Samurai Warriors 5 Review – I Guess I’m Into Japanese History Now

Samurai Warriors 5 is the whole lot you anticipate from a musou recreation, and I imply that in a great way. There’s a ton of content material to get pleasure from, enjoyable characters to play as, and a narrative that has me genuinely involved in Japanese historical past. It has some efficiency hiccups, and anybody who isn’t into musou received’t be satisfied in any other case right here, however for what it’s, Samurai Warriors 5 is a blast.

Samurai Warriors 5
Developer: Koei Tecmo and Omega Drive
Worth: $60
Platforms: PS4 (reviewed,) Xbox One, and Nintendo Change
MonsterVine was supplied with a PS4 code for overview

I like a very good musou recreation. From the Berserk one to the One Piece diversifications, I’m all the time right down to swat away 1000’s of foes with ridiculous assaults. I’ve by no means actually delved into the Dynasty and Samurai Warriors franchises although, and I want I had sooner. Not solely is it enjoyable to play in the best way that solely musou video games can present, nevertheless it additionally acquired me within the Japanese historical past that impressed the narrative of the sport. That’s fairly spectacular for a hack-and-slash title.

Samurai Warriors 5 is about daimyo Oda Nobunaga’s rise to energy. The well-known Warlord begins small, however regularly takes over increasingly of Japan with the assistance of his retainers and allies, till he turns into a terrifying drive that even his allies query. From the beginning of Samurai Warriors 5, I discovered myself getting invested in a narrative based mostly on Japanese historical past, to the purpose the place I began Googling characters from this recreation to get additional data on them. No, the occasions didn’t essentially occur on this very “anime” manner, however Samurai Warriors 5 is fairly spot-on in the case of the final gist of issues. Regardless, I used to be excited to seek out out what occurred subsequent with every chapter, which is the mark of a very good story, and an particularly good historic story.

For individuals who have by no means performed a musou recreation, the fundamental idea is that you simply decide a personality and mow down dozens of weaker foes at a time with hack-and-slash fight. Totally different characters use totally different weapons, which all blow away enemies in several and equally enjoyable methods. You’ll be able to defeat sure enemies to seize bases on the map, combat bosses who take manner quite a lot of hits to down, or you possibly can simply rack up combos utilizing particular assaults. It may possibly get a bit outdated in the event you play for too lengthy in a single sitting, as there’s little variation in how every degree works, however digested in doses, Samurai Warriors 5 is a fairly enjoyable musou title.

“There’s a variety of depth to shaping your characters the best way you need with totally different weapons and expertise sorts, and it feels rewarding to show your favourite character into an overpowered killing machine.“

There are two fundamental modes to play: Musou Mode and Citadel Mode. In Musou Mode, you observe the story of Nobunaga, and ultimately, Nobunaga’s retainer Akechi Mitsuhide, in addition to varied What-If eventualities. The missions are primarily “defeat x variety of enemies,” “escort somebody to a location,” and “defeat <identify>,” with out an excessive amount of variation. It really works for the story, as Nobunaga basically simply goes locations and slays folks, so it’s essentially the most streamlined expertise within the recreation.

It’s in Citadel Mode that issues get a bit totally different, as it’s a must to defend your base for a set period of time or defeat the enemy commander after they seem. This earns you supplies that can be utilized to improve your varied amenities, which allow you to purchase new stuff, enhance your weapons, and prepare your characters to simply degree them up. You’ll be able to play Citadel Mode as any character that you simply’ve unlocked, so it additionally offers you an opportunity to grind up any favourite characters that you simply don’t usually play as in Musou Mode. It’s a pleasant change from the simple storyline, and it feels helpful to each modes because it allows you to improve so many issues by enjoying. 

Irrespective of which mode you play, it’s necessary to improve your characters. You’ll be able to receive totally different weapons that each one have their very own talent gems, which might ultimately be upgraded and transferred onto different weapons. Enjoying as a personality additionally grants you talent factors that can be utilized to energy up your character by boosting their stats, granting them additional gauges and extra. You additionally accrue expertise and weapon mastery factors that may be spent to present your character new combos, particular assaults, and extra. There’s a variety of depth to shaping your characters the best way you need with totally different weapons and expertise sorts, and it feels rewarding to show your favourite character into an overpowered killing machine.

The sound and visuals of Samurai Warriors 5 are robust, although the sport often struggles to maintain up with the whole lot that’s taking place on-screen. The occasional few-second freeze and dropped frames would make the endless motion really feel a bit much less fluid, although these points didn’t occur usually sufficient to hamper your complete expertise. The energetic music actually will get you within the temper to slash up hordes, as does the passionate voice supply all through the story.

The Remaining Phrase
Samurai Warriors 5 is a robust musou recreation. It may be a bit repetitive and has some technical stuttering, however blowing by foes and experiencing the fascinating historic story are simply too enjoyable. There are a number of modes to attempt, plenty of customization available, and loads of distinctive characters to check out. Should you’re into musou video games or Japanese historical past, that is the sport for you.

MonsterVine Score: 4 out of 5 – Good