This 2001 expansion for Shogun: Total War requires the base game to play, enhancing the Real Time Strategy and Turn-based Strategy experience by introducing the Mongol Invasion scenario. You take command as either the invading Mongols or the defending Hojo clan in an alternate history where the invasion lands successfully. The core gameplay loop remains strategic campaign management coupled with tactical RTS battles, now focused on this high-stakes conflict, adding a new playable faction and dedicated missions to the existing framework.
This content is an expansion pack for the 2001 strategy title, Shogun: Total War. Released in August 2001 for PC (Microsoft Windows), this addition significantly alters the historical backdrop of the base game by focusing on a pivotal, yet historically averted, conflict. It seamlessly blends the established Real Time Strategy (RTS) tactical battles with the overarching Turn-based Strategy (TBS) campaign map management that defined the original experience. This content requires the base game to function.
Expansion Content and Setting
This pack introduces a dramatic alternate history scenario centered on the Mongol invasion of Japan. While historical accounts suggest the invasion was abandoned due to catastrophic weather, this expansion rewrites that outcome, allowing players to engage directly with the landing of Kublai Khan’s forces on the shores of Chikuzen. The core gameplay loop is extended by focusing on this specific, high-stakes confrontation.
What new factions and campaigns are included?
The primary addition is the introduction of the
Mongol faction as a fully playable force. Players can choose to command the invading Mongols, aiming to conquer the islands for the Khan, or take control of the defending
Hojo clan, tasked with repelling the foreign invaders and securing Japanese sovereignty. This dual-perspective campaign offers substantial new narrative and strategic depth layered onto the existing framework.
Core Gameplay Enhancements
The expansion builds upon the established foundation of the parent game, meaning players will recognize the core mechanics of managing provinces, recruiting armies, and engaging in detailed, unit-based tactical battles. The strategic focus shifts entirely to the immediate conflict of invasion and defense, offering a focused, high-intensity strategic experience compared to the broader clan warfare of the base game.
How does this expansion change the strategic landscape?
By introducing the Mongol army, the expansion brings new unit types and potentially different strategic considerations to both the campaign map and the real-time battlefields. The narrative shift necessitates a focus on the immediate clash between these two distinct forces, providing a substantial, focused arc for veteran players of the original title.
Integration and Scope
As an expansion, this content is designed to enhance and extend the existing game rather than stand alone. It represents a singular, substantial addition to the original title’s offerings, focused entirely on this specific historical "what if." The scope and quality are comparable to adding a major new campaign arc to the base game experience, utilizing the existing RTS and TBS systems.