Compared to Empire which spanned almost the entire globe, the new installment focuses only on the islands of Japan (excluding Hokkaido) and on a reduced number of unit types. The game moves away from the European setting of previous Total War games and returns to the first setting in the Total War series, but making significant changes to core gameplay elements of Shogun 2.
The limited edition includes an exclusive ninja clan, the Hattori, and a DLC unlocks a tenth clan, the Ikko-Ikki. The standard edition of the game features a total of eight factions (plus a ninth faction for the tutorial), each with a unique starting position and different political and military strengths. The player takes on the management of one of these clans, with the goal of dominating other factions and establishing rule over Japan.
The country is fractured into rival clans led by local warlords, each fighting for control. Shogun 2 is set in 16th-century feudal Japan, in the aftermath of the Ōnin War during the Ashikaga shogunate. It is part of the Total War series and returns to the 16th-century Japan setting of the first Total War game, Shogun: Total War, after a series of games set mainly in Europe and the Middle East. Total War: Shogun 2 is a strategy video game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega in 2011.
