FX’s historic drama Shogun has simply been the most important new TV present of 2024 up to now. Primarily based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the identical identify, it blends political intrigue and character drama with sweeping set items and graphic violence, and has been successful with audiences. Should you’ve wrapped up the present and end up craving for extra prefer it, try our checklist of the ten greatest video games like Shogun.
Finest Video games Like Shogun
James Clavell’s Shogun
This primary entry on our checklist might be the best alternative out of all of them. Almost ten years after the primary tv adaptation of the Shogun novel launched, an adaption of the e-book got here out as a online game from Infocom for Amiga, Apple II, DOS, and Macintosh.
Fairly than something action-packed, James Clavell’s Shogun is a closely text-based journey recreation, adhering fairly carefully to the novel’s plot. You play as John Blackthorne as you crash-land in Japan and are available to grips with the advanced political panorama, however don’t truly get to have any of the enjoyable your self.
It was a muted launch that was extensively panned, and as such it’s unattainable to play on any fashionable programs. That could be for the most effective, as a result of Clavell himself wasn’t particularly interested by it – refusing to contribute creatively and merely signing off on the challenge.
Ghost of Tsushima
Subsequent on our checklist is arguably the closest factor there’s to Shogun in online game type. Whether or not you’re enjoying the bottom PS4 model or the PS5’s Director’s Lower, Ghost of Tsushima is a bombastic triple-A blockbuster with boundary-pushing graphics, sharp fight, and a deep story.
You play as Jin Sakai, a samurai in Twelfth-century Japan. Your house island of Tsushima is below siege by imperial Mongol forces, and it’s as much as you and your allies to carry them off and repel the invasion by all means.
Should you cherished the motion within the Shogun sequence – even when it was few and much between – Ghost of Tsushima will greater than ship on that promise. It’s set a number of centuries earlier than Shogun, however the themes of vying for energy and holding off opposition stress resonate by way of each.
Rise of the Ronin
The latest recreation on our checklist, Rise of the Ronin is about within the nineteenth century, some 300 years after Shogun. It sticks carefully to actual Japanese historical past, going down on the finish of the Edo interval the place opposing forces are battling to both keep or dissolve the shogunate authorities construction.
Developed by Workforce Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame (extra of which we’ll talk about later), swordplay is the main focus in Rise of the Ronin. You possibly can decide from varied combating kinds, starting from polearms to twin swords, every with distinctive abilities, parries, and assaults.
For individuals who just like the fight in Ghost of Tsushima however need one thing extra detailed and rewarding, Rise of the Ronin will do the job. Simply keep in mind it’s a PS5 unique!
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Taking fight a step additional, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is FromSoftware’s most up-to-date foray into real-life settings, even when its model of the Japanese Sengoku interval is fictionalized. As a ninja referred to as Wolf, you battle by way of hordes of enemy samurai who kidnapped your former grasp.
If Rise of the Ronin toes the road of risk-and-reward fight, Sekiro pushes it into all-out punishing. It’s a FromSoft recreation, in any case, so anyone anticipating a story-driven narrative journey will quickly get a giant shock. The fight is notoriously tough, rating among the many developer’s hardest video games with its extremely exact parrying time and really low HP barrier for Wolf. It’s not for everybody, however soulslike followers who additionally loved Shogun will certainly wish to give it a attempt.
Ninja Gaiden: Grasp Assortment
Fairly than selecting one particular recreation within the Ninja Gaiden sequence, we’ve opted to go for 2021’s Grasp Assortment. This collated the primary three HD video games within the sequence onto fashionable consoles, and is even out there on Recreation Cross for subscribers.
The precursor sequence to Rise of the Ronin, Ninja Gaiden was a serious pioneer of sword-based hack-and-slash gameplay. It’s all about touchdown the best combo you’ll be able to, juggling enemies within the air, and pulling off brutal decapitation strikes. The Ninja Gaiden sequence is far more arcadey than different entries on this checklist, making it an ideal start line for newcomers to the hack-and-slash style.
Whereas Shogun is definitely extra centered on story and characters over fight, Ninja Gaiden is a perfect treatment when you end the sequence and desire a extra action-focused narrative.
Like a Dragon: Ishin!
This remake of the 2014 Japan-only Yakuza recreation is about solely in 18th-century Japan. You play as Sakamoto Ryoma, a former ronin now deserted by his clan and compelled to exit on a brutal quest to avenge his father. As a Like a Dragon recreation, although, it’s not particularly self-serious.
That includes an enormous open world, the aspect actions are what make Like a Dragon: Ishin! stand out from different video games on this checklist. To indicate how huge the vary is, you’ll be able to sing karaoke, prepare dinner noodles, take dance classes, race chickens, and play poker. There’s a lot to do in the principle quest, however shedding your self in these aspect distractions is all a part of the enjoyable.
Should you appreciated Shogun however discovered it a bit too severe and darkish, Like a Dragon: Ishin! is the proper antidote. Certain, there’s a quest for revenge right here, however there’s loads of silliness as effectively.
Aragami
Some of the stylized video games on this checklist, in Aragami you play because the spirit of an murderer despatched again to Earth to take out targets. Your talents let you harness the ability of shadows, casting illusions to govern enemies, transporting by way of shadows, and summoning weapons out of skinny air.
Like a stealthier, extra fashionable model of Murderer’s Creed, Aragami allows you to select from varied strategies of coping with enemies. The range of your shadow powers means you don’t at all times have to chop enemies down along with your sword – you may also sneak previous or harness shadows to engulf enemies.
It’s not too much like Shogun in a stylistic sense, however as an alternative a extra cartoonish however equally grisly tackle Japanese historical past.
Complete Conflict: Shogun 2
For the technique followers on the market, Complete Conflict: Shogun 2 is an ideal accompaniment to the top of Shogun. With out delving into spoilers, let’s simply say that it makes an terrible lot of sense for the huge-scale conflicts of this recreation to fill the void left by the top of the sequence.
Developed as at all times by long-term developer Artistic Meeting, Complete Conflict: Shogun 2 is the definitive historic Japanese RTS. You get to choose from varied clans – these pro-shogunate and their detractors – to formulate your individual forces and head into battle.
Should you haven’t loved army technique video games up to now, Complete Conflict: Shogun 2 in all probability received’t change your thoughts. Nonetheless, anybody aware of the style who cherished Shogun will discover it the proper companion piece.
Mafia 3
Mafia 3 is by far essentially the most shocking recreation on our checklist, however hear us out. Not like the primary two Mafia video games, the place you begin off as a lowly grunt and work your manner up the ladder, Mafia 3 offers you a bit extra of an influence journey.
In truth, when you get far sufficient into the story you’ll be able to resolve which of your rival gangs to aspect with, and which to do battle towards. The crux of Shogun’s narrative is totally different factions vying for authority in an influence vacuum, and Mafia 3 handles that idea rather well. Sure, they’re completely totally different in most methods, however thematically share a massively widespread thread.
Murderer’s Creed Purple
The final entry on our checklist is a little bit of a cheat, as a result of Murderer’s Creed Purple isn’t even out but. In truth, it doesn’t also have a correct title – Purple is simply the working codename, in any case. That stated, one of many few tidbits of data we have now is that it’ll happen in Feudal Japan.
Whereas that’s all we have now to go off, we’ve already seen how the Murderer’s Creed sequence faithfully adapts the time durations it tackles, from Victorian London in Syndicate to renaissance Italy within the Ezio trilogy. We’ve seen how Shogun made feudal Japan a residing, respiratory world on tv. With Murderer’s Creed Purple, it ought to be the very same factor for gaming.
These are our picks of the most effective video games like Shogun! For extra lists like this, try the most effective Xbox sofa co-op video games and the most effective video games like Manor Lords.