Introduction

Samurai Warriors remains the same as any other Warriors game with a few differences here and there. The core of the game is to send players out on the field alone and fight their way through waves of enemies as they try to prevent the enemy from getting what they want. Items are found throughout each of the stages and with each item comes a different effect, such as, healing, attack up, defense up, and etc. Clearing out enemies fills up player's Musou Attack which is a character's ultimate attack. Most of the stages involves players having to weave their way through enemies to get to a checkpoint. These checkpoints usually advance the story and usually involves killing an enemy officer. This may sound repetitive to those not familiar with the franchise but it has that strange addiction for those that are.

While the core gameplay remains unchanged, there are various new features added to the game. First of all, players can take up to two characters into battle and switch between them, a first for the series. Two new moves "Hyper Attack" and "Rage Attack" are also featured as well: Hyper Attack allows players to clear out hordes of enemies quickly while Rage Attack enhances player's attack power. Thanks to the new changes to the system, combat is much more smoother and satisfying. It's up to players to utilize each character's potential in battle.

Storyline

Unlike previous Warrior games, the campaign this time around is radically different. No longer does each character have their own separate campaign. Instead, the game features ten stories based on the clans and regions of the Sengoku period much like the kingdom-based stories in the Dynasty Warriors series. The story portrays the tales of the many battles, relationships between the characters and is also leads up to two separate stories, regional stories, which tell the tales of the officers, and the story of unification, which details events up to the end of the Warring States era. In each stage, there is a certain amount of characters the players can use that plays a role in the story at that point in time.

So the story takes place during the Sengoku period of Japan, a period of military conflict that divided Japan up between regions and ruled by the Daimyo. However, the game isn't truly accurate to the events of all the battles that took place. I myself just couldn't get into the story. For me, the Warriors series' story was never anything to write home about so I usually just skip through it just to get back to crushing waves of enemies again. Maybe it's just me, maybe not, but I for one don't really care much for the stories in these games.

Replayability?

There is so much to do in this game. If players aren't into the story, they can get started on Chronicle Mode, a new mode that has players challenging various quests, collecting items and much more. Chronicle Mode also features a Create Character system that lets players, as it suggests, create a character and go into battle. The game also features 55 characters, more than any previous game in the series.

Players will be able to challenge the world of Samurai Warriors through the eyes of these characters each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Can players master the strength of each of the characters?

Final Thoughts

Samurai Warriors is an excellent addition to the Warriors franchise. If you are a fan of the series, you should definitely pick this game up as it has a ton of content that can easily last you several weeks. There are 55 characters, the new Hyper Attacks and Rage Attack system, create a character feature in Chronicle Mode, and much more to be discovered. While the game is on the repetitive side, do no let that deter you as you can easily crank up the difficulty and go all out in the process. This game is a must have for fans.