Review — Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada
Spirit of Sanada puts a new spin on the Warriors formula and lets you relive the Senguko Jidai as a member of the Sanada clan.
Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada is a spin-off of Samurai Warriors 4, a game that is a spin-off of the Dynasty Warriors series, which is again a spin-off of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. The latter two focus on the part-historical, part-fantasy Chinese text Records of the Three Kingdoms, whereas Samurai Warriors focuses on the Sengoku period, a period in Japanese history known for its many political and military conflicts culminating in the creation of the Tokugawa shogunate.
The Warriors franchise isn’t the only one with a countless amount of spin-offs — no one will probably surpass the spin-off-master that is Square Enix — but it is certainly one which shows little progression or evolution in its core gameplay mechanics. Where a game like Final Fantasy gets reinvented with each new iteration, the Warriors series stays humbly loyal to its original hack-and-slash concept. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Both Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors have been somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine. No other game offers so much satisfaction in hacking up hundreds of soldiers within minutes, bosses with almost predictable attacks, and over-the-top visuals like a Warriors game.
Same old?
Fans of the series and regular players will know what to expect from this game. Large-scale battles populated by thousands of cannon-fodder troops and littered with dozens of enemy commanders to slice up. One could look at gameplay from a random iteration of the series and hardly tell the difference. With Spirit of Sanada, not much has changed in this regard. Mashing the square button still unleashes a combo of light attacks, intertwined with special attacks activated by the triangle button. The circle button activates the special “Musou” attacks, an almost unstoppable flurry of swings and stabs, usually resulting in dozens of dead polygons within microseconds. The battlegrounds are the same: large open areas alternated with barracks, connected by roads and gates. even visually, Spirit of Sanada doesn’t seem to provide an upgrade from its predecessor Samurai Warriors 4, released for PS3 (granted, Spirit of Sanada was also released for PS3).
But Spirit of Sanada does provide the players with a completely new concept. While the hack-and-slash elements are still present, the classic game menu that players typically had to navigate between battles has been done away with. Instead of choosing a character from among a roster of dozens and then proceeding to a menu from which the next battle is launched, players are put into the boots of one specific character: Masayuki Sanada. The player is then able to walk around a town, interacting with several NPCs like a blacksmith or a shopkeeper, or even fellow commanders you’ll meet in battle. The story is progressed by talking to certain characters before moving on to the actual battles. This is a great concept, as the player gains more insight into the story of the game’s enormous cast, most specifically Masayuki Sanada himself.
Strategic mastery
While the combat mechanics haven’t changed at all, the battles themselves have been altered significantly. A new addition are the long-term battles, which play out like regular battles for the most time, but are spread out over multiple phases, adding a day-and-night cycle. How the second or third part of a battle plays out depends on how well the previous part went. Another new concept are the “Sanada Coins”. These coins are acquired by either talking to people or fulfilling certain other requirements. The coins can then be used during the long-term battles to activate “Next Moves”. These events, that pop up at certain times during a battle, can really turn the tide and seriously improve your chances of victory. Completing secondary objectives during the battle allow the player to leverage certain advantages. For example, rescuing an allied officer in danger will ensure his aid in the next stage of the battle. Failing to do so may result in losing strategic points on a map. In short: Spirit of Sanada adds a much more strategic element to the battles, something the series was in desperate need of.
A colourful cast
One of the series’ strengths has always been the big roster of characters, ranging from famous historical figures to the lesser known commanders. Historical accuracy is not first on the list of Koei Tecmo, but that doesn’t take away any of the enjoyment of the game, on the contrary. Being able to play with a character that has the ability to summon fire out of thin air lends some spectacle and flair to it all. During battles you are often able to switch between a companion. This allows you to play with other characters than Masayuki, providing some diversification.
Another great addition — as mentioned before — is the ability to interact with other characters in the towns in between the battles. Masayuki Sanada is able to give these characters gifts, raising their affection for Masayuki. When someone likes you a lot, you are able to take them with you to go exploring or to assist you during battles. During these explorations you are able to gather ingredients needed for the creation of weapons or potion-like items, which you can in turn use during the battles. You can visit a fishing spot, tend to a garden, do some small sidequests,… These moments in-between provide some much needed diversity from the mostly linear battles and turn Spirit of Sanada into something unique and different from its predecessors. It helps the game to be more than an “OK” spin-off to a very enjoyable experience.
The verdict
Graphically, the game is no masterpiece. Frame drops are not uncommon, and the character animations are very stiff and jaggy. This is something to be expected from a game that runs on the engine of its predecessor. Luckily enough, it doesn’t really matter that much. This is a Warriors game after all — although I wouldn’t mind playing a smooth-running version sometime in the future. The story is actually a selling point this time around. By focusing on one character — Masayuki — it’s much easier to get invested in his story. those of you who are somewhat familiar with Japanese history will know how it ends for Masayuki. For those who don’t, well, there’s only one thing to do: play this game. Or read a Wikipedia page, but honestly, which of the two is more fun? I know the answer to that one.
Spirit of Sanada is indeed more of the same, but it also provides enough new elements that it can be considered one of the better Warriors games to date. Fans of the series will love this. For new players, this game is a perfect entry point. Graphics are not perfect, but a great story helps sell this game. Thanks to all the new aspects, Spirit of Sanada might actually steer the Warriors franchise into a new and much improved direction. On to the next one!
4/5
Reviewed for PlayStation 4
