Warriors Orochi 4 Review: Unite with Allies

The reassembled heroes face another new threat in Warriors Orochi 4. Koei Tecmo showcases the largest collection of characters ever seen in a game and with new game play additions, how does this hold up?

Before we really get into this review can we just quickly go back to the absurd number of characters that this game holds? You can choose from 170 characters that span both the Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors universes; and this goes beyond that as it has been awarded a Guinness World Record too.

In terms of narrative, the god of gods, Zeus, has meddled with the human realm to create his own parallel world. The heroes need to uncover the mysteries behind their current predicament and return back home; and finding the eight Ouroboros Bracelets is the key to their safe return. Throughout the warriors journey they discover that these bracelets possess great power and decide to use them to their own advantage, with some individuals using them for their own hidden schemes.

If its variety you are looking for, you will definitely find it here. Heck I challenge you to use all the characters to a significant degree because believe me you probably won't be able to.

For those of you that have experience with the Musou games, you will be able to jump in right away as the games are pretty similar with the overall mechanics, however for those who have been out of the loop, the whole idea is that you are given a mission to complete, whether that is to defeat a specific enemy or ensure the survival of one of your allies.

This will always tie into the overall story and during actual gameplay, characters will be interacting with each other through on screen dialogue.

You are thrown into a battlefield and must defeat the enemies you come across. This will usually be done in waves, however the mini map on the screen will display the spots where they will all be. Of course they will also move around due to the changing conditions, so this is something that will always be worth keeping an eye on.

You will be able to switch between three characters which are divided in to 3 attack types: Power, Technique, and Speed. Each type has special characteristics. Once you advance far enough, you will also be able choose support members to boost the abilities of your team members.

This is taken a step further through the use of 'Bonds'. When the bond between characters grows stronger, you will receive various benefits. Additionally, selecting characters with a strong bond with your team members or those that have a bond relationship with them will also boost their effectiveness.

Gathering allies is a big part of the game and you will have many as you go through the main storyline, however you will also be able to experience various side stories in the game. Facing new battlefields which may enable you to encounter new allies as well.

I love how deep Warriors Orochi 4 went with this and quite honestly while they didn't have to, it adds soo much more to the game. Seeing how certain characters interact with each other led to some interesting conversations and I would like to see this trend continue for future titles.

The biggest game changer that I have noticed has been the use of magic. This is something you will get access to rather early on and it completely helps to switch things up. There are three types, Normal, Charge and Unique magic. All three make use of your magic gauge apart from Unique Magic which uses the latter, along with your Musou Gauge.

Magic is not only used to attack enemies, but to also traverse the battlefield. You can call upon your own magical horse. This is super useful to reach certain spots quicker and can also be used to trample over enemies, although this would not count towards your overall combo counter.

Once a mission is completed you gain XP depending on how well you have done and if you have completed any extra challenges. Later on you can upgrade the abilities of your characters. The Acquire Skills command enables you to use Skill points to learn various new skills. Upgrade Levels lets you assign Growth Points to your characters.

My biggest gripe with this sort of game is that while the gameplay is fun and you are tearing down hordes of enemies like nothing, it can eventually wear on you as time goes on. This would be due to the fact that a lot of the time, it can feel the same.

Yes you do get slight variations on the missions, however the end result will always be the same. This is something even I am unsure on how it can be overcome, however if it can be figured out, it will definitely push this beyond just fan service.

There is so much going on with Warriors Orochi 4 that fans of the games will not be disappointed. A large roster of characters, a crazy number of combinations you can put to use. along with various interactions, weapons and abilities to round it off.

The version I played was on the Nintendo Switch and I'm happy to report that it runs amazingly well whether you are playing in handheld or docked.

Its hard to say where to go from here and it would be really odd if the roster count was less in the next game, however Warriors Orochi 4 offers a fun experience and hey, tearing down a couple thousand enemies makes for some good stress relief.

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