This is a weird one. On one hand, I want to stand atop a mountain and scream praises of Koei Tecmo’s latest entries in its long-running and seldom-imitated Warriors franchise. It is especially important in this new, budding generation of consoles that finally have the tech to allow developer Omega Force to really spread its wings and try new things. No longer are major technical hiccups such as framerates really an issue, save for the most taxing of situations. Even then, moments that would cause a previous-gen Warriors to falter merely take up seconds of time today.

This is especially true of Samurai Warriors 4, a game that not only managed to run almost 100% flawlessly, but did so while introducing the Hyper Attack, a new combo string that sends characters sailing across the map with unmatched, murderous velocity. It is a technical marvel, and any fan of the series can attest to that.

Yet, here we are with Samurai Warriors 4-II. This is a game that is every bit as great as its predecessor, with absolutely no reason to exist. Sure, there is a laundry list of new features, but to any player already familiar with Samurai Warriors 4, it will mostly feel like a minor DLC bundle at a full retail price point.

Among several balancing updates, minor additions and tweaks only the hardcore wiki editor will notice, Samurai Warriors 4-II has two major differences from its counterpart. The first is a new character progression system. Here is generally where Omega Force struggles the most, as these kinds of things shift drastically from game to game, and nothing yet in the core franchises really seem to compel players enough to care much. The new system is somewhat reminiscent of Final Fantasy X’s sphere grid. A huge board encompasses myriad stat and ability gains, and items picked up during play can be spend to take up real estate. It is crude, but straightforward and effective, which is more than what could be said about some of the past alternatives.

Second, Samurai Warriors 4-II seems to be a testing ground for a new approach to how these games approach their historical fiction. The previous game’s Chronicle Mode is nowhere to be found, and is replaced with a thoroughly character-focused Story Mode. Gone is much of the historic minutia presented to the player in walls of seldom-read text. Instead, a plotline focusing on the growth and struggles of individual characters is chosen from a list, and a handful of missions take the player through a more self-contained story that Warriors fans may be used to.

This is an intriguing shift in the Warriors landscape, albeit one that basically throws character creation in the garbage. It’s still an option, but buried under the new character-driven gimmick. This gimmick does work to a degree, making the ever-growing staleness of the Warriors story feel almost fresh again. However, in a world that recently gave us Hyrule Warriors and Dragon Quest Heroes, it doesn’t quite hit the mark it needed to make this new focus compelling.

Frankly, as smooth and pretty as Samurai Warriors 4-II is, it is still obvious corners had to be cut, and ironically enough, those cuts hit the Story mode the hardest. Where the obviously higher-end crossover projects are full of fun cutscenes and visual ambition, most of Samurai Warriors 4-II’s exposition is still dudes standing around talking to each other, barely animated. Reading a bunch of stuffy dialogue while what are essentially 3D character portraits just doesn’t help sell the narrative this game wants to present itself with. Animated scenes do exist of course, but are not remarkable enough to make up for the underwhelming in-between.

As little as Samurai Warriors 4-II does to justify itself as a game that ostensibly exists in unison with the original Samurai Warriors 4, I must stress that if you have not played the latter, the former is absolutely the definitive game. In either form, from a play perspective Samurai Warriors 4 is incredible. The variety of characters is impressive and palpable, and the Hyper Attacks add a whole new layer to the arcade-style combat and a whole ton of numbers to the K.O. count. A renewed emphasis on army morale adds further nuance, especially as having a hyped-up group of enemies can quickly turn a situation sour. 

There is still some annoying back and forth in order to protect lame A.I. companions, and the time limits for simultaneous objectives can feel unfair, but these games are the pinnacle of the core, Asian history-focused Warriors experience. If you’re unsure about the genre or looking for a more digestible starting point, I would probably point you towards the aforementioned Hyrule Warriors or Dragon Quest Heroes, but for a more in-depth and hardcore Warriors experience, look no further than Samurai Warriors 4. Or 4-II. Either one, really. Just not both.

Hint: If you see a guy carrying a flag, do everything you can to take him out. When those guys are around, even normal grunts can put up a fight.

by Lucas White