Lords of the Rising Sun

Cinemaware

Industry	Video game development and publishing
Founded	1985
Headquarters	United States
Products	Lords of the Rising Sun (1989 video game)

Lords of the Rising Sun is a video game from 1989, created and distributed by Cinemaware, featuring game design and artwork by Doug Barnett. Available on systems such as Amiga, PC Engine CD, CD-i, and X68000, this title integrates strategic map gameplay with arcade-style mini-games. Gamers take on the roles of renowned Japanese commanders Yoshitsune or Yoritomo in an effort to conquer and unify Japan through military force. Mike Simpson, the studio head at Creative Assembly, has acknowledged Lords of the Rising Sun as a key inspiration behind the acclaimed Total War franchise.

Reception

The publication Computer Gaming World commended the game for its cinematic presentation and effective combination of action and strategy elements in a favorable critique. Nevertheless, during their 1990 and 1993 strategy game evaluations, the magazine assigned it a rating of three out of five stars, commenting that its historical accuracy was "only marginal." Ernesto Williams from Games International gave the game a 4 out of 5 star rating, remarking that Lords of the Rising Sun established a high benchmark for subsequent titles.