Genre: Action
Systems: Xbox 360, PS3
Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei
Multiplayer: Yes (2 online, 2 offline)
Rating: Teen
Release Date: March 20, 2012
Editor's Note: This review is based off the Xbox 360 Version.
The Dynasty Warriors franchise has been around for quite a lengthy period of time at this point. With each new iteration, some fairly rudimentary improvements are made that, while very much appreciated, don't provide much in regards to strengthening the core experience that this series has built itself off of. Warriors Orochi 3, like previous titles in the Orochi saga, is an amalgamation of both the Dynasty Warriors games and the later-formed Samurai Warriors series, for better or worse. While the actual story itself is a surprising departure from previous entries of the Warriors franchise, the gameplay and mission-structure refuses to rise above its well-worn past, with very few surprises or attempts to redefine itself in any meaningful ways.
Warriors Orochi 3 begins promising enough, with a huge eight-headed Hydra viciously attacking mankind after a a long period of peace during the eras of the Three Kingdoms in China and Warring States in Japan. With this other-worldly demon looming over the people, threatening their overall decimation and demise, it's up to you to round up warriors across the land to topple this beast and retain the peace that once prospered.
The story is actually pretty interesting for the most part. As is the case with the Orochi-spin on the Dynasty and Samurai Warriors fiction, elements of fantasy are injected into the main narrative to a much larger degree than its aforementioned contemporaries. The huge Hydra that has invaded your world actually plays a part in the first battle you engage in, with demons replacing your usual opposing factions from other Warriors games. These fantastical elements are pushed to the nth degree when you begin recruiting characters from other time periods due to the mystical powers of a character named Princess Kaguya. You are even given the opportunity to save characters that have fallen in battle by going back in time and thwarting their preconceived fate.
All of these story elements took me aback at first, as this was a deviation from the Warriors games that I wasn't expecting, but always wanted. However, after partaking in the initial few battles that the game throws at you, it soon becomes apparent that the gameplay itself is exactly the same as it ever was. Sure, it still works on a fundamental level, but the A.I. behaves exactly how I remember it from Dynasty Warriors 4 almost 10 years ago, and the the same X-button, Y-button combos remain as simplistic as they ever were. Again, there is nothing explicitly wrong with having gameplay that is easy to learn and adapt to, but after a decade of sequels and spin-offs, you would hope that more significant strides towards becoming more engaging and interesting would have been made. Unfortunately, this just isn't the case with Warriors Orochi 3.
The only real difference between the Orochi games and the other Warriors games is that you can bring three people into battle and swap between them on the fly. It should also be mentioned that there are about 120 playable characters, so there are countless combinations of various setups available to you. There are also guest characters from other games, including Ryu Hayabusha from Ninja Gaiden, Ayane from Dead or Alive, Achilles, and many more from other Tecmo Koei titles. Again though, while you can utilize group Mosou moves with all three characters, this doesn't change the base gameplay at all. It certainly is a welcome addition and adds variety to a battle when you switch between your selected characters and chain together sizable combos, but in the end, the simplistic gameplay still rears its head straight into your enjoyment after awhile.
The previously-mentioned time traveling segments don't do anything to shake up the gameplay either. It honestly becomes somewhat grating after awhile, as going back to save someone from battle merely boils down to fighting in a different level to prevent something from happening that leads to a specific character's death, then going back to the same battle where the character died and playing the segment all over again, except with the character surviving this time. I should mention that these battles are optional, so the game doesn't force you to replay all these levels multiple times, but I feel as though there could have been a better way to handle these time traveling elements as opposed to just throwing the same level at the player and forcing them to slog through it again with the only difference being a cut-scene that shows the character surviving. These segments also lead to new playable characters in your party, so the game pretty much encourages you to partake in them, further amplifying the issue.
While this game is a step-up from previous Warriors games from a graphical perspective, there are still nagging issues that I wished were addressed. The frame rate occasional drops when the screen is filled with foes needing to be discarded, the draw-distance is lacking, and low-res textures are plentiful throughout the environments. The animations are also behind the curb as well, especially when you're atop a horse and riding into battle. I also wish the game pushed the other-worldly elements even further. The countless demons you murder throughout the game are simply re-skins of the soldiers from Dynasty and Samurai Warriors, except for a handful of generals that range from a giant boar-like creature to a fast armor-clad foe. More enemy types like these would have gone a long way in making the gameplay more interesting and fresh, as well as more variety in the environments. Most of the levels in this game are re-imaginings of battles that have been in prior Warriors games, except with a demon aesthetic that only really boils down to having lava thrown in some parts of the stage. This is especially painful when you reach the last few stages in this game, which look quite interesting and make you wish the rest of the battles looked as intriguing as these.
Interestingly enough, there is no English dub in Warriors Orochi 3. While the Japanese voice-acting was always leagues better than the English alternative, this can sometimes make it difficult to keep track of what's happening when you're engaged in battle. Trying to read what the characters are saying while there's an onslaught of a hundred enemy troops surrounding your position can prove tricky in some instances, which leads to missing some of the game's dialogue. However, this isn't a big issue in the long run, as the Japanese dub is always much superior in the Warriors games. The rather crazy rock music of this series' past remains as prevalent as ever, despite how seemingly out-of-place it feels in some instances. Nothing really stuck out to me in the soundtrack either, so take that as you will.
With everything said and done, there is a lot to this game. There are literally over a hundred characters to recruit, gear for each individual character, costumes to unlock, and countless hidden stages to discover in this game. However, all of this playability relies solely on your enjoyment of the gameplay itself, which, by the end of the story, I had my fill with. Again, more depth would have gone a long way in making the game more replay-able. Some might find enjoyment with changing up their three-character roster, which I admit, does add some diversity to the player experience. But I almost would have preferred Tecmo Koei to cut-down their character selection to about 20 or 30 and really flesh out these characters' move-sets and animations. I think this would have benefitted the gameplay to a much larger extent.
Warriors Orochi 3 is simply a decent action game. The gameplay is straightforward, the story is a silly romp, and the overall experience is easy to digest. However, I feel as though the game plays it too safe and thus, doesn't prove to be very a interesting product in the long run. I found it to be enjoyable and goofy fun on the onset, but not something that will retain my attention for an extended period of time.
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