REVIEW : SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 (PC)

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REVIEW : SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 (PC)

REVIEW : SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 (PC)

The review of Samurai Warriors 5 takes us back to the Sengoku period, during Japan’s protracted war for unification, which witnessed the birth of several charismatic leaders on the battlefield, whose deeds have inevitably been romanticized on a thousand various occasions.

An idea firmly rooted in Musou-style productions, extremely immediate and frenetic action games in which you put yourself in the shoes of these powerful warriors and face thousands of opponents at the same time, performing spectacular combos and special manoeuvres capable of defeating entire deployments and allowing our army to liberate the most dangerous areas of the map.

REVIEW : SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 (PC)

History

Samurai Warriors 5 recounts the stories of two heroes, the great Nobunaga Oda and the lesser-known Mitsuhide Akechi, both Japanese leaders determined to win the war and transform the country once and for all. Nobunaga and Mitsuhide are the protagonists of many parallel campaigns, each made up of separate chapters and acts that are opened when we complete the missions. In addition, they are surrounded by many more or less important supporting actors, all of whom existed.

This is a first for the Koei Tecmo series, which chronicles for the first time the acts of the youthful Nobunaga Oda, the Honnoji accident, and other major episodes from a mythical period that continues to captivate many people today. Unfortunately, beyond the good interlude sequences, which take full advantage of the debut of cel-shading, the narrative is not that interesting, being carried on between monologues that are a little too long compared to the experience’s distinct action vocation.

REVIEW : SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 (PC)

Gameplay

Samurai Warriors 5 features a famous combo versus a slew of foes.

Following the failed experiment with the open world of Dynasty Warriors 9, the developers of Omega Force have decided to retrace their steps: a team that wins does not change, and the fact that the franchise has thrived for over twenty years by always proposing the same mechanics is a clear indication of the will of musou fans. In summary, the need to introduce these titles to a new audience will have to wait yet again.

This is to say that, in terms of gameplay, Samurai Warriors 5 is the same game as before, with the same structure focused on map liberation, enemy commander removal, and the possible protection of some allies. The novelties are minor but welcome: some modifications to weapon crafting (which remains strange) and upgrades, with the introduction of a regular skill tree. Still, most notably, a series of new moves can be accessed during the ‘action.

REVIEW : SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 (PC)

In addition to the standard combos and super, we will be able to perform four special manoeuvres that are cooldown-based and customizable based on the skills we have unlocked up to that point, which we can use to inflict additional damage on opponents as well as to boost our defence capacity for a few seconds, recover health, or fill the spiritual energy bar.

It may appear to be a tiny change. Still, when you’re dealing with a system that forces you always to do the same actions to mow down hundreds of enemy soldiers, it’s evident that four extra moves come in useful and help to mitigate the inherent repetitiveness that has always characterized musou.

Technical realization

If the mechanics of Samurai Warriors 5 only introduce marginal innovations compared to previous chapters in the series, something has been done in terms of graphics; in this case, an excellent cel-shading has been inserted to obtain an anime-style significantly more marked in the visual representation of the characters.

This isn’t the first time Omega Force has employed this method, but for Samurai Warriors, it’s a new option that we’ve enjoyed, especially during the intermission segments. It’s a genuine shame that cel-shading wasn’t employed for the scenarios, which continue to be the technology sector’s weak point: empty, repetitious, devoid of any aspect of interaction, and old-gen.

REVIEW : SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 (PC)

Fortunately, the previous pop-up effect on foes appears to have been handled firmly with the current versions, and this episode validates the graphics engine’s ability to handle hundreds of characters on the screen without ever being unclear. Even more so on PC, where the game plays at 4K, and 60 fps with all effects turned up to 11 without any slowdowns or issues.

Of course, the effects and asset quality are what they are, but everything is undeniably functional to the action. Just as the sound sector is functional, with lovely music ideally suited to the period and atmosphere depicted on screen, aided by well-executed Japanese conversations, but subtitled solely in English: here, too, is a return to beginnings.

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review-samurai-warriors-5-pcSamurai Warriors 5 attempts to provide a standard episode, yet another, for a series running for a long time and has always included the same gameplay. Those looking for the classic one-against-a-thousand gameplay of the usual musou will have bread for their teeth, thanks to two long campaigns and a few small innovations capable of limiting the ubiquitous repetitiveness of the fights. At the same time, on the technical front, we must certainly mention the excellent introduction to cel-shading for characters.

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