Feudal Japanese life sim Sengoku Dynasty has gotten a massive update today with the Ikigai update.
Several major areas of the game, which is available in Early Access on Steam, were improved on. This includes new perk trees, completely redone combat, better enemy AI, improved production management, and dozens of smaller changes to give players a better experience.
Four new perk trees are now available: leader, craftsman, warrior, and monk.
Leaders unlock perks for the entire Dynasty, such as lowering resource usage. They also get special recipes and can increase the wealth of the Nata Valley. Craftsmen get better results when they craft and harvest resources, including when they farm.
Warriors are better fighters, whether they go the route of becoming a hunter or soldier. Monks get the ability to discover and establish shrines, unlocking helpful perks in most stats across the board.
Developer Superkami has completely redone combat from the ground up, incorporating Soulslite mechanics. This kind of combat shows off stylish attacks that players can use together for combos. While these can damage and take down enemies, they’re also important for knocking enemies back and creating space.
A new system also balances how the weight of players’ armor and weapons plays into combat. The heavier the armor and weapons, the more stamina a player will consume when in battle. Heavier attacks also cost more stamina, and they’re much harder to stop with more weight behind them.
Of course, Superkami also improved the AI in order to let this combat shine. Enemies will circle players, attacking one at a time to try and wear the player down. There are different difficulty levels that AI can have, and players will have to block, dash, and parry to succeed.
The changes to both AI and combat only affect human enemies currently. There’s also a new hostile settlement to take down.
Superkami also adjusted the production system with redesigned workspaces that players can see more easily. Better notifications and warnings will also let players know when something is wrong much quicker and more clearly than before.
Additionally, the UI makes it much easier for players to know exactly what each worker can do, what’s required, and what will be produced.
Beyond that, Superkami incorporated a plethora of new changes that improve the game. Players can access remote storage while producing items, shrines are easier to use, planting is easier to manipulate, and plenty more. One of the most satisfying changes is making doors automatically open when the player walks through them.
To get the best experience, players will need to create new games. However, most of the new features will be available as the seasons change.
Players can see the Ikigai update trailer below:
For more news on open-world games, check out Genshin Impact’s 5.0 Natlan reveal and the eerie trailer for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
