The Warriors collection may need taken its time taking off within the West, however over the previous few years there’s been a mainstream Musou explosion, with extra avid gamers than ever earlier than discovering the delights of hacking-and-slashing lots of of foes directly, slicing your approach round a map controlling crowds whereas capturing and holding forts, and usually commanding the playfield whereas dealing colossal quantities of ache to wave upon wave of grunts.
Developer Omega Power’s birthed the Musou style with the Warriors franchise — comprised not solely of the unique Dynasty Warriors line (itself a spin-off from Koei’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms) with its Xtreme Legends and Empires expansions, but in addition Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi (the latter a Dynasty X Samurai crossover collection), plus the various ‘visitor’ IPs which have loved Warriors ‘crossover’ outings and ushered in a brand new period of mainstream reputation for the style. The One Piece: Pirate Warriors collection, as an illustration, has 4 entries on the time of writing (two on Swap), and Nintendo-wise we have seen two Zelda-based Hyrule Warriors video games and a superb Fireplace Emblem too, with a sequel — Fireplace Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes — due on twenty fourth June 2022.
We not too long ago requested Nintendo Life customers to price the Warriors video games they’d performed, and the rating beneath is the consequence. Keep in mind: this record is just not set in stone. Registered Nintendo Life customers can nonetheless click on on the celebrities beneath and price the video games out of 10, and watch because the rating alters in real-time based on every recreation’s rating in our video games database — so even in case you missed the ‘voting’ stage, your scores will nonetheless depend and might probably affect the order beneath.
Different studios moreover Omega Power have taken on the Musou mantle, too, and we determined so as to add Marvelous’ Destiny/Extella: The Umbral Star and Destiny/Extella Hyperlink into the combo beneath; they will not be Omega Power-developed Warriors video games — very similar to Persona 5 Strikers — however they’re each superb exemplars of the Musou expertise. Do not assume they need to be there? Simply mentally take away them from the record and the order stays simply as legitimate.
Okay, able to go? Let the battle begin!
Notice. We have solely included Musou video games launched within the West, so no Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada, Samurai Warriors 4 DX, Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires, Warriors Orochi 3 Final, or the Japanese Swap launch recreation Dragon Quest Heroes.
Writer: Koei Tecmo / Developer: Omega Power
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a poor Swap port of a disappointing entry within the long-running spin-off collection. It is a massively downgraded model of the sport, with critically dialled-back visuals failing to place a cease to constant body price points in the course of the warmth of battle. With an absence of gameplay modes, zero multiplayer choices, horrible AI and beauty customisation choices gone AWOL at launch — Koei Tecmo selecting as an alternative to go the DLC route — it is a actually lacklustre bundle, a discount bin affair with a premium price ticket, and a Dynasty Warriors recreation you’ll be able to really feel fairly comfy skipping solely.
Writer: Koei Tecmo / Developer: Omega Power
Touken Ranbu Warriors is a recreation finest fitted to gamers with little expertise with the Dynasty Warriors collection generally. If that is meant to attraction primarily to followers of the free-to-play video games – with far decrease expectations relating to motion video games – as an amazing large slice of Touken Danshi fan service, this can be an amazing addition to their assortment. For gamers much less versed on the earth of Touken Ranbu, it is a a lot tougher promote, providing a rote, repetitive recreation loop that does little to slake your thirst for a extra significant, evolving recreation expertise. This criticism may arguably apply to all of the Warriors video games, after all, however the place the larger license-based video games add to the formulation, Touken Ranbu Warriors looks like a distillation. In a variety of methods and for sure audiences that is completely superb. The Dynasty Warriors machine churns out a well-oiled, refined and well mannered product; the online game equal of a Honda Civic. However even with a well-loved product as dependable as that, there comes some extent when it is simply time to get with the instances.
Writer: Koei Tecmo / Developer: Omega Power
It’s not for everybody, however Warriors Orochi 4’s multitudinous hordes may be pleasurable to comb by way of, regardless of the sport feeling by-the-numbers in some ways. That is merely extra, and whereas followers may be capable of forgive the tasteless presentation, we’d wager that non-devotees would have a a lot better time with the Zelda or Fireplace Emblem spin-offs – with the characters, settings and accoutrement you understand and love serving to to mood the monotony once you’re not fairly ‘within the zone’.
Writer: Koei Tecmo / Developer: Omega Power
Warriors Orochi 4 was a stable, if uninspired, Musou recreation and this ‘Final’ version fleshes issues out with some new characters and modes, considerably beefs up the story and tweaks the central gameplay right here and there. Nonetheless, the additions which were made typically really feel just like the least quantity of effort that was potential. The brand new playable characters, though enjoyable, are just about slapped in with none fanfare, new weapons do not even have distinctive skins and Infinity Mode looks like a little bit of a missed alternative. Warriors Orochi 4 Final is unquestionably an enchancment over the vanilla model of the sport – and completely the best way to go in case you’re eager however have but to select it up – but it surely’s additionally a quite disappointingly small one which comes at a fairly steep worth for loyal followers who’re forking out to improve from the bottom model.
Writer: Koei Tecmo / Developer: Koei Tecmo
Samurai Warriors 5 takes the long-running franchise, offers it a splendidly vibrant lick of paint, throws in some wonderful new fight mechanics and fills its story mode with well-directed cutscenes, leading to a slick and classy addition to the collection that is certain to please followers and newcomers alike. Sure, it makes a couple of fumbles right here and there – we aren’t keen on its grindy system of upgrading your Dojo and Blacksmith, it limits your character decisions at instances within the marketing campaign and that stripped again roster is certain to irk some – however, general, what’s here’s a superb addition to the Swap’s line-up of Musou titles. It is a fast-paced, flashy hack and slash effort that appears and performs fantastically nicely and, most significantly, performs virtually completely while doing so.
Writer: Bandai Namco / Developer: Bandai Namco
In the event you’ve performed a Warriors recreation earlier than, then you definitely’ve principally performed One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. Skinny story, okay graphics, and considerably shallow however satisfying motion gameplay are all par for the course right here, to not point out a lion’s share of content material to work by way of. In the event you’ve ever been curious what this sub-genre is all about, it is a good spot to leap in with its simply approachable gameplay and that lovably goofy One Piece aesthetic. In the event you’re a very long time fan, we’d encourage you to ask your self how a lot you need extra of the identical and resolve primarily based on that. One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is the furthest factor from reinventing the wheel, but it surely certain has its distinctive and addictive gameplay loop right down to a science.
Writer: Bandai Namco / Developer: Omega Power
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 Deluxe Version is an excellent instance of a licensed adaptation doing nearly the whole lot proper; in case you’ve ever learn or watched One Piece and thought “this may make an amazing online game!”, that is that recreation. Whereas it doesn’t spend almost sufficient time on its story beats to totally immerse new gamers into its world, we’d nonetheless suggest it even in case you’re new to the Straw Hat Crew — there’s loads of rollicking enjoyable available throwing elbows (and swords, and staves, and…) with Luffy and co., and longtime readers can have a blast revisiting their earliest days. A really helpful romp for One Piece and Warriors followers alike.
