Welcome to our review of Warriors Orochi 4, the latest Musou game from Koei Tecmo, a gem in the genre!
Set in a world on the brink of chaos, heroes from across the Warring States period of Japan and the Three Kingdoms Era of China successfully defeat the evil Orochi and end his reign. After overcoming their desperate struggle to save the world, our heroes return to their respective eras – or so they think. These two worlds, merged by an unknown entity, are again threatened and the heroes must find the key to restore them and return to their respective homes. As they begin to uncover the mystery surrounding their arrival in these new fused lands, their discoveries lead them to one deity: Zeus, the supreme god among gods.
Warriors Orochi 4 is actually a World Record holder for sporting the most playable characters in a single game. No less than 170 characters are present in this game and aside from the incredibly impressive feat this is, it is also incredibly awesome. As a lover of the Musou genre, most games tend to have a handful of playable characters. I can not stress enough how splendid this is.
Warriors Orochi 4 is more than the everyday musou game too, you know, it is the most classic approach to hack and slash after all, but in this case, you get more than you bargained for. Not only the impressive array of previously mentioned characters, but also the vast amount of every possible attack, the addition of magic and so much more.
All my friends know I love this genre and over the years, I have seen it grow from what is basically button mashing to full-fledged games with strategies and Warriors Orochi 4 fits into that last category. Whether you have to mount your horse to quickly get from one side to the other and defend a place under attack, this game does it. Whether you need to use all your magic and perform this over the top attack on the enemies, this game does it. Whether it is all about seeing plains filled with enemies and you just dive straight in, this game does it oh so well.
While I do prefer the original approach of the genre without magical powers, I have to say not once did I consider the mechanics used in Warriors Orochi 4 to be annoying or imprecise. Of course, Koei Tecmo are the one true masters of this genre, but it never ceases to impress me on how they can make one of my favorite genres even better.
Even graphically speaking, this feels like an upgrade compared to any game released just last year. It is incredibly stylised on the visual aspect, so much that even a playing style that involves quick thinking and even quicker responses look just damn near perfect. Pardon my french, but it is really that great. The female lead, when she performs her quick dashing attacks, it is just a pure delight to see it happen.
Now I know I am biased, I literally love this game and what this game represents for its genre. Musou games for me, they are not button mashing games, I actually play them passionately. I must have played the One piece warriors games at least 3 times each now. I just love the organized chaos in these games. The higher the difficulty in beating an opponent, the more focused it gets me.
And while musou games are not game of the year material and most likely never will be, sadly enough, this game is by far the best one of its genre that I played. Beautifully executed all across the board, never a real dull moment and those cut scenes, not only are they cool, they are just a delight to look at. That first time I performed magic with all my characters, I had goosebumps. A clear sign Koei Tecmo had done things the right way.
In conclusion, fully well knowing this game is a technological and gaming marvel, I have to consider a lot of things. My love for the genre wants to give it a perfect score, not joking. I am many hours down the line and am still to experience a boring part in this game. When I need to come up with my score, I have to consider what others might find. As a musou, this game reaches perfection for me personally and I do honestly think that anyone loving this genre would have mutual considerations like me.
Warriors Orochi does so many things right and deserves my high score wholeheartedly.
