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Shogun: Total War: Mongol Invasion is the expansion pack to Shogun: Total War. It adds a Mongol Campaign as well as the Mongols as a playable faction.
The Campaign[]
In 1274, the Mongol armies of Kublai Khan, having built an empire stretching from China to the gates of Vienna, turned their attention to Japan. They first made diplomatic efforts, but the Japanese refused to accept the dishonor of acknowledging any emperor superior to their own. The scene was set for an epic confrontation. Historically, the confrontation was brief, but bloody. After some initial skirmishes, the Mongol armies and their Korean allies were swept away by a force even they could not master – a typhoon that destroyed their invasion fleet before they could gain a bridgehead.
In the 13th century, Kublai Khan ruled the greatest empire the world has ever seen. From the Danube to the Pacific, his word as Khan of the Mongols was law. And yet, he still wanted more. When he subdued China, he gained a fleet, and the means to extend the empire beyond the sea. His attention turned towards the islands of Japan – a small warlike country that was not going to be much trouble to add to his lands…
Historically, the attempts by Kublai Khan to subjugate the Japanese ended in disaster when the kamikaze – the divine wind – of a typhoon smashed the Mongol invasion fleet. But what if his armies had managed to gain a foothold on Japanese soil? Would they have conquered Japan as they had conquered China? Can you lead the highly disciplined Mongol warriors to victory against the samurai? Or can you use the honor of the samurai to defeat an invading horde?
The Mongols[]
According to Genghis Khan, a Mongol’s pleasures were “to cut my enemies to pieces, drive them before me, seize their possessions, witness the tears of those who are dear to hem, and to embrace their wives and daughters”. This dedication to warfare has made the Mongols the masters of the steppe lands and China. They are matchless horsemen and superb archers, seemingly invincible and capable of destroying any foe. The Mongol way of warfare is to use this strength to harass and break opponents, and so far this way has not failed them. They also use terror and massacre to break an enemy’s will to resist. This has worked in China, and in taking control of that vast country they have given themselves a bottomless well of manpower to use as infantry. Even better, the Chinese understand gunpowder, and this skill has been added to the Mongol way of fighting.
Clan Hojo[]
The Hojo are the undisputed overlords of Japan. They are ruthless in their pursuit and use of power. They understand it intimately. They took control of Japan through cunning and assassination, and now they control Japan as regents of the figurehead Shogun of the figurehead Divine Emperor. The Hojo understand that power and means more than any title. Beneath them, the samurai, no longer content to merely serve and fight, act as provincial lords for the Hojo,
New Content[]
Most expansion content is accessed from the main game menu by selecting either Custom Battles, Historical Battles, or Historical Campaigns. The Mongol faction is only available in those three game modes; the original Full Campaign mode's available factions are unchanged and do not include the Mongols as an option.
- The Mongol Invasion Campaign and the Mongol Horde faction.
- Four Historical campaigns: The Battles of Kublai Khan and The Battles of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
- New historical battles.
- New units: Battlefield Ninja, Kensai (available to all factions game-wide) and the Mongol units (only available in expansion Campaigns and Battles).
- New buildings and upgrades.
- Map Maker and Campaign Editor.
- New multiplayer game modes: King of the Hill, Assassin, Siege and Capture the Honjin.
- Modifications to AI, balancing and the game interface.