This week, developer Superkami and publisher Toplitz Productions released their latest update named “Mono No Aware” for their open world life-sim city builder mix ‘Sengoku Dynasty‘. This marks the next milestone on the post-release roadmap for the feudal adventure, where you rise from survivor to powerful Daimyo and take on conquering the extensive game world either alone or with up to four participants in cooperative multiplayer.
Veterans and newcomers alike will appreciate the improvements made with the current update, that roughly translates as ‘appreciation of life’ regardless of their preferred playstyle. With the addition of ‘Personal Quests’, the already extensive list of activities in Sengoku Dynasty gets even longer. These tasks are procedurally distributed among all your villagers and other friendly NPCs. In future updates, this system will be extended with more types of quests and unique NPCs to distribute them.
Yet another big addition is the enhancement of the Dynasty feature: while you were able to raise a family before, now you can actually start playing as your descendant and take on the task of forging a renowned dynasty. Your progeny will inherit your inventory and dynasty level, but will start with an empty perk tree, some XP for initial unlocks, and a powerful, inheritable background perk. Continue the lineage and you might be able to collect them all.
The survival aspect has also been enhanced: With the new statuses that impact your health and can even kill you, you have to adapt to your environment more than ever. Raining cats and dogs? Seek shelter under a protective roof or a rock formation so you don’t get soaking wet. In winter you will appreciate the warmth of a campfire that will keep you from freezing to death. Numerous other improvements include further performance optimization, bugfixes and much more.
Full patch notes can be found here. Sengoku Dynasty is available on PC via Steam with console versions planned for the future. The game has also reached the “Playable” status for use with the Steam Deck.
Mono no aware (もののあはれ) is all about appreciating the impermanent nature of life. With this update, Nata Valley should feel more alive and in constant flux. Moment-to-moment the world will feel a bit different – cold, warm, wet, or hot. Each season, your villagers will request new things from you. And on a larger scale, generations will pass as you hand down your duties to your children. Do tell us how it feels – we are eager to listen to your feedback, as we continue to develop the game.
Statuses
Skinny-dipping in the sea in winter? Now it will get much more exciting – and dangerous – with the introduction of environmental statutes, like wet, cold, or freezing. They will affect your stats or even kill you if you’re not careful. But don’t worry, you’ll be able to counteract them by getting warmed by the fire in winter, hiding under a roof during a storm, or having a cooling drink under the scorching sun. In future updates, we plan to add even more unique statuses to fully emulate the survival aspect of Sengoku-era Japan.
Personal Quests
There’s always something to do in Nata Valley – now even more so with the introduction of Personal Quests. They are simple tasks, procedurally distributed among all your villagers and other friendly NPCs. They are seasonal – which means you have to activate and complete them within the timeframe of one season. When the season ends, all unfinished quests will fail, and new ones will be randomly generated. In future updates, we plan to add even more types of quests and make unique NPCs distribute them.
Character Backgrounds
Add a little bit of flavor and boost your character! The character editor now features a brand-new Backgrounds tab, allowing you to choose your avatar’s past. Each background grants a unique starting perk, giving you an edge by boosting XP gains in a specific Way of Life and access to a background mastery perk further down the line. Choose wisely and let your journey begin!
Note that background perks are not counted towards achievements. But wait, there is a way to get them all on a single character, as they are inheritable!
Passing on the Dynasty
Your child was living the dream – the one in which you’re stuck in school forever! – but now he or she will finally be able to graduate and take on the task of forging a famous dynasty. The abbot will allow for the graduation ceremony, illustrated by a new animated cutscene, giving you a chance to create your new character. They will inherit your inventory, starting background perks (other perks will be reset), some XP for initial unlocks, and dynasty level. If you pass on your dynasty several times, you could even enjoy all background perks at the same time!
Steam Deck Compatibility
Sengoku Dynasty has reached the status “Playable” on the Steam Deck. We will keep improving the game for a better experience on Steam Deck.
