Total War: Shogun 2 is a strategy video game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega in 2011.

Compared to Empire which spanned almost the entire globe, the new installment focuses only on the islands of Japan (excluding Hokkaido) and on a reduced number of unit types.

[1] Shogun 2 received critical praise from reviewers, including for its simplification and refinement of the series by returning to its roots.

Shogun 2's blend of turn-based strategy and real-time tactics gameplay is a staple of the Total War series.

[4] In the campaign, the player needs to oversee the development of settlements, military production, economic growth, and technological advancement respectively.

In addition to fighting, the player is able to engage in diplomacy, political manoeuvring and the use of special agents to gain the upper hand.

Naval battles first introduced in Empire and Napoleon return in Shogun 2, and the player can construct warships of various weights and speed which can fire upon enemy ships or engage in boarding actions.

Bolstering a clan's capabilities is the research tree known as "Mastery of the Arts", which is divided into Bushido (military) and Way of Chi (economic, religious, and agents) reforms that provide the player with new units, buildings, and abilities.

The predominant religion among clans, Shinto-Buddhism, allows the player to recruit warrior monks—infantry units that forego armour in exchange for exceptional combat capabilities.

Meanwhile, the Catholic faith introduced by European traders instead provides the player with enhanced trade and early access to firearms, and converting the clan to Christianity will grant further advantages.

[4] The battles of Shogun 2 involve large-scale engagements between armies that meet on the campaign map and can take place on land or on water.

[2] Like the recent installments, Empire and Napoleon: Total War, the weather and climatic conditions have an effect on battles.

For example, fog greatly reduces visibility, while heavy rain diminishes the effectiveness of missile troops, such as archers or gunners, thus requiring the players to adapt their strategies.

The "Standard Edition" contains just the game, while the "Limited Edition" additionally makes playable a unique faction with special talents (the Hattori Clan), an additional historical battle scenario 'Nagashino', a complete set of armour for the player's online avatar and a starting bank of experience points to spend on that online character.

In his review, he praised the game's visual design, music and atmosphere, attention to detail, refined and simplified troop variety, the "pleasing geometric puzzle" of siege battles, and the marked improvement to the enemy's artificial intelligence on both the campaign map and during battles compared to previous Total War games—namely Empire—noting that they are properly challenging to the player on higher difficulty levels.

He concludes by declaring the game to be a "tighter, more focused" experience compared to Empire and Napoleon and a return to form for the series.