Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate Review (PS4/XBO)

When it comes to porting games to new hardware, few publishers are as proactive as Tecmo KOEI. Although fairly modest, the company’s enduring stable of popular franchises have cropped up just about everywhere, from the Vita and Nintendo 3DS, to the Wii U, and even mobiles and tablets. When the PlayStation 4 finally turns one this November, three titles from KOEI’s flagship Warriors series will have made the jump to Sony’s latest home console, the most recent of which is Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate Edition, also releasing on the Xbox One.

For those who missed out on the game when it originally launched back in 2012, Warriors Orochi 3 is the third mainline instalment in the publisher’s wacky crossover series. Set in a fictional universe overrun by Orochi and his demon horde, characters from both Dynasty and Samurai Warriors band together to repel the threat. It’s the exact same premise found in both previous instalments though one that has been kept fresh thanks to a growing roster of playable characters. Aside from Dynasty Warriors posterboys and their Samurai Warriors counterparts, WO3 throws in a number of its own original characters as well as some bizarre Tecmo KOEI cameos.

Fundamentally, Ultimate Edition is exactly the same game, albeit with enhanced visuals and a modest suite of new features. Choosing from over 120 playable characters, you’ll create and develop your ultimate hack n’ slash dream team, continually upgrading their attributes and equipment as you play. With so many unique movesets and powers to experiment with, there are hundreds of combinations that can be used in battle, none of which are ineffective.

WO3’s core gameplay centres around parties of three characters with players using the triggers to switch between them freely. In Ultimate Edition this system has been taken one step further thanks to two rather nifty innovations. Firstly, pressing down on the d-pad will summon both non-active team members to the field, turning them into AI-controlled bodyguards. Additionally, players can switch between characters when performing charge attacks to string together a deadly aerial combo while also being able to unleash each of their signature “Musou” attacks in tandem.

Though these new combat mechanics will be used often, most of your time in Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate will still be spent button-mashing while navigating from one side of the battlefield to another. In other words, it still shares the same mundane mission structure found in the original game with little to no variety whatsoever. Needless to say, if you disliked Warriors Orochi 3, Ultimate has an almost zero percent chance of swaying your opinion of the franchise.

I say almost zero because, in this latest instalment, Tecmo KOEI has included two all-new game modes, the first of which is Duel. Here, we go right back to the series’ roots with two teams of three duking it out in traditional fighting game style. For obvious reasons full three-dimensional movement is still enabled, yet the camera angle and size of the arenas give it a distinct identity.

Gauntlet mode isn’t perhaps as nuanced yet still separates itself apart from the usual tacked-on additions we’ve seen in previous Warriors games. Here you will choose five characters to form an elite crack squad who are then tasked with barrelling through a series of brutally difficult levels, bagging new items along the way. Once dropped into one of Gauntlet’s semi-randomised stages, you’ll need to find a specific waypoint on the map which then teleports you back out. It sounds simple enough yet enemies will become gradually harder to put down the longer you spend searching, to the extent that being hit once can mean game over.

Though there is certainly some appeal in controlling five characters at once, Gauntlet mode suffers from repetition and an overall lack of guidance. With portals being placed randomly within a stage, this means that players can spend anywhere between five and thirty minutes finding the right one. It’s still an interesting game mode (and something we’d like to see more of) though one that could have been executed much better.

In terms of visuals, the difference between vanilla Warriors Orochi 3 and Ultimate is noticeable though after a while it becomes hard to detect. Character models have been recycled from Dynasty Warriors 7 and Samurai Warriors 3 though have been slightly perked up with improved lighting effects. Sadly, the game’s catalogue of battlefields is dull despite being slightly altered to accommodate Orochi and his demonic host.

Overall Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is more than just a competent port thanks to its new game modes and some slight gameplay refinements. With that said, it does carry the same flaws found in the original release and could also be seen as outdated with Samurai Warriors 4 just around the corner. In other words, this is definitely one for the fans.

7/10

Version tested: PS4