Samurai Warriors 4 has aged like wine, much like Kunoichi. The DX edition was quietly released on Steam ten years after its initial release. Fans of musou should not miss it.
Samurai Warriors 4 DX
Platform: PC
Developer: Omega Force, Koei Tecmo Games
Publisher: Koei Tecmo Games
Release date: May 13th, 2024
Availability: Digital
Price: $49.99 via Steam
Omega Force’s musou games had a controversial reputation up until 2014. Critics and viewers have took issue with the combat’s repetition and its rigid adherence to the pattern. However, Samurai Warriors 4 made a difference in that.
The addition of a Hyper Attack significantly altered the franchise’s gameplay and pacing. Now a series of button presses turned the main character into a destructive whirling dervish.
Players may now go across each area at a previously unheard-of pace, bowling over weaker opponents instead of plodding through hordes of peons. Samurai Warriors 4 deliberately limited the maneuver such that elevated foes like officers and even mid-ranked soldiers were immune to it, preventing the game from becoming a one-button trail to victory. It did away with a lot of those long dashes over desolate battlefields, looking back.
It’s basically a redux of Samurai Warriors 4-I.
With the introduction of Samurai Warriors 4-II, Hyper Attacks wisely stayed at the forefront. This game improved upon the expositional techniques of its predecessor while keeping the captivating play mechanics that made Warriors 4 a musou merit. As the title suggested, Samurai Warriors 4-II improved upon some of the shortcomings of its predecessor rather than being a mere improvement over the game from the previous year.
Indeed, the elimination of Chronicle Mode, which offered a strong role-playing aspect where players could choose their own destiny during the Warring States period, disappointed fans of the Warriors. The mode has thankfully been brought back for Samurai Warriors 4 DX, along with roughly 150 DLC pieces that came with the PlayStation 4 release. As a result, even without 4-II’s very easy Survival Mode, DX is surely the definitive version of the original game.
Recording Your Heritage
In Chronicle Mode, users design their avatars from an amazing assortment of body parts, outfits, and weaponry as they advance through the ranks in a comprehensive character development suite. Every mission after your initial assignment as a menial foot soldier contributes to the development of your reputation and provides you with a wide range of options to pursue your goals. It is true that branching dialogue trees provide players more autonomy by letting them choose not to complete missions or contribute to the construction of their army.
The story mode is divided into several Legends, each of which shows the territorial battle from the viewpoint of a distinct daimyo and their clan. Taken as a whole, these thirteen multi-stage scenarios are a remarkable way to kill time, with players following the convoluted paths of families such as the Shikoku, Kantō, and Sanada. Once the Oda and Takeda Legends are completed, the game includes a lengthy campaign called Land United Scenario, which chronicles the era’s attempts at unification.
Integration with Selective Collaboration
A defiant final boss, a handful of commanders, and hundreds of peons stand in the way of triumph on DX’s easiest level, which is essentially a straight quest. As the difficulty level rises, players will need to use more strategy to switch between the two heroes in the game, with the unselected character roaming and slaying the battlefield on their own. As an alternative, players can receive assistance from a second player online or locally (splitscreen is available).
Samurai Warriors 4’s initial release marked a turning point in the history of the franchise as it showed how Omega Force improved the action and narrative. Ten years later, it’s still a good idea to get the DX release. It may not have the extensive cast of Orochi 4 or the spotlighting of Spirit of Sanada, but it is still an incredibly enjoyable retro musou.
On a PC, Samurai Warriors 4 DX was played using a review code that the publisher sent.
Review Overview
Gameplay – 80%
Controls – 85%
Aesthetics – 80%
Content – 85%
Accessibility – 80%
Value – 80%
82%
VERY GOOD
Summary :Considering the way game brands develop, playing any of the more current musou titles from Omega Force will offer technological development. However, this is a noteworthy addition to your collection for those devoted fans of Samurai Warriors who can name over a dozen officers. Samurai Warriors 4 DX is a significant turning point for the well-known IP and has a number of features that will be discussed in later entries.