Publisher: KOEI
Developer: Omega Force
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

If we could choose our crossovers, we’d take the best elements from two popular franchises and blend them together to create the ultimate gaming experience. That’s what Omega Force and Koei have attempted to do with Warriors Orochi, an amalgam of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises. But what must have sounded like a good idea on parchment burns with a flame that’s all too familiar.

Let’s face facts first: there have been multiple Dynasty Warriors sequels or spin-offs during every console lifecycle almost since the inception of the original Playstation. This juggernaut of market saturation has spanned virtually every platform except the Mac, with each successive iteration offering more characters, different scenarios to play through and increases in onscreen action. Warriors Orochi acts as sort of a compendium for the Dynasty series, garnished with elements from Samurai Warriors. When combined, they make for an interesting, albeit confusing, assembly of gaming’s most hectic historical hack-and-slash ventures.

The story goes that the serpent demon Orochi (a.k.a. the eight-forked serpent) has come down from the heavens for an unexpected visit, bringing mass chaos to a world inhabited by some of the bravest and strongest warriors from both the Sengoku period of Japan and the Three Kingdoms era of China. Although the overwhelming might of Orochi and his army causes many to lose their lives during the initial attack, a few remain who will resist until the demon is quelled and cast from this world forever.

Warriors Orochi allows the player to go through the story portion of the game via four different arcs: Wu, Shu, Wei and Samurai Warriors. Three of the aforementioned factions have suffered great loss at the hands of Orochi, giving the demon an opportunity to form alliances with some of the weaker clans through threats or false promises. The leader of the Wu clan has been forced into battling for Orochi under duress, yet a splinter faction still plans to mount an attack against the serpent demon. Likewise, the Wei are allied with Orochi, unaware he wishes to ultimately control the clan himself. The bulk of the Shu army was utterly decimated, scattering officers across the land and leaving what was left in disarray. Only the Samurai Warriors remain outside the conflict, and their leader, Nobunaga Oda, has already started putting together a counterattack.