Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: KOEI TECMO
Platforms: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, PC
Tested on: PS4
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend – Review
There are a lot of games that are based on novels or manga’s. For instance, the new Naruto title has just been released or one other example is the One Piece fighting franchise. KOEI TECMO took a different route and took the popular story of Arslan. The developers did their best to keep the authenticity from the anime, in combination with enormous battles. If you’re a fan of the ‘Dynasty Warriors’-franchise or you’re mesmerized by the story of Arslan, then read on.
Story
We’re sucked into another world, where there are several countries with each their particular habits and beliefs. Arslan, the Crown Prince of the country ‘Pars’, is training each day to become the next Shah. His father, King Andragoras III, seems like a rather harsh ruler as he only is interested in the old folklore of the country and every blink of change is finished off. This strict reign has its downsides as well. Dayrun, the nephew of the commander-in-chief Lord Vahriz, has its own quarrel with the King and it seems that he isn’t the only one with problems.
Even more, there is something stirring in the neighbouring country Lusitania. Lusitanians have the belief that every man is alike, which goes into the habits of Pars’. The latter has gotten slaves or ‘Golams’, which makes them inferior to others. With some inside help, the Lusitanian army can invade Pars and it seems that everything is lost. Thank goodness that Dayrun saves Arslan from the clutches of the enemy. Together, they try to find new allies to get head-on with the Lusitanians whilst unraveling the underlying reasons of the attack.
Overall, the story of the manga can be found in this game as well. If you’re looking for a shorter version, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Graphics
If you’ve watched the anime series, you definitely recognise the art style this game has to offer. When you’re watching the cutscenes, you almost forget you are playing a game as the graphics are stunning. You’re sucked into this beautiful setting, which feels like you’re watching the anime. The different scenes aren’t fluent, which is intended, but it fits the game whatsoever.
When you’re getting close to battle, you can see the art of the graphics changing. The outlines of characters and the environment become more harsh and less detailed and accurate. This change isn’t bad at all, as you have a visual cue that not winter but battle is coming (pun intended) and making the transition less obvious.
There are also hand-drawn imagery, especially when you take a look at the skill cards. Your characters have different outfits as well, which can be seen during your campaign and can be changed outside the story. Combined with an authentic menu, you’re being spoiled.
Sound
The music is quite subtle, as you’ll mostly be focussing on the battle and the voices of your commanders. During the several cutscenes, there isn’t that much background music as well. Don’t worry though as your army, weaponry and shouting is enough to sweep you of your feet.
Each cutscene has full voiceovers and during fights, your commanders will communicate through your controller. This is a fun aspect as well, although it is hard to understand what they’re saying at times as it is in Japanese and the English subtitles are on your screen. These translations are sometimes interrupted by progress cutscenes, which means you might miss out of some information.
Gameplay
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is a mash-up of visual novel with fighting battles like the ‘Dynasty Warrior’ franchise. When you’re not watching the cutscenes, you’re on the field fighting your enemies. If you’re not a fan of a lot of vids in between, you’ll probably going to skip a lot. Nonetheless, you’ll be in quite some battles as well.
Starting the story mode you’ll get a lot of tutorials, explaining every button and combinations together with several other tricks and tips. First of all, you can fight while on a horse or as an infantry. Each way of smashing has its own particular moves and riding into enemies will have its effect. Attacking is done by pressing the square button and combining it with the triangle can trigger the possibility to switch weapons during your combo. This is a ‘Charged Shift’ as these combined moves are a lot stronger than the usual button bashing. If you’re looking for a finisher, you can use the attack on that is attached to the circle. You will have to watch out though, as this special move needs to be earned.
Each battlefield has its own particular goals that need to be fulfilled before you can progress. This means that you will need to keep track of what you will need to do, otherwise it is game over and you need to start over once again.
The battlefield is filled with treasure chests, containing several items like health and money while slaying enemies will reward you with experience and several goodies as well like Marial art books and Skill Cards. These books are used to change the combo possibilities and the cards serve a different purpose as these are used to enhance yourself and raise the odds during battle. For instance, you can increase several stats thanks to each card. There is a catch though, as you can only equip three cards and there is a maximum of points you can use. For instance, at the start of the game, you can’t equip three S-ranked cards as the maximum of points will be exceeded.
As you’re taking arms against a strong army, they tend to have loads of traps and blockages. You cannot take these down yourself, that is why you can start a Mardān Rush. These special hotspots only occur on the field when necessary and after a specific chain of events. Triggering this rush is quite cool, as you rouse a lot of your soldiers and start charging. With your group, you will need to get to a “Finish Area” or the blockage for instance. There is a catch as there is only a limited time that you can use your forces. This gauge can be filled again by slaying enemies and obtaining chains, making it easier to get to your goal. The usage of Mardān Rush is quite new to the genre and is really refreshing. It is so much fun to start charging and see what you can accomplish with your army.
Next to story mode, you can also replay scenario’s in free mode or start an online session. If you’re not that keen on getting into a game with strangers, you can start a local co-op game and smash enemies together. If this isn’t enough, you can always check the encyclopaedia where you can find more information about the several characters and the past events. This is quite extensive and you can even take a look at previous cutscenes. The tutorial lessons are grouped here as well, so if you ever get lost, you know where to go.
Conclusion
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend might have lots of elements from the ‘Dynasty Warrior’ franchise, there are also some extra additions. The Mardān Rush is one of them, next to the usage of skill cards. The fun gameplay is altered with beautiful cutscenes and full voiceovers. If you liked the anime series and your into hack and slash fighting games, you’ll definitely will like this title.
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend - Review,
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