Nobunaga no Yabou 201X

Nobunaga no Yabou 201X (信長の野望 201X, the year being pronounced as ni-maru-ichi-x) is the third free-to-play Nobunaga's Ambition social game. Unlike its predecessors, the majority of the character visuals are from Nobunaga no Yabou Tendou, and it requires the Unity Web Player to play like Daikoukai Jidai V. It was first announced during Koei Tecmo's Network Business Strategy Conference in 2014. As of May 12, 2016, the game has reached 800,000 users.

The general producer is Kou Shibusawa, Takahiro Kibe is the director, and Tomokazu Takeda is the producer. Takeda states conception began when Shibusawa asked developers to conceive a new Nobunaga's Ambition IP for smartphones. A game designer responded with a photoshopped Nobunaga. Shibusawa was confused but soon attached to the time slip idea, leading to his approval and the game's formal development. The UMA are based on the supernatural monstrosities that appear in the series's MMORPG.

A pre-open playing option became available to registered myGAMECITY users on May 12, Nobunaga's birthday in the archaic Japanese calendar.

Plot
A dimensional portal inexplicably opens above Kyoto, unleashing supernatural monstrosities codenamed UMA (幽魔) unto humanity. The portal's opening caused other phenomena to occur throughout modern Japan. Figures from the Warring States period can slip in and out of time, and people from both eras have gained an odd aptitude to combat the uncanny threat. People gifted with these powers are expected to enlist as an agent of the Special Liberation Organization, an assembly dedicated to sealing the gaps between time and protecting the peace for residents of both eras.

The protagonist's name is chosen by the player; a gender is not specified for the character but certain lines of dialogue suggest a male bias. He/She is an onmyouji descendant living in modern day Japan. The story begins a month after he/she enlists as a SLO agent.

Gameplay
The game flow is a repeating cycle of creating formations of agents to challenge stages, spending Spiritual Energy to start stages presented on the world map, leveling up the player avatar with experience earned from cleared stages, and using the loot to fortify the player's agents. Spiritual Energy is naturally restored by gaining a level or by waiting six minutes of real time for a singular amount. Levels alter a player's maximum Spiritual Energy capacity and a formation's highest Cost rating, the limiter for potential formation size and quality.

Players can purchase or sell equipment and items at the shop with Credits (in game currency earned by completing stages), scout for other agents, or send friend invites to other players outside of battle. Players can earn Assist Points by choosing another person's leader to act as their formation's support unit. If both players are friends with one another, they gain bonus Assist Points any time either befriended player's leader is deployed together. These consumable points can be used to scout agents from the free gacha.

Real world currency can be spent to obtain Precious Stones. Precious Stones can be used to instantly recover Spiritual Energy, instantly continue from a defeated boss, gain access to the rarer gacha options, and increase maximum formation Cost capacity for thirty days (15 Stones adds 10 Cost). Free Precious Stones can be gifted by victoriously clearing stages, logging in, or completing optional secondary missions that are listed on the world map screen. A S rank stage finish automatically grants a two Precious Stones bonus.

Chances to earn Magatama are spread throughout the game. These consumable goods are rarer than Credits and Precious Stones as they must be obtained by completing specific conditions. Magatama have a separate exchange system for exclusive agents and items.

Once the player completes the first story chapter, access to in game sponsors –real world Japanese corporations which offer real world replicas or fictional in game rewards– is granted. If the player partners with a sponsor, a daily, one-time Credits fee is occurs when they log-in; this is mandatory to receive the business partner(s) specific service. Players can improve each sponsor's service by investing with additional Credits. Investments also increases the amount Credits that are drained from the daily deduction. Players can always add and remove partners at their discretion.

Formations
Active combat formations are formed on a 3x3 square grid. The rules are one agent per square at any given time within the player's Cost capacity. Players are first restricted to four agents, but clearing the first story chapter unlocks the fifth and last active slot. A maximum three reserve agents can be assigned if spare Cost is available. Reserve agents replace the downed active combat agents in battle. Backup order is decided on a consecutive left-and-right placement within the reserve slots. All agents gain experience from a victorious stage.

Agent stats are health, attack, and speed; these properties can be increased by leveling them with experience. Rarer agents have better stats and a higher chance of dealing critical hits in battle. The highest rarity is 4☆.

Every agent can equip a modern firearm, a medieval weapon, and a single piece of armor; multiple items of the same type cannot be equipped. Modern firearms are reserved for combat. Ancient weaponry alters an agent's base attack while armor affects an agent's maximum health capacity. Rarer medieval weapons and armor may additionally alter a character's speed. Equipment can be bolstered in the shop.

Each agent has a unique battle skill and three possible special abilities they learn by leveling up. They are divided into four classes with the following broad stereotypes. Training is available to speed up the agent leveling process. Its functions are the same as card fusions in other social games: sacrifice spare agents and an allotted number of Credits to make a target agent stronger. Merging exact duplicates of an agent together automatically levels them up and increases the target's maximum level capacity based on the number of copies.

Players can additionally replace or insert special abilities through the Inheritance option. Spare agents and Credits will disappear but a selected ability may be passed onto another agent. The likelihood of success changes based on the number of sacrificed agents or individual preference for the special ability. If the target agent has reached their ability limit, the player will have to choose to erase one of their existing techniques if they wish to use the inherited one.

Complete the second story chapter and max an agent's level to unlock the ability to perform a Class Change. Agents can be promoted in their current type or swap with another class at the cost of Credits.

Combat
UMA are categorized into three major types: Beast, Demon, and Undead. Beast are all rounded enemies. Demons are slow and weak against magical attacks. Undead are weak but have a random chance to resurrect themselves.

The 3x3 formation grid comes into play for battle. Swipe each row horizontally or vertically to organize agents and press the Start button to initiate combat. If an agent is placed outside of his/her range, he/she will accumulate for his/her turn. These idle agents gain a substantial attack boost for their next individual turn.

Occasional squares may appear on the grid. Red squares are damaging and will hurt the agent left on them. Blue squares are skill squares which activate an agent's combat skill when battle starts. Skill combos can be activated if three agents are arranged three-in-a-row on their respective skill squares. Combos trigger a passive trait, such as an attack boost or paralyzing effect, that is determined by their formation.

Modern armaments can be used once the bullet counter on an agent's profile reaches 100. It can be increased by attacking; accumulating boosts the counter at a faster rate. Tap the bullet icon before touching the Start button to mark the starting shooter. Agents who are adjacent to another shooter will join with their gunfire if their counters are full. Gunfire will start before officer skills and can be stacked with skill combos.

Battles are expected to be completed within the indicated turn limit. If all agents' health drops to 0 or if they fail to defeat their foes within the turn limit, the group is defeated. Victories are graded with S rank being the greatest. Performing a hidden feat rewards Precious Stones and allows players the option to report it onto social media. So far, Twitter is the only option.

Characters
Only original story characters are included in this section.
 * Matsuri Ashigami
 * SLO navigator and operator for the protagonist. Speaks on the silent protagonist's behalf during story cutscenes. Possesses the power to sense when UMA are nearby. Although she knows he is married, she has a huge crush on Nagamasa. For reasons unknown, her recollection of Japanese history is changing. It disturbs her enough to interfere with her duties and she is put on momentarily leave. Regains the will to continue after talking with Konatsu. Mascot character for official community and Twitter account.


 * Director Isurugi
 * Elderly head of SLO stationed at Kyoto. He orders Matsuri and the protagonist to subjugate cases across Japan. Isurugi updates the player on the mysterious barrier in Kyoto. He believes in Santa Claus.


 * Konatsu Tomoe
 * SLO weapons expert and shop dealer. She is a friend of Matsuri who is assigned to assist the protagonist's unit with the headquarter's latest inventions. Sometime before the start of the story, her younger brother and younger sister were missing in Kyoto. A group of SLO agents eventually found and reunited the family.


 * Hatsuna
 * Stern onmyouji who wanders the land alone. Tough-skinned and righteous but embarrassed by open sentimentality. She seals the dimensional portals and appears to have intimate knowledge of the UMA threat.


 * Yano-Ikazuchi
 * Eight elite UMA generals who obey their master's calling. They pose as the main threat to the protagonist for the majority of the story. Their lifeforce fuels the barrier in Kyoto. All eight must be defeated for the seal to be lifted.


 * Yogiri
 * Original character loosely based on a character in Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Iga no Kagemaru. Yuugiri's younger sister. New to official kunoichi duty but seeks to defend Iga village in her older sister's absence. Mentored by her sister since her childhood and idolizes her. Becomes attached to Matsuri because the agent vaguely reminds her of her sister. Befriends Nobukatsu Oda.


 * Yuugiri
 * Yogiri's older sister. Named interpretation of the Kunoichi character card who is completely unrelated to another character. Left her home to negotiate with Nobunaga. Learns how to fire modern firearms from him. Works to protect Iga with the Oda.

Related Media
A preregistration campaign was held. Once the game launches, players can use the serial codes they receive to obtain rare agents and items. Interested players could have participated in the Twitter campaign could earn additional bonuses than the standard preregistration. Preregistration bonuses also grant collaboration items in Nobunaga no Yabou Online. It is one of the titles related to the myGAMECITY new users' campaigns in May.

This was one of the Nobunaga's Ambition titles to collaborate with 2015 Higashiyama Hanatouro. Participants could walk the streets to earn serial codes for strengthening agents. It was hyped by Takeda along with Oda Nobunyaga and Guruguru Dungeon Nobunyaga in the March 23 live stream of Appli no Gakkou. It was also the focus for the fourteenth episode of RADIO 4Gamer Tap.

Nobunaga no Yabou 201X has had crossovers with the following third party IPs that bestowed collaboration characters into the game: Sengoku Royale, Lord of Knights, SANGOKU!, Sengoku IXA Senban no Hasha, Sekigahara Engi, Sangokushi Rumble, Hirate Hisahide no Sengoku Nikki, Sanada Taiheiki, Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada, Oda Cinammon Nobunaga, Samurai Warriors 4-II, Fighting Musical Makai, and Nioh.

Purchase the July GetNavi issue to obtain a GetNavi decorated rocket launcher serial code. Get the guidebook to receive serial codes for Tomonori Kitabatake, an officer ticket, locater goggles and fusion boosters. Buy the third volume of Corocoro Aniki to get a firearm stylized to the comic magazine's logo.

The first TV commercial for the social game was broadcast during Arslan Senki. It was an indirect tie-in with Arslan Senki x Musou.

This was one of the titles that was presented during the Tokyo Game Show 2015 net game presentation. It is one of the titles participating in the PayNetCafe Matsuri 2015 Aki campaign.

In celebration of 2016's Nobunaga's Ambition Day (March 30), registered players can vote for their preferred redesigns for currently existing 3☆ and 4☆ until April 19; third party collaboration characters are exempt from voting. A similarly themed questionnaire open to the public is a collaboration with Famitsu.com; it has a shorter selection than the one offered to players and shares the same expiration date.

A live broadcast at Nico Nico Douga was held on January 26, 2017. Participants were able to view upcoming missions and share feedback to the development team. Incentives for reaching comment quotas include bonus items and Lady Muramatsu as a party member. The second livestream is being held May 10, 2017; viewers can share their commentary during the livestream or through Twitter; one of the prizes for doing so is Chiyo Yamauchi.

This game is among the few titles selected to promote the movie Shinobi no Kuni.

Nobunaga no Yabou 201X is holding a limited in-game sponsorship with Koei Tecmo Cafe & Dining. Magatama will be offered as a log-in bonus to players who partner with them.