This is a Tentative review. I might come back later and give a thorough review. I have five hours with the game so far.
Awakening feels like a stream-lined Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Ascension to me. You no longer have a domain where to decide where to build things, but you can still order to have a lot of different buildings built in counties and your castles.
The controls work well enough with a controller and I enjoy the research (policies) and how that is set up. Policies and castle spaces each have a tier upgrade system for each item. Labour points are back.
Overall, I am enjoying it. I feel Nobunaga’s Ambition Awakening deserves an 8.5/10. I rounded down because I feel it deserves an 8 (Great) and not a 9 (Superb) status. LIke I said this review is tentative and after more than five hours with it I may bump it to a 9/10.
Update—————————————————
Yes, I give the game a 9/10. I suppose I have ten hours with the game now.
Once you get to the siege combat which is complicated but not impossible you can really appreciate the complexity of the game.
The game overall is a little bit complex; more so, than recent Nobunaga’s Ambition editions, not impossible, which makes you think and I can appreciate that. The whole game being moderately complex reminds me of the first Nobunaga’s Ambition on the NES I believe it was.
Update—————————————————
After 25 hours with the game, back to a score of 8/10 it is then. I was using diplomacy on the imperial court, and although I got new titles I was not getting new jobs like in older games. I was hoping after 10 hours of playing it there would still be new game elements to be revealed but that was not the case. Complex at first, not so much after 25 hours. Not a bad game at 8/10, but not the 9/10 I gave it earlier.