After its release on October 13, Shogun 2: Total War received over 1,850 user reviews on Steam, resulting in an overall rating of "Overwhelmingly Negative." In contrast, the original version released in 2011 has accumulated more than 22,000 reviews with an overall rating of "Very Positive," highlighting a stark difference between the two versions.
Players noted that the new version suffers from gameplay-affecting bugs and poor performance, with criticism also directed at its lighting and HDR visual presentation.
The unit cards have also sparked controversy. Players pointed out anomalies in the characters' faces, hands, and fingers, suspecting that the images were upscaled using AI. The new Steam page does not disclose the use of AI in development, but there is currently insufficient evidence to confirm the production process of these images.
For comparison, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt offered its next-gen upgrade free of charge to owners of the original version without replacing it, while adding visual and experiential improvements; Shogun 2: Total War, however, is a new version priced at $40.