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Takeda
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Graphics & Sound:
Not many games these days emphasize totally on gameplay in order to sell the product, as people are demanding flashier and more breathtaking graphics. While I'll not complain about better graphics, I'll also not complain about better gameplay. Takeda has some nice Japanese art incorporated in with the menus, but the soul of the game is in the battles. Takeda is a 2D battlefield sim to the core, with graphics not being the number one priority. However, they could have paid a little more attention to the level of detail, which would have ultimately ended up enhancing the gameplay. The terrain isn't horrible, but most of the battlefields will end up looking like all the other ones, unless a giant river happens to bisect it down the middle. Battles are fought from a top down perspective, and take place over large areas of terrain. With two armies on the field totaling around 1000 soldiers, you can't exactly see the troops faces, but you also can't even tell what they are at times. Discerning between troops takes more than a little effort, as the biggest difference between them is who is on a horse and who is not. The foot soldiers look too much alike, especially in the heat of battle. While you might not be able to see clearly the slaughter that is going on down there, you'll definitely be able to hear it. Right down to the thundering sound of charging cavalry, you won't miss much in the way of sound. Generals yell orders to their men, who will in turn give a battle cry as they rush into the fray. The game won't let you forget if people are dying, either. The sound of swords clashing and arrows ripping through the air will be accompanied by the screams of men receiving mortal blows. All of this on top of a soundtrack worthy of Akira Kurosawa films almost makes up for the lack of visuals. |
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Gameplay:
Most RTS games allow around 8 people or more to fight it out on a given map. Being set in feudal Japan, where most battles were just one army pitted against another, Takeda only allows two armies on the field at a single moment. Given that there are up to 500 soldiers for each army, I'm not in a hurry to complain. Takeda gives you a choice between a Campaign, Multiplayer, or Historical Battle mode. The Campaign will take you through 40 battles that more or less outline the exploits of Takeda Shingen, a very successful feudal Japanese lord. The story line isn't completely linear, as you will be faced with choices before and after the battles. You can either choose to attack, rest your army, or you might be faced with what is usually a yes or no question. These questions mostly run along the line of forming alliances or dealing with political problems in your homeland. Depending on what you decide will affect your army and it's generals in either a good or bad manner. Resting your army will give you more troops, but they will be green and shouldn't be relied upon to get the winning edge in a battle. When it comes time to fight, a pre-battle screen is presented to you. Here you can choose what generals to send into battle, and what formation your army will use. The formations are taken straight from those used in feudal Japan, and incorporate defensive and offensive strategies. Each formation is explained in the book, and getting used to them doesn't take long. It gets a little more complicated when you want to figure out which generals to use where. There are five different types of units, and each general has different skills with each type. If the generals live through a battle, their skills will go up, but sending them to a fight might also get them killed. One general is in charge of a single division, with twelve divisions in all. The level of danger depends on enemy placement, division type, and the terrain you're on. There are many variables that could get your generals killed when you least expect it. A Historical battle is simply a single battle without all the fuss of the Campaign. You get a set number of troops on a specific battlefield, and it's a fight to the death. A small attempt to boost the replay value, Historical battles will help relieve the pressure of the Campaign, as most of them are easier than Campaign battles. The lack of a mapmaker really hurt this game, as the fields will quickly become monotonous. Occasionally a castle is thrown in for good measure, but aside from that the maps are just plain boring. It would have also helped out the Multiplayer area, as only two people can play on pre-made maps. Not too much replay value here. |
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Difficulty:
Though you don't have to be a military genius to play this game, it wouldn't hurt. Most of the earlier battles will be pushovers compared to the ones you have to fight later on. Army management is a must. If you lose valuable generals and cavalry early in the game, it will be near impossible to get through some of the later battles. The quality of your generals is not meant to be taken lightly, as a highly trained group of soldiers will mow down new recruits in seconds. There are no difficulty settings, and games like that usually end up being more difficult than most. Mastering the art of battlefield tactics and army management is going to take a long time, and beating the game will take even longer. Not impossible, but very difficult.
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Game Mechanics:
Takeda's interface might be a little on the unusual side at first, but is easily mastered with some practice. Your army can hold up to 500 soldiers, which are divided up into 12 divisions. Controlling these divisions is simple due to the fact that selecting a single soldier from a division will select the entire division. Right clicking on the division will bring up a list of commands you can give them. Most commands will be given to the divisions themselves, commands like attack, retreat, defend, etc. You can also select new formations for each division, or for the whole army if things don't look like they're going your way. The terrain will affect all troops, but the effects will vary according to their type. Spearmen can't move through trees that well, and cavalry will charge better if they start off going down a hill. Rivers will slow everyone down, and taking advantage of this could be vital to winning a battle. Knowing the terrain is equally important as knowing the enemy. For those of you with a lust for feudal Japanese battles, this game will do quite nicely. RTS fans should also check out Takeda if they want a break from the usual C&C type strategy game. Despite the lack of graphical clarity and replay value, Takeda should please most casual gamers with some quality hours of entertainment.
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-Snow Chainz, GameVortex Communications AKA Andrew Horwitz |
Minimum System Requirements:
Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT, 200MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, 1GB HD space, video card with 4 MB RAM |
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Test System:
Windows 98, 1.4GHz AMD Athlon, GeForce 2 mx 32MB video card, 40 gig hard drive, 56x CD-ROM, 256MB DDR Ram, Sound Blaster Live! sound card, T1 Internet connection |
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