Warriors Orochi 4 Review

1. Game: Warriors Orochi 4
2. Consoles: PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
3. Publisher: Koei Tecmo
4. Developer: Omega Force

A Warriors Orochi 4 review code was provided by the publisher.

If you’ve been racking up kills in the thousands range in Musou games for years, then you’ve probably been disappointed lately. Dynasty Warriors 9 took the franchise to an open-world format and failed miserably. Samurai Warriors’ last effort delivered a more focused narrative, but it did little to add any more new and interesting elements. Warriors All-Stars managed to be a decent release from Koei Tecmo, but it’s clear that the company’s biggest fans were looking forward to another Musou crossover series. The fantastical, historical icons of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors have come together once again in order to overcome a new struggle. Warriors Orochi 4 throws them into a new world full of button mashing tactics. And to be honest, that’s not a half bad deal.

This sequel’s fan service worthy plotline is easy to follow – the heroes of the Three Kingdoms and Warring States have been transported back to the world of Orochi. This event transpires due to the involvement of Zeus and his fellow Greek Gods. In order to get sent back to their respective time periods, the heroes of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors must recover a set of powerful bangles. And in order to complete such a lofty task, a lot of hacking n’ slashing must be done. The story premise isn’t anything to get super enthralled about – it’s simply a device that’s used to showcase some pretty nifty cutscenes.

Warriors Orochi 4’s approach to combat definitely relies on the traditional mechanics utilized by past Musou games. But it also introduces a few new abilities to keeps things interesting. The three characters you choose to bring into battle come equipped with their own separate “Sacred Treasures,” which are divine tools that are used to activate different types of magic spells. Along with those battlefield clearing attacks, your party of warriors can also send out a vicious shockwave attack that’s always a joy to activate and watch in action.

When it comes to super formations, the characters that are integral to the story can now tap into the new “Deification” ability. Getting the chance to whip out a fave character’s overpowered form and wipe out hundreds of enemies in one fell swoop looks and feels incredible. In between mashing the light and heavy attack buttons are instances where you’ll need to switch up your attack patterns. Certain enemies can only be stunned and killed by magic attacks, plus a character’s Deification form is best used against extra powerful Gods and warriors. These added mechanics do a good job of freshening up the somewhat stale battle mechanics and making each stage playthrough a fun endeavor.

On the playable warriors front, a bunch of fan favorites come along for the ride. Fans will be more than pleased to get the chance to dish out awesome combos again with Nobunaga Oda, Naotora Ii, Lu Bu, and several other feudal Chinese/Japanese icons. The five Gods who make their series debut here provide a worthy addition to the game’s already massive roster. It’s pretty awesome to dish out divine judgement and rack up an insane kill count with characters such as Zeus, Ares, and Odin.

The biggest issue with Warriors Orochi 4’s offering of playable characters is its omission of Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate’s franchise collaboration warriors. It may be true that they’re being saved for the “Ultimate” edition of this release, but it’s still disappointing to not be able to use Koei Tecmo’s other icons. A 170 total roster count is cool and all. But expanding that huge playable character list with inclusions from Dead or Alive, Crimson Sea, or Mystic Heroes would have been even cooler.

Warriors Orochi 4 does a lot to make sure its fans are kept busy. The main campaign and extra side missions throws players into a nice array of big battles. The game’s constant sense of progression and delivery of rewards will most definitely elicit feelings of “just one more mission.” And several light RPG and strategic elements offer interesting diversions in between each battle. The local and online multiplayer modes are also commendable features of this jam-packed sequel. Visually, Warriors Orochi 4’s graphical prowess is decent at best. The cinematics look good, but the big battlefields and foes you come across don’t look all that improved from the last release. Musou games aren’t exactly known for their strong graphical presentation. But that’s still no excuse for this entry to look like a last-gen game.

Warriors Orochi 4 Takeways

Omega Force has done a good job of making sure this Warriors Orochi sequel is worth getting into. The character roster is massive – the inclusion of new Greek and Norse gods is the main highlight of such a huge lineup. During battle, a host of new abilities are fun to utilize against the abundance of enemies you’ll come across. Getting to do all that alongside a local/online ally and compete in competitive Capture-the-Flag matches just adds to the fun factor of this Musou release.

However, a few nagging issues keep this sequel from reaching top-tier excellence. The lack of playable Koei Tecmo franchise icons, the passable at best visuals, and an uninteresting plotline knock it down a few notches. Warriors Orochi 4 is the type of Musou release that diehard fans will get a kick out of. As for everyone else who’s grown tired of these types of games, this sequel won’t rekindle your past appreciation for them. Ultimately, Warriors Orochi 4 is still a good time.

Our Warriors Orochi 4 Review Score: 7.75 out of 10