Hard to believe it’s been two years since General Orders: World War II. The brainchild of Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson — and distinct from Undaunted, their other shared WWII series — the inaugural General Orders was an ultralight wargame blended with worker placement. I liked that opening salvo well enough, and despite some hangups there wasn’t any reason to not take a gander at the system’s second outing.

I’m glad I did. General Orders: Sengoku Jidai turns back the calendar to the warring states of 15th century Japan, swapping airplanes and artillery for ashigaru and… well, still artillery, but it’s somewhat less efficacious. More importantly, every detail of Sengoku Jidai, from the game’s more coherent visual direction to its fluctuating battle lines, is punchier and more confident than before. The result is a near-perfect small-box title that packs thunderous drama into a slender half hour.

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