AKB48 no Yabou

AKB48 no Yabou (AKB48の野望) is a social game collaboration between the Japanese idol group, AKB48, and the Nobunaga's Ambition series. It is technically the second third party tie-in for Koei's longest running IP, the first being Pokémon Conquest. Developers colloquially dub it a "Yabou spin-off" as a result.

Kou Shibusawa has been a long time fan of the idol group, thus the collaboration is a dream come true for him. He plays the game daily. Following their request, this game abides to the AKB48 policy of "no romance ever".

As of June 11, 2013, the social game has reached over 40,000 registered users. It received an award for excellence in GREE Platform Award -The first half of 2013- ceremony; a commemorative event for the award was made available for the GREE versions.

Plot
The setting is a fantasy world called "Le Chant", a world blessed with the "divine song". A mysterious singer known only as the "legendary girl" once united the world with her songs. Suddenly, she vanished and only her talking cat, Nana, remained. With no one to lead them, Le Chant was divided by the four priestesses with the power to harness aspects of the divine song. These priestesses fight one another for unification with their armies of battle maidens.

The player is a commander, a person entrusted by a priestess to control battle maidens of their forces.

Gameplay
Controls are simple. Players simply tap the touch screen (smartphones) or use the left-mouse button (PCs) to confirm their commands in the game. The game is played in real time, and timers are needed for nearly every action in the game.

Similar to the Nobunaga's Ambition social game, the player must decide to serve one of the four factions at the start of their participation:
 * 1) Crest of the Lion: valorous warriors (weapon).  Red .
 * 2) Followers of Truth: army of sorcerers (magic).  Violet .
 * 3) Innovation of Finesse: mechanical inventors (machinery).  Yellow .
 * 4) Sympathy of Sound: playful mistrals (music).  Blue .

Each faction is divided into colored groups marked by banners laid across Le Chant's thirty provinces; the player is automatically assigned to a group after choosing their faction. Group territory is periodically rearranged with updates and reset each season. This season's leading priestesses are:


 * 1) Rudy (Yui Yokoyama) = Yellow Topaz group
 * 2) Tira (Yuki Kashiwagi) = Red Ruby group
 * 3) Alty (Yuuko Oshima) = Pink Pearl group
 * 4) Claro (Jurina Matsui) = Green Emerald group
 * 5) Sy (Mayu Watanabe) = Blue Sapphire group

Before the map resets, battles are mainly dedicated to capturing as many provinces as possible to compete for a high player ranking. Player rankings decide the rarity of the in-game gifts the player can receive during weekly check ups. The top seven ranking players are dubbed the "Seven Heroes" of their faction.

Rival provinces can be taken once its ten bases are destroyed; bases are toppled once the invading faction claims an allotted number of victories within it. Victories or defeats are individual bouts between the player and/or a NPC/rival player using a team of character cards prepared in advance. When conflict initiates, the player is entreated to an automated battle sequence. The leading battle maidens duel one another before charging with their armies.

Results are decided based on respective card stats, skills, and the province's morale –which can be judged by the meter at the top of the screen. Blue indicates ally morale while red is for the enemy. Morale is a fluctuating trait determined by the number of active players within the province in real time, and it gives an automatic attack boost to the side with the highest morale. Higher morale armies are given some leeway for their battles, as duels can be lost yet still be counted as a victory. Yet morale doesn't completely override the importance of using strong character cards; low morale armies can prevail if the participating players have indomitable team compositions. The player's avatar must use energy for every conflict; depleted energy can be restored by either waiting or using items. Experience, gold, and ranking points are rewarded for each conflict, regardless of the result. Level ups increases an avatar's energy gauge and the number of users they can befriend. If the player calls for a friendly user to assistance, their friend's presence alone grants a stats boost to the player's team, ups the numerical rewards gained from each conflict, and increases likelihood of obtaining free battle maidens after victories. Friends can be added from the main menu screen.

Aside from combat, players can send a separate team of maidens away for searches. Expeditions may be profitable if the difficulty of the place doesn't overpower the search teams' stats. The quality and amount of the rewards vary depending on the final result (Very Successful, Successful, or Failure), but the common loot is gold, crystals, battle maidens, or gems. Searches require waiting whatever time is listed in real time in order to see the final results. Players can purchase wristwatches to skip waiting time or cancel the search team if they should desire.

The player's priestess will occasionally post an optional request for the player to fulfill. Successfully completing it within the time limit boosts their affinity or Bond Points for the player. Various items can be obtained by raising Bond points at incremental levels. Bonds may also offer a stat boost during battle and change the priestess's quotes in the main menu screen. Nana Navi, the black cat icon in the same screen, can offer bonuses for completing its challenges and doubles as the in-game help book.

AKB48 no Yabou is free to play, but the shop offers various restorative items and tickets for super rare cards for those willing to pay digital currency —either GREE Coins or Mobage Coins.

Cards
Characters are AKB48 members with original names for this game. Every card includes a real life photo of a member in their character's costume, their fictional character bio, and a collection of multiple outfits within the game's album. Idols are specifically marked next to their character. Each card is categorized by the following levels of rarity: Normal, Rare, Rare+, Super Rare, Super Rare+, and Ultra Rare.

Cards can be obtained by winning battles, getting successful searches, answering the priestess's request, or by using items. Banners needed for receiving rarer cards can be purchased with digital currency, earned through events, or by exchanging gems within the shop.

Battle maidens can be strengthened by fusing unused character cards together for experience. As the character levels up, the maximum limits of their three attributes (Power, Speed, Health) climbs. Once Rare and Super Rare cards reach the maximum level limit (level 50), they can be merged with a mirror version of themselves for a plus rank (+) promotion. These plus cards can be strengthened again for higher stats. Fusing requires gold in order to be processed. If the player wishes to get gold fast, they have the option of selling their unwanted cards.

Decks can be composed manually or automatically. The number of cards which can be used is limited by the Cost stat listed on each card; players can't expect an army of Rare cards if their Cost exceeds their party Cost. The maximum Cost available for each party changes based on the player's rank and Bond level with their priestess. Eight cards is the maximum limit for any team.

Factions and character cards are categorized by their attack property throughout the game. This attribute determines their general performance in battle. It is left to the player's discretion to decide which trait they prefer, but decks made with matching characters and factions often leads to stronger combos:


 *  Weapon : strong against music, weak to machinery.
 *  Magic : dominates machinery, struggles with music.
 *  Machinery : pummels weapons, falters against magic.
 *  Music : overpowers magic, inferior to weapons.

When it is an idol's birthday, it will be easier for players to obtain the Rare or Super Rare version of her cards. When her card is used as the base for a fusing, she will gain double experience for that day only.

Story Events
As of July 2013, the social game will take advantage of its original setting to host limited time scenarios detailing the priestesses' past within Le Chant. Character relationships not otherwise mentioned in their profiles will be revealed.

Differences between ports

 * GREE and Yahoo!Japan versions have different GUI layouts. The PC browser version is generally wider and larger than the GREE counterpart.
 * Yahoo!Japan version has background music and miniature animations for icons.

Related Media
AKB48 no Yabou is planned to have a series of TV commercial tie-ins for it. The first commercial for the game took place in March with Haruka Shimazaki dressed in samurai-like armor. Registered players could recommend their friends or participate in a game campaign to obtain an SR version of Faust (Shimazaki's character) dressed in the same armor.

A collaboration campaign with AKB48 CAFE＆SHOPS is taking place in June. Fans can receive serial codes from a special menu to obtain rare character cards and/or enter a random prize drawing. Merchandise dedicated to the social game can alternatively be purchased from these outlets.