I love the Dynasty Warriors series and all of its crossovers and spin-offs. Since the days of the PlayStation 2, I’ve been an avid fan of the series. I only found a new, stronger love for the games on the Switch, which allow the games to go with you wherever you want to play. Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is the latest Switch port from the Warriors series, and fires on all cylinders for longtime fans and newcomers looking for a good hack-n-slash action game.

Characters from the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series come together once more in Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate. As the characters from the Three Kingdoms and Sengoku periods return from the multi-dimensional battles of Warriors Orochi 3, they find themselves entangled with a new foe: Zeus. Eventually, the Gods and the Warriors characters are entangled in battles between the heavens and the underworld, with the King of the Underworld pulling the strings of evil.

The story, truth be told, is never what gets people to play games like Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate. Most of us, if not all of us, are in it for the gameplay and fun characters. Still, Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate does a good job of intertwining three major sources of myth and storytelling into one coherent narrative. The story isn’t why you come to play Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate, but it’s not a reason to leave either. It simply exists as a means to pull you from one battle to the next.

The Warriors games are hack-n-slash games at their core. New elements in Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate include magic and Sacred Treasures, both of which help to overcome bosses and large waves of enemies. A special power-up called The Awakening is also returning from Dynasty Warriors 8. This power can be applied to one member of your three fighter team, and used to trigger a Rage attack which pulls in elements of Greek and Norse mythology into a powerful attack.

Returning again are the basic and powered attack options, plus jumps and auto-sprinting in between camps. Something the Warriors series always lacks is a multiplayer mode for online gameplay. This time, a 3v3 multiplayer arena makes for some really fun showdowns with friends. Plus, split-screen co-op, a staple of the series, is back for running through the series with a friend.

I think people like me who absolutely adore the Warriors games are going to pick this up. What about those who might not know much about the series, or have very little exposure? Well, I think you have to ask yourself three questions if this is a question for you:

• Do I like button mashing and hack-n-slash games?
• Do I like playing different characters and building a party?
• Do I mind waves and waves of enemies, like in Horde game modes?

If any of those questions seem like a maybe or no, understand this: Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is a three-fighter party-based button-masher with waves and waves of opponents. If any of those sound absolutely terrible, you won’t like the game. Yet if you like the series, or those three elements sound fun to you, Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate does them all incredibly well. Plus, the Switch offers portability, and Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is perfect for short game bursts.

I think Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate really exemplifies the best elements of the Dynasty Warriors games. Fans and newcomers alike can find a lot to enjoy, and all levels offer tons of replayability. Multiplayer modes spread the reach of the game as well, and it looks fantastic on the Switch in handheld and TV mode. For these reasons, I’m sending the highest of recommendations to Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate was provided by Koei Tecmo America for the purposes of this review.

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Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate

$59.99 USD

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Great entry in the Warriors series
• Wonderful gameplay and new features to the fighting
• Pretty solid story
• Fun 3v3 multiplayer

Cons

• These games are repetitive, and that's a negative if you don't like button mashing