game will turn returning fans away.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 13, 2025

Don’t expect this one to feature on family games night, but if you are a fan of deep and complex military strategy then this is arguably the most comprehensive Nobunaga’s Ambition to date.

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3.5 / 5.0
Jul 19, 2023

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is a worthy entry in the forty-year-old franchise.

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7 / 10
Jul 19, 2023

Despite the graphical issues and the most bare-bones of tutorials you'll find in a historical simulation sandbox, Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening offers plenty of great moments. We loved the historical vignettes that played out as events unfolded and certain conditions were unlocked. Even on Easy mode, the game will make you surrender and start over multiple times before you can achieve Nobunaga's dream of a united Japan. The Switch version is far from perfect, but if you're willing to work with it, there's a rich, deep, addictive strategy sim to get lost in here.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 4, 2025

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition adds even more scenarios and depth to Koei Tecmo's already-winning strategy game.

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7 / 10
Jul 22, 2023

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening streamlines the many complex systems and mechanics that have built up over the series' 40-year history, refining the strategic experience that is more approachable and all the better for it. While UI elements and precise control issues can frustrate at times, Awakening is a wonderful sandbox for samurai enthusiasts to play in.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 20, 2023

Nobunaga's Ambition Awakening is perhaps the most concrete effort of the Japanese software house for 40 years to expand its audience. The innovations in terms of accessibility related to the decision-making freedom of their subordinates are certainly spot on, because they spare the player some of the most tedious management tasks.

Review in Italian | Read full review

4 / 10.0
Jul 28, 2023

For those familiar with this long-time simulation/strategy series, Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening may feel like a warm welcome home. But as a newcomer, I found the game a confusing mess, and the Switch version frustrated my every attempt to enjoy playing it.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 24, 2023

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is a unique take on the strategy genre that chooses to focus more on the administration aspects of war rather than the battles. Coupled with in-depth mechanics for managing your economy, as well as a surprisingly deep political system where you have to pay attention to how well your officers are doing, you get a unique management-styled strategy game that is absolutely worth your time.

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7.5 / 10.0
Aug 11, 2023

Nobunaga's Ambition Awakening is a interesting way to live the Feudal Japan era, but the various and rich gameplay leaves room for a lot of confusion during the battles.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Scarlet Bell
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 7, 2023

The latest game in the Nobunaga's Ambition series, Awakening puts a fresh coat of paint onto the Warring States Period of Japanese history and again asks you to quell the chaos and unify the nation. Though some of the changes may be as divisive as Nobunaga's own ideology at the time, this is a game well worth checking out for strategy fans and enjoyers of Japanese history.

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6 / 10.0
Aug 7, 2023

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is a fun game to sink a day, week, or lifetime into, but suffers from slightly confusing menus, odd AI, and "helpful" advisors. Regardless, the game kept me coming back time after time, trying to find my own Awakening.

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Jul 20, 2023

With any 4X strategy title, there’s a learning curve, and Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is no different in that regard. There’s so much depth to the strategies, stats, and nation management that it will take some hours to learn your way around. However, an efficient interface and an excellent approach to the historical storytelling make this the most accessible Nobunaga’s Ambition we’ve seen in the series’ 40-year history. What’s more, it’s a genuinely excellent alternative to a textbook for anyone that wants to learn something about a period of warfare every bit as fascinating as the Napoleonic Wars, the Three Kingdoms era of China, the civil war in America, the Roman campaigns or the Mongol conquests.

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70 / 100
Jul 19, 2023

Even though it demands a lot from the player right from the start and it doesn't have the nicest interface, especially for console players, Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is a legitimate representative of the genre. The title appropriates everything that has done best in the past decades, rewarding the dedicated and studious with fascinating stories, complex management systems and great options for achieving glory.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

8.4 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2025
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7.4 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2025

For strategic minds, NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION: Awakening Complete Edition is a feature-rich epic filled with hundreds of hours of replayable content. Though complex, its learning tools and customizable systems make the climb worth it. It’s a celebration of historical depth and mechanical freedom, especially suited for handheld strategy fans seeking a challenging and rewarding experience.

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7 / 10.0
Aug 19, 2023

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is a fun, challenging strategy game, but it feels bloated at times, and playing on a controller is a hassle.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jul 28, 2023

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is a great game from a lesser-known franchise in the West, but one that certainly deserves recognition from strategist enthusiasts. There are some problems executing commands in the console version and its learning barrier is a little more demanding, but those who persist for three or four games will be rewarded with an extremely complex game, full of different strategies to win and completely addictive. Its replayability potential is incredible with so many clan options to control and surely hundreds of hours can be enjoyed in it.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jul 27, 2023

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening fulfills with excellence the mission of honoring the series' 40 birthday, presenting countless strategic possibilities within all its systems. For lovers of the genre, there's enough content here to enjoy for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours. As for the novices, it is necessary to be aware that many attempts may be necessary to master the mechanics; however, once understood, it will be difficult to stop playing.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Liked
Aug 1, 2023

If it weren’t for some of its issues with a less than satisfactory tutorial and cumbersome UI, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening would be an eyes-closed recommendation for just about every type of player looking for this sort of gaming to crunch away hours and hours. As it is, though, if you are the sort of player that can muscle your way past issues like the ones that this game suffers from, you will find that there’s a lot of entertaining content to sink your teeth into in this latest entry of this long-running and successful franchise.

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