The sight of
Lord Nobunaga Oda’s impressive army is enough to make any brave warrior consider
the possibility of defeat but in the name of the noble clans of Japan and peace,
war with the evil armies of this tyrant is necessary. You look across at your
sub-commanders, both men who have followed you willingly into battle repeatedly,
and with a war cry that even Heaven itself can hear you charge down the field
with your soldiers close behind you and the battle commences. This is the war
you’ll encounter in Samurai Warriors: State of War for the PSP … a war
that’s just excessively repetitive.
If the game
looks too familiar it’s because Samurai Warriors is Koei’s Dynasty
Warriors with Japanese characters (loosely based on real-life warriors of
that era) in place of Dynasty’s Chinese characters. With characters like
Nobunaga Oda and Hanzo Hattori, the war depicted in the game’s Story Mode pits
the Oda Army verses the Tokugawa Army, the Eastern Forces and the Western
Forces. Like Dynasty Warriors, you’ll pick from a short list of warriors
and take them through a campaign with their own personalized story until you
unlock more playable characters. Of course, each character has his or her own
specialty attack as well as weapon preference and the more battles you win the
more skills your characters will be able to upgrade.
The most
interesting part about State of War, though, is that the game introduces
a strategy phase that adds more variety to the gameplay. You start on a map
that’s made up of a grid of boxes and icons that represent everything from enemy
strongholds to main camps as well as environmental dangers. You essentially move
your character’s icon in any direction, keeping in mind that you only have a set
number of turns. Running into an enemy’s icon opens up the game’s familiar
battle phase – a phase that can also be triggered by stepping on the color-coded
enemy territory. You’ll also come across environmental hazards like thickets
that can hide enemy forces, low or high water that can block your path and enemy
gates.
Capturing as
much of the enemy territory is really the name of the game in the strategy phase
and helping you achieve this task, aside from winning battles in the game’s
battle phase, are Charms (scrolls that can be used to give you an advantage
during battles or on the strategy map). The Tactics Charms allows you to breach
closed gates, cause avalanches that harm enemies or stop them from attempting to
capture your territory as well as the ability to open or close floodgates. The
Battle Charms are effective in curing your wounds after a battle, causing damage
to your enemies before entering battle or give your men a morale boost. On the
map, you’ll find charms that will allow you to move forward a few extra spaces.
Then, of course,
we come the battles and if you’ve played a Dynasty Warriors game you’ll
know that battles pit you against scores of enemies that flood the screen.
You’ll have your own allies with you as well and depending on what two
sub-officers you pick to battle by your side you can really tear through the
enemies. As I mentioned above, the characters you pick have their own specialty
skills and weapons they can upgrade along the way. Yukimura Sanada, for example,
possesses a fire elemental attack and his weapon of choice is a spear while
Okuni uses the most unlikely of all weapons … an umbrella. Each character has a
normal attack as well as a Musou Gauge that, when filled, gives your hit combo
more power for a limited time.
These battles,
however, are quicker than the ones found in the console version and thus have
you attempting to defeat as many enemies as possible for a high grade (the
higher the grade the more skill points you earn to upgrade your character).
You’ll find the usual Samurai Warriors battle elements like mounts and
plenty of high-ranking enemy officers to dispatch. The problem is that the
battles begin to become a repetitive cycle with very little variation or unique
twist to set them apart. Sure, it’s great to see that the framerate does not
drop during these massive battles but the simple fact is that each battle just
mirrors the last battle you just fought.
While we’re
pointing out the negatives, State of War isn’t big on game modes. While
Story Mode has enough depth to keep you busy for awhile, Free Mode allows you to
take any character (including items, sub-officers and Charms you might have
gained) you happen to unlock and play them through one of the 22 maps. There is
also a Multiplayer Mode that can be played with up to four players using the Ad
Hoc connection. Unfortunately, the multiplayer isn’t deep nor is it fun to play
through.
Visually,
State of War is not a very pretty PSP game. Its flat environmental textures
and PSOne-quality character models really don’t make for a very attractive game.
It’s certainly an impressive feat to see all those warriors on screen at once
and the Musou attack and combos are neat, but the PSP could do better than this.
The game’s sound is also a weak point and anyone who has played a game in this
series knows the rocking guitar riffs are becoming worn-out. Since the dialogue
is purely text, the only real sounds you’ll hear from your characters are mostly
grunts. Even the sound effects are familiar territory for fans of the series.
Samurai
Warriors: State of War
for the PSP is really just a bite-sized version of the console
game and while it does not break any new ground in the gameplay department, it’s
a game worth investing in if you’re a huge fan of the series. If you’re
unfamiliar with the series, though, this game won’t make you a fan. Fans be
warned, though, aside from the repetitive battles, there aren’t many juicy
extras that will have you coming back for more.
|
Review Scoring Details for Samurai Warriors: State of War |
Gameplay: 7.0
The good news
is that the framerate doesn’t drop even a little with all the enemies and allies
on screen at once. The bad news is that the battles, no matter how fierce and
pleasing to the eye, become way too repetitive no matter what commanding
officers the enemy throws at you. The strategy phase of the game is a great
addition to the series, though.
Graphics: 6.5
Not as
visually stunning as the console version, State of War’s character models
are the weakest aspect of the game’s visuals. Even with some truly dazzling
visual effects and the ultra-cool sight of dozens of enemies getting knocked
around on the screen, the game still could have done a lot better in the
graphics department.
Sound: 5.0
The game’s
soundtrack is pure Dynasty Warriors – heavy guitar riffs that really
don’t scream feudal Japan. There’s no voice acting to be found but the sound
effects of battle will more than keep you company during the various battles.
Difficulty:
Medium
The game does
provide enough challenges when it comes to storming the enemy’s stronghold or
main camp. Like in any war, poor strategy can lead your troops and yourself to
certain defeat. Then again, the enemy AI isn’t very smart at times.
Concept: 7.0
A quick
bite-sized version of Samurai Warriors is great for the portable medium
but with very little in terms of game modes and a multiplayer mode that doesn’t
offer enough fun to be worth sharing, there’s very little to come back to when
you’re finished. The characters do add some extra bang and there’s plenty of
items and sub-officers to collect, though.
Multiplayer:
5.0
There’s a
multiplayer mode that can be played through an Ad-Hoc connection that supports
up to four players but the two multiplayer modes (Bandit and Vanguard) are short
modes with no substance. Bandit has wiping out your opponent to steal their gold
while Vanguard has gamers attempting to kill five captains as quickly as
possible.
Overall: 6.9
Samurai
Warriors: State of War
for the PSP might not be a major improvement but this is the game
to buy if you’re a fan of the series or missed the portable Dynasty Warriors
game. Then again, despite the intriguing strategy segments, its repetitive
battles and very limited game modes might not win over any new fans.
