Many of the mechanics typically present in Arcsys fighting games are present and accounted for, but the main one is the Engun system. Each character has their own unique assist character they can call upon during a match to aid them in their offense or defense. However, before doing so, you must wait for the Engun gauge to fill up and the assist themselves to level up to a certain point, which also happens automatically.
Characters
Characters in italics are exclusive to the PS2 version
| Character | Assist |
| Date Masamune | Katakura Kojuro |
| Sanada Yukimura | Sarutobi Sasuke and Takeda Shingen |
| Oichi | Azai Nagamasa |
| Keiji Maeda | Toshiie and Matsu Maeda |
| Chosokabe Motochika | High-Tech Machinery |
| Mouri Motonari | Footsoldiers |
| Honda Tadakatsu | Tokugawa Ieyasu |
| Kenshin Uesugi | Kasuga |
| Toyotomi Hideyoshi | Takenaka Hanbe |
| Oda Nobunaga | Ranmaru Mori and Nōhime |
| Katakura Kojuro | Date Masamune |
| Takenaka Hanbe | Toyotomi Hideyoshi |
This work shows examples of:
- Assist Character: Many of the fighters have at least one dedicated assist character, such as Nobunaga being assisted by Nōhime and Ranmaru, and Oichi being assisted by Nagamasa. The assist characters can actually be seen waiting in the background of the stage when they are not actively being called upon.
- Combo Breaker: Pressing the Engun button while in hitstun will result in an "Engun Counter", summoning your character's assist to break you out of the opponent's combo.
- Distressed Dude: Part of Tadakatsu's gameplay involves dealing with this. Every 20 seconds or so, ninjas appear and grab Ieyasu, preventing you from summoning assists. Hitting them with certain attacks frees Ieyasu and gives you your reinforcements back after a brief cooldown, but if they reach the right (P1) or left (P2) side of the stage, reinforcements, as well as Tadakatsu's Boost Gauge and anything that requires it, will be unavailable for the next 20 seconds.
- Finishing Move: After racking up enough Stylish Points, you can use a "One-Hit Basara K.O," by inputting quarter-circle backward, half-circle forward + Heavy Attack, instantly ending the round.
- Glass Cannon:
- Oichi has the lowest health of the original roster, but once she activates her Shadow Hand mode, her damage output is easily among the highest in the game, especially when factoring in the various debuffs her attacks cause, including one that halves the opponent's defense.
- In the PS2 version, Hanbe can convert almost any hit into an incredibly long combo or even an infinite — in fact, he's one of only three characters who can do so without spending resources. However, he has even less health than Oichi, and his only defensive tool both costs health to use and requires him to take damage.
- Gratuitous English:
- Masamune, as usual. Even his moves are in English!
- Interestingly, despite never being released outside of Japan, a large portion of the game's interface is already in English. It's especially noticeable in the Title Screen and the Training Mode menu.
- Hitbox Dissonance: Normal throws are triggered based on proximity — if the opponent is close enough and throwable, they automatically get thrown. However, the hitbox for this is placed in such a way that they can miss with the right positioning. It varies depending on the character, but it tends to happen especially often against Yukimura.
- Incendiary Exponent: Yukimura's special involves screaming loud enough to set his foot on fire and then kicking his opponent in the face with it.
- Mighty Glacier:
- Hideyoshi is the game's main grappler, with powerful throws, big, damaging attacks, and the size and mobility of a fridge. Interestingly, unlike most grapplers in ArcSys games, he retains the ability to dash and airdash, although his are slower than average.
- Maeda has a number of large, powerful attacks with his sword, but this comes at the cost of mobility — he's the only character in the game with a step-dash instead of a run.
- Practical Taunt: Kenshin's taunt has them throwing a frozen rose. Not only does it have a hitbox, but it also plays a key part in some of their combos.
