Samurai Warriors 4: Empires
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Critic Reviews for Samurai Warriors 4: Empires
In the end, Samurai Warriors 4 Empires is basically the same as Samurai Warriors 4-II, but with a heavy emphasis on pre-combat strategy and no interesting storylines for the characters. Fans of the series will appreciate the variation on gameplay, but there's nothing to draw new players to the franchise.
After releasing the fantastic Samurai Warriors 4, things slowly started to go downhill for Koei’s flagship franchise. Instead of continuing to innovate, it felt as though developer Omega Force decided to take a breather, letting its guard down as stagnation began to set in. This is definitely the return to form fans were no doubt hoping for.
It may not be a big change on a fundamental level, but Samurai Warriors 4: Empires does enough differently to warrant fans to come back for another round of hack ‘n’ slash fun.
Samurai Warriors 4 Empires breathes life into a tried and tested formula, helping even the most hardcore Musou fans find something refreshing to experience.
Samurai Warriors 4: Empires is a decent Musou game that is distracted by the Empires lure. It makes up for it with tons of options, even when the tutorial doesn’t really show them off. For the Warriors fans that are looking for hack ‘n slash with small RPG elements involved, I’d say go for standard Samurai Warriors 4. It is a much more condensed game that is a lot of fun to play. People looking for more strategy in their Musou games can find it here, but keep in mind, many of the strategy elements can come across pointless after a while.
With a larger focus on strategy and a handful of smaller new features, Samurai Warriors 4 Empires will certainly appeal to veteran fans of the series but it simply just hasn’t evolved enough to ensnare wayward players or newcomers to its overly well-worn brand of tactical combat.
Samurai Warriors 4: Empires is fun, but scattered. It's a decent diversion but it's complexity and lack of transparency will keep you from being hooked.
Samurai Warriors 4: Empires is another solid spin-off, but veteran fans may feel a little let down by some of its streamlined gameplay. However, its dynamic nature is usually enough to make up for its lack of depth. Watching your clan grow and your allies form various bonds with one another is an addictive way to spend a few hours, and Samurai Warriors' great combat system is always standing by for when you're ready to crack some skulls. This latest entry isn't quite an unstoppable empire, but it's definitely a force capable of planting its flag firmly on your free time.
