Set in war-torn medieval Japan, Sengoku Dynasty drops you into the worn sandals of a villager with one monumental task ahead of them: take a burned-out community and turn it into a thriving settlement that can withstand the many trials and tribulations that time can (and will) throw its way. On paper, it sounds ambitious (and in practice, it really is), however it’s delivered at a surprisingly tranquil and steady pace, as opposed to any elaborate gestures.

Yes, the opening hours are slow and, admittedly, rather tedious at times, but there’s no getting around that. You’ll complete the usual early-game tasks such as gathering sticks (many of), hunting for food, and building campfire to cook – all the while, keeping one nervous eye on your stamina bar and the other on your food levels. Sengoku Dynasty isn’t the kind of game that grabs you from the off with flashy cinematography and thrilling combat, but more of a simmering broth that takes a while to heat up but grows increasingly richer the longer you cook it.

The Stunning World of Sengoku Dynasty

One of the first things that really struck me was the world itself. Masterfully crafted in the Unreal Engine 5, the scenery looks stunning – the quintessential Japanese landscape. Thick forests, sleepy riversides and hot springs adorn a world that feels alive, albeit a little quiet. Furthermore, the traditional Japanese buildings you can craft bring an undeniable charm to your settlement. You don’t just slap down walls and “hey, presto”; you shape planks, gather clay et al and really see your structures coming together piece-by-piece, lending the game a satisfying caveat.

The boys and girls at Toplitz Productions clearly put ample effort into the atmosphere too. The early cutscenes and Japanese-language voiceover lend and authenticity to the game and really set the scene. However, I did notice that these fade into the background once you’re knee-deep in village management.

Sengoku Dynasty – Gameplay

At it’s core, Sengoku Dynasty is a broth of many genres. There’s the survival element (keeping your hunger and stamina levels in check), city-building (expanding and organizing your settlements), and even a little combat thrown in amongst the genre ingredients. None of these systems on their own are groundbreaking or stand out from the many others, but together they create a layered experience.

What I enjoyed most was the sense of gradual progression. You start by doing everything yourself – chopping trees, cooking meals, crafting tools – but before long you’re assigning these laborious tasks to your fellow villagers. Suddenly, instead of fretting over every log, every scrap of food and every resource, you’re managing a bustling community that works with you rather than for you. Furthermore, the central storage system makes everything feel connected, dramatically cutting down on the tedious juggling of your inventory.

Combat, on the other hand, is serviceable but nothing to really shout from the rooftops about. You’ve got your bows, spears, and a basic block-and-counter system to work with, but it feels more like the occasional obstacle, as opposed to one of the game’s main feature. Personally, I really didn’t mind this as I was far more invested in building my village than fighting bandits. However, the fact you can toggle combat on and off entirely suggests the developers know where the game’s true appeal lies.

A Few Minor Hiccups

It wouldn’t be honest of me to say that the journey was completely smooth. The pacing is a little too slow in the early hours, and some of the grindier tasks – like hunting for specific materials – had me crying into my rice bowl. Performance has drastically improved since its Early Access days, but I still ran into a couple of glitches and unexpected frame rate dips. Nothing that would deter me too much but it does kind of ruin the moment.

I did, however, encounter a far more frustrating issue: the game occasionally just shut itself down without any kind of warning. There’s little worse than spending twenty minutes gathering resources only to be booted back to the dashboard before you can safely stash them away. It didn’t happen constantly, but enough to leave me manually saving every five farts in case Sengoku Dynasty decided to call it quits before I did.

Sengoku Dynasty in a Nutshell

If you’re after instant thrills, this probably won’t be your cup of sake. But if you’re willing to put in the hours and enjoy watching a village rise from nothing — plank by plank, villager by villager — Sengoku Dynasty has a lot to offer. Furthermore, if you’ve got a few friends willing to jump in with you, the co-op mode takes the weight off your shoulders and makes the grind feel far more like a shared adventure than solitary graft.

It may not be perfect, but Sengoku Dynasty managed to win me over. Sometimes the quiet victories — like seeing your first harvest stored away safely for winter — are far more rewarding than any flashy battle.