A Successful Reboot?: "Samurai Warriors 5" Review

By Manuel

Player(s): 1-2
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, XBox One, PlayStation 4, PC (Steam)

It's been over seven years since the last mainline Samurai Warriors title, and rather than push out a new game with the standard addition of new scenarios, battles, and updated character designs, Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have went back to basics with a complete reboot of the series with "Samurai Warriors 5". What does a reboot for this series mean and did this gamble work out? Well, let's take a look and find out!

Nobunaga & Mitsuhide

A Powerful Warrior

(Note: This review is based on the Nintendo Switch version of the game and all screenshots are from the Switch's handheld mode.)

First off, let's talk about what this game is. For those unfamiliar with the "Warriors"/"Musou" series all you really need to know is that they're basically hack-and-slash games at heart with some light RPG elements for character growth. The series is well-known for sending wave after wave of enemies with you acting as a sort of one-man army mowing them all down in quick succession. There's more to it than that, but the series can be a bit divisive due simply to the gameplay so that should be mentioned first. "Samurai Warriors 5" does a LOT to shake up this formula, and we'll touch on that later, but it doesn't reboot its basic premise along with everything else. Now, let's talk dive into some specifics.

A Pre-Battle Scene

The "Honno-ji Incident"

"Samurai Warriors 5" can almost be seen as a remake to the first game in the series as both of them focus on the part of the Sengoku Era that prominently featured Oda Nobunaga as a central protagonist (or antagonist depending on how you view him) and end more or less around the same place, the "Honno-ji Incident". That said the original game still featured a lot of different storylines and some characters that might seem like they leaped out of an anime about the Sengoku Era, rather than a history book about it.

​Breaking from tradition, "Samurai Warriors 5" decides to solely focus on the story of Oda Nobunaga, the warlord who started Japan on the path that would eventually lead to unification, and Mitsuhide Akechi, his chief retainer who would ultimately betray him. There are some side stories here and there but it mainly sticks to this story and tells it in-depth. Also, while not totally historically accurate, the game's story doesn't deviate too far from actual historical accounts (or at least stick to a "version" of them) and some of the more fantastical elements ("wacky" weapons and the over-the-top silly characters) are largely absent this time around. It may sound odd to say that the game takes itself more seriously this time around, but that's what it feels like most of the time.

Sena, A New Character

Mitsuki Is Reminiscent of Kunoichi

We've talked a bit about the game's focus on the Oda-Akechi storyline and it needs to be said now that this game features a very different roster than "Samurai Warriors 4" or just about any other game in the series before. As of right now (prior to any DLC to be released) there are 37 playable characters, two of which have "young" and "mature" versions. There are 21 returning characters though most of them are extremely different than their previous counterparts. Nobunaga's wife, No, is a much more developed, sympathetic character for example and not the mysterious, bloodthirsty assassin seen in previous titles. Nobunaga himself is a determined warlord who has paid his dues and has to make hard decisions to see his way through life, and not a possibly demon-possessed madman as he was often portrayed before. There are more that can be mentioned but you get the point.

​Also, many of the 16 new characters aren't exactly "full" characters as they can't be played in the story mode and don't have a full moveset. What can be said about the roster is who was left out this time around. Fan favorites like Masamune Date, Ranmaru Mori, and most interestingly, Yukimura Sanada (who is often considered the "main" character of the series) are all left out. That said, at no time did the roster feel lacking, but it was odd waiting for some of these characters to pop up only to find that they didn't.

Seriously, Look At This

Oichi Looking Good

The new character designs have already been mentioned but just how they are different wasn't fully discussed. Going along with the lean towards realism in this title, everything has the look and feel of a traditional Japanese painting. This art style permeates the entire game and extends even into the UI and the menus as well. There are some really impressive moments and this choice, which could've easily been handled badly, really makes this a unique entry into a series that is often criticized for not bringing in anything new.

Moving briefly into graphics and performance it should be stated that this review was played under what are probably the least ideal settings, a Nintendo Switch in handheld mode, but everything looked crisp and the framerate and gameplay rarely took anything near a noticeable dip. Basically this game looks and runs great and you don't need to worry about which version you pick up.

This Is Sorta Correct

No's Character Is Great

Like the rest of the presentation, the music of "Samurai Warriors 5" has a good mix of familiar and new. There are a few returning tracks and music cues that were refreshing to hear, but a lot of the music has been changed up to fit the art style. Instrumental rock and metal are still present, but there's a lot less synth than there was before. Whereas other games in the series had tracks that were practically entirely electronic, this game keeps it more "real" and simple. It has been said that there is more of an effort to add in traditional Japanese music elements into the mix but it doesn't feel any more or less than other titles in the series on that front. Much like the art style, the music takes a simple approach that doesn't stand out, but also doesn't detract.

While on the topic of sound it should be mentioned that like a lot of recent Musou/Warriors titles, there is only a Japanese voice option. It can be argued that a dubbed voice track might seem out of place in this setting, but that's something you'll have to judge for yourself. With this is mind all the voice acting is on point, but there is one notable area where the lack of an English dub hurts the game. Getting unique dialogue and orders during battles is made more difficult as you have to refer to subtitles during fast-paced gameplay, and can't just listen to them. (Unless you know Japanese of course.) Not a deal-breaker, but a minor annoyance at several points. Speaking of minor annoyances, I tried tweaking the sound settings in all sorts of ways, but the music always seemed far too low compared to everything else going on. There's definitely something wrong with the sound mix in this game, but I couldn't get it sorted.

Ahhhhh, Citadel Mode...

A Character's Skill Chart

Now as the series' name implies this is a hack and slash game that relies on "musou" attacks that act as a sort of potentially screen-clearing special move. "Samurai Warriors 5" includes these attacks and also adds Hyper Moves, which allow you to attack while covering ground, and Ultimate Moves, which are powerful attacks that have a cooldown bar and are great for extending combos. These help with the game's combo system and keep you from simply button mashing. As a matter of fact you'll encounter some enemies that need to be taken out by some of the aforementioned new moves, and they'll stop you in your tracks if you're simply mashing the attack button.

Combat is rarely boring and there's a surprising amount of depth to this system which in turn will get you wanting to clear each battle with an "S" ranking. Speaking of combat, this game borrows a bit from the "Dynasty Warriors" series with its weapon system. Each character has a weapon that they specialize in, but they all can actually equip any weapon as long as they have the right skill level for it. This means things like Oda Nobunaga with a bow and Oichi with a katana are totally possible, if not the most ideal of combinations.

When it comes to gameplay modes this game suffers a little as it only offers the Story Mode (Read: Musou) and the Citadel. The former is where you play through the game's story and unlock characters and other gameplay elements that can be used to replay story mode battles, or for the Citadel. The Citadel is this game's "Free Mode" and it's here where you can pick any combination of characters and play through a short, somewhat randomized battle. The Citadel can be used to beef up a character who is rarely used in the Story Mode, or just to have fun, but it's a very shallow experience and requires a lot of advancement in the story to get to the really fulfilling content. This leads to a rough cycle where you want to level up a character so that you can use them in Story Mode when they come up, but you're forced to play the same short battle over and over because you need to advance the story really far to unlock more battles within The Citadel.

​There's definitely an imbalance here and the Citadel feels more of an afterthought than anything else. If it weren't for the very deep Story Mode this would be a serious fault. As it stands it just feels like a part of the game that isn't really complete. Perhaps DLC or an "Xtreme Legends" update will fix this mode, but that will have to wait.

Yoshimoto Imagawa's Last Stand

Seriously, No's Story Is So Tragic

So, let's talk story. This game has the best story mode of any of the Warriors games so far in my opinion and narrowing the focus and scope of that story really helped. "Samurai Warriors 5" is very deep and keeps a good balance of maintaining an easy-to-follow, steady narrative while also giving you a lot of side content to enjoy and experience parts of the story from another angle. The reduced roster, which could've been a detriment, feels right here as every character is given a lot more time to grow and characters that had weak arcs before, like Yoshimoto Imagawa and No, really shine here.

Speaking of those two particularly, I've never thought the former was much of a threat due to his foppish characterization before, but here Yoshimoto Imagawa is a real threat and cuts an imposing figure. No, on the other hand, has a surprisingly tragic arc with some surprises, and their exit serves as the perfect impetus to get Nobunaga to the points his character has to hit by the mid-point of his story where he's becoming more cold and calculating.

Speaking of Nobunaga, focusing on him and Mitsuhide was a definite plus as we really get to know these two and get inside their heads. Nobunaga is just as deadly and intense as ever, but now we know why his mission to unite Japan got slightly corrupted as time goes on. Mitsuhide still betrays him of course but, you guessed it, now we get a better look into what brought him to this difficult decision. This relationship leans more on the side of drama than on historical accuracy, but there's little that one can complain about with a story told this well.

Holding Off The Musou Haters

Watching The World Burn...

Overall, this game is definitely worth the price of admission, all the more if you're a fan of other "Samurai Warrior" games. If you've new to Musou/Warriors titles, or the "Samurai Warriors" series in general, this is the perfect place to start and you'll get a good overview of what you can generally expect from other titles in the series.

With the latest "Dynasty Warriors" title ("Dynasty Warriors 9") changing up its gameplay by adding in open world elements, "Samurai Warriors" had to do something different too, and they definitely succeeded with this compete reboot to the franchise. While I'll definitely be waiting for the inevitable "Xtreme Legends" version to hopefully flesh out the non-story parts, I'll still happily pour hours into this game and you won't be disappointed if you do so too!

For more information on "Samurai Warriors 5":
https://www.koeitecmoamerica.com/sw5/

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Story: A
Gameplay: B-
Graphics: A-
Sound: B
Value: B-

OVERALL: B

Pros:
+ Amazing art style
+ Story Mode is near perfect and has some twists and turns that will leave you speechless.
+ Most of the character and story changes are for the better.
+ Really changes up the standard Musou formula.
+ A good place for a newcomer to jump into the series.

Cons:
- Citadel Mode feels like it's either unfinished, rushed, or both.
- The audio mixing seems off most of the time with music far too low.
- The reduced roster means that there's a good chance that your favorite character isn't playable this time around.
- Because Citadel Mode is so shallow using new characters in Story Mode is sometimes not ideal.

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