Evo

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Developer: Omega Force

Publisher: Koei Tecmo

Platforms: PlayStation 4 (review platform), Xbox One

Get ready to kill more demons than you can shake a ludicrously pointy stick at

Most of you reading this will have more than likely played a Warriors game before, whether it be under the name of Dynasty, Samurai, Gundam or Orochi, and with over 40 games and rising it seems there will be no end to the Warriors franchise any time soon, it’s almost like a universal constant in gaming. Before I carry on I should mention that this is just a standard port from PS3 so don’t expect this to take advantage of the full power of the PS4.

Warriors Orochi 3 features characters from all of Koei’s Warriors games and also sports a few familiar faces from Dead or Alive, Soul Calibur, and Atelier Arland bringing the total roster to a staggering 145 playable characters- yes, you read that right. The story begins with the emergence of a giant Hydra which pretty much destroys everything and kills almost everyone, the lucky survivors run into a mysterious woman called Kaguya who explains to our defeated heroes that she can travel back through time, this becomes the main focus of the game in which you travel back through peoples timelines and now armed with the power of hindsight, attempt to change each battle’s outcome and recruit the warriors you have rescued from certain death to build up an army to kill the hydra plaguing the world. As you would expect the story for Warriors Orochi 3 is pretty hammy, but to be honest, it doesn’t really matter as it isn’t canon and is basically a fan fiction all-star game. Also if i’m being honest, nobody ever plays these games for their ‘intriguing’ stories anyway.

With the changes in Warriors Orochi 3 you can now take up to three characters onto the field and are able to switch out each character at will which can lead to some pretty satisfying devastation. As you progress and unlock more characters you can either decide to keep certain individuals as part of your main band of fighters, or pick one of the game’s recommended characters for each mission. Using the recommended warriors only really serves to strengthen your bonds with other relevant members, this results in unlocking new bonus stages which can grant you even more new characters, this process however starts to feel like an artificial way of padding out the game as time goes on. As you rank up with each member of your selected team you get some extra experience “banked” for want of a better word. You can either use this to strengthen existing characters or, if they have already reached the cap of 100, you can promote them (in a manner similar to the prestige system in call of duty) which resets their level to 1 and then buffs them with enhanced stats and a new passive skill. You can promote a unit in this way 9 times which will ultimately land you with a fully maxed out death machine of a character. I personally liked this new addition to the series as it scratched that completionist itch within me and gives you a reason to stick with your favourite guy.

With the new addition of having three characters to control on the field you can now call on them at any time to either act as back up or to perform powerful team supers, you can also unleash all 3 of the party Musou’s at once; destroying masses of enemies in one go. As a note however, if you wish to use the extra two characters as back up to give you an edge then you might want to reconsider as the AI companions seem to have the intelligence of a brick wall and only serve to soak up damage as you steam roll through the fodder with your main guy.

There is also a plethora of new content for the Ultimate edition including story missions, new characters, and new modes; most notably the Gauntlet mode that lets you take five warriors onto a randomly generated map which gets more and more difficult as you progress through. As you last longer in Gauntlet mode unlocking gates and opening chests you can end up with some extremely overpowered enemies, one moment sticks out in my mind where my level 370 Ryu Hayabusa got slapped around like a little bitch by one enemy lieutenant in a matter of seconds. As for the other mods, there is also the Musou Battlefields and Duel mode; Musou battlefields lets you customise and make your own maps to play which can then be uploaded for other people to play and download (in a manner similar to the trials series), Duel mode is a one on one mode where you can use cards earned through the main story to give you buffs.

With all this content Warriors Orochi 3 will last you quite a while if you stick with it, the question is ‘do you want to?’

The game is far from perfect; on the technical side the draw distance can be pretty rubbish, with enemies and lieutenants seemingly popping in and out of existence in busy areas which can be pretty annoying when you get attacked by an enemy who magically appears and kills you, this in-turn unceremoniously boots you back into the title screen with no retry option and every choice that you made in the hub world gone.. every weapon bought or crafted, every tea party to boost bonds … gone. The dialogue is also all in Japanese, which isn’t usually a problem but trying to read subtitles while trying to fight off hundreds of enemies can be quite the challenge.

There is also the main problem (some would argue main feature) that comes with every Warriors game which is its repetition. From the start of the game you will be cutting down enemies and rushing to waypoints to save your useless comrades, 20 hours in and you will still be doing the same. While this game is seemingly bursting with content a lot of it revolves around rushing in, mashing buttons, and killing demons ad infinitum, if this core gameplay does not sound appealing to you then you’re not going to enjoy it with a new coat of paint. Despite aforementioned issues, Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate still manages to reel you in with it’s addictive gameplay and fanservice, I always found myself looking forward to getting that next character and ruining the hordes of enemies day with some ludicrous combos and ridiculous weapons and characters.

If you’re a fan of the Warriors series then I’d recommenced picking this one up, If you have never played a game from the series it then WO3U will serve as a good introduction, and well…if you despise the series, then there’s probably nothing here for you.

Review Overview

While it has its flaws die hard fans and newcomers alike will find something to like in this game