I was growing in influence when a rival without honour attempted to blackmail me. I rejected his threats, but when I and my samurai army were attending to a request from my daimo, my rival sneaked into my estate and kidnapped my child heir. I disguised myself as a ronin and sneaked into his estate to get my kid back, but was caught and forced to pay a ransom for myself. Enraged, I gathered my forces and attacked, but my daimyo decared my attack unjust and my rival murdered my son in retaliation. Two moves later, my rival begged permission to marry my daughter. Good times. I spent countless hours on this game as a kid, and it's just as entertaining as ever--except that, unfortunately, the battles are just as slow and dull as ever. If it wasn't for the unbearable tedium of battles, I'd give this a full five stars. Melee, on the other hand, is great--picking a defensive spot to hang out with good maneuverability and picking off my opponents, or sneaking through a houseintent on liberating a bride or committing dark deeds. It's amazing that this game stands up so well after nearly three decades.
