Warlord: Awaji launches on Steam on September 9. The first-person strategy sandbox shares the same setting as the latest DLC for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but its gameplay is reminiscent of Mount & Blade.
As a passionate fan of Japan, I regularly check out what’s new on Steam related to my favorite setting. A few days ago, I came acrossWarlord: Awaji—a first-person strategy game being developed by the American studio Darkmatter Games.
The solo developer describes his project asan immersive strategy sandbox
; the gameplay is strongly reminiscent of the real-time battles in Mount & Blade. In Warlord: Awaji, you ride into battle with your unit from a first-person perspective. Your goal:To conquer an entire Japanese island set in a real historical setting.
With the release just around the corner on September 9, I tried out the Instant Battle mode and can’t wait to lose myself in the samurai open world right now.
Historical Setting with Real Geo-Data
The game is set during the so-called Nanboku-cho period. At that time, the imperial court was divided into two factions vying for control of the provinces with their samurai armies. And you’re tasked with waging this battle on Awaji on behalf of the emperor—Assassin’s Creed fans have already visited the island in the latest Shadows DLC. Warlord: Awaji, however, belongs to a completely different genre.
Unlike the stylized version from AC Shadows, the game world is based on real map data from Google Earth. Important temples and shrines are located at their real-world sites, and elevation data is accurately reproduced. And this world is quite large: While the real Awaji covers about 592 square kilometers, the new Warlord scales the world down to just under half—stillan impressive 256 square kilometers-.
In the campaign—which isn’t available yet—you’ll strategically capture the island piece by piece by building camps and outposts, capturing temples and shrines, recruiting soldiers, and promoting particularly loyal vassals. However, the local clans won’t just let you do as you please; they’ll react to your successes with increasing aggression.
In the current demo, so faronly the Instant Battle mode is playable; I still have to mark the progression, management, and camp-building mechanics with question marks.The battles alone, however, are already a lot of fun.
How does it play?
With their fast-paced real-time dynamics and first-person perspective, the battles are likely to evoke fond memories of E Mount &E Blade: Warband, even though Warlord Awaji’s visuals are significantly more stylized and limited to simple geometric shapes.
Over time, however, you’ll unlock new weapons, such as a Japanese longbow that lets you take down enemies from a distance, or mount a stately steed you’ve taken from a slain samurai.
On horseback and with a spear in hand, you’ll suddenly plow right through the enemy ranks. The controls aren’t particularly responsive yet; but what matters more anyway is how you position yourself and approach the enemy.
In addition to its realistic open world, Warlord: Awaji stands out above all for the level of detail with which the manyhistorical weapons and armor from the 14th centuryhave been brought to life in the game. Developer Darkmatter Games enlisted the help of a historian from Princeton University for this.
While there are still some unanswered questions regarding Warlord: Awaji, it’s expected that the game will be similar in many respects to its 2022 predecessor, Warlord: Britannia, which focuses on the Roman conquests in ancient England. That game currently boasts an impressive 88 percent positive reviews on Steam; if Awaji follows in its footsteps, fans of historical sandbox games will certainly have reason to celebrate.
Strategy-loving Japan enthusiasts among you won’t have to wait much longer. Warlord: Awaji is set to release tomorrow, September 9, 2026, on Steam.
Editor’s Verdict
Admittedly, Warlord: Awaji is still quite clunky at this point. The controls are rudimentary, and the graphics are rather basic. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this open-world title isn’t backed by a well-funded strategy studio, but rather by a solo developer who’s creating most of the game on his own.
With Warlord: Britannia, Darkmatter Games has already proven that the concept of an immersive sandbox can work; the similarities to Mount & Blade are likely to attract many fans of the genre. If you’re into ancient Japan and authentic samurai settings, you’ve definitely come to the right place.
