SAMURAI WARRIORS 5

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 469 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 Game Cover
Samurai Warriors 5 is a beautiful looking hack-and-slash game with a great story loosely based on historical events and characters. Add in a crazy amount of customisation and replayability this is a must-play title!
Starting at $40Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Xbox Games Store

Samurai Warriors 5 takes players back in time to the Sengoku era, featuring new visuals and gameplay mechanics. The game includes 27 playable samurai warriors, with a focus on historical figures Nobunaga Oda and Mitsuhide Akechi. Experience large-scale battles, forge alliances, and build your legend across multiple game modes.

Play Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 469 reviews
story69 positive mentions
grinding24 negative mentions
  • The game features a fresh art style that enhances the visual experience, making it visually appealing.
  • The combat mechanics are fluid and engaging, allowing players to enjoy the hack-and-slash gameplay.
  • The story focuses on Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, providing a more in-depth narrative that is well-received by players.
  • The character roster is significantly reduced, leading to many characters sharing similar movesets, which can feel repetitive.
  • The game lacks an English dub, making it difficult for some players to follow the story during intense gameplay.
  • Citadel mode is seen as grindy and less enjoyable compared to previous game modes, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story334 mentions

    The story of "Samurai Warriors 5" focuses primarily on the rise and fall of Oda Nobunaga and Akechi Mitsuhide, offering a more in-depth narrative than previous entries in the series. While some players appreciate the character development and emotional depth, others criticize the limited scope, repetitive missions, and lack of historical accuracy, leading to a mixed reception regarding its overall execution. Despite its flaws, many fans find the storytelling engaging and commend the game's artistic presentation, making it a notable entry in the franchise.

    • “I do really appreciate the new ways Koei have tried to tell the story of Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, and I definitely recognize the care in designing a more coherent, more full story experience from start to finish.”
    • “The story focuses more on the early days of the two main characters, exploring how they gain power and become who they are, their relationships with other characters, and their own reasons to fight.”
    • “By following events almost exclusively from the perspectives of Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, the story is able to develop a real emotional core, making the triumphs, tragedies, and compromises these men experience hit all the harder.”
    • “The story is not well written; if it wants its selling point to be that it's telling a detailed story about Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, then it failed utterly.”
    • “The story harps on the idea that Nobunaga is ending the chaos, and then he dies, and the story just ends, despite it being clear to everyone that there is still chaos, because even the most cursory knowledge of the period knows that there's a lot more conflict in the future.”
    • “The storytelling feels disjointed and fails to engage players in any meaningful way.”
  • graphics124 mentions

    The graphics of Samurai Warriors 5 have received mixed reviews, with many praising the new cel-shaded art style and character designs as visually appealing and unique. While some players appreciate the vibrant aesthetics and fluid animations, others criticize the gameplay mechanics and technical issues, suggesting that the graphics alone do not compensate for perceived shortcomings in content and gameplay depth. Overall, the art style is seen as a significant improvement, though opinions vary on its execution and impact on the overall experience.

    • “The graphics are absolutely incredible, still kept a little touch from the classics.”
    • “The art style is amazing!”
    • “Visually it is stunning, the art style suits the world and the way it is portrayed.”
    • “New graphics but old boring gameplay; they ported the game to PC but kept the ratio on console (16:9 when my screen is 32:9). What a lazy company.”
    • “Graphically, Samurai Warriors 5 is a mixed bag.”
    • “The art style is a failed attempt at replicating a Japanese painting style that has excessively thick outlines on things, but looks horribly jarring in 3D.”
  • gameplay121 mentions

    The gameplay of Samurai Warriors 5 has received mixed reviews, with many praising its smooth combat mechanics and the introduction of unique weapon styles that enhance the experience. However, some players criticize the repetitive nature of the gameplay and the reliance on events, leading to a lack of innovation compared to previous titles in the series. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable hack-and-slash action, it struggles with depth and variety, leaving some fans wanting more.

    • “On one hand, the game has some of the best flow and combat in the series, a new art style that works, and all-around good features and mechanics.”
    • “The combat mechanics are a beautiful mix between the original Samurai Warriors series and Pirate Warriors 4.”
    • “Gameplay is fun, enjoying the story and much more to explore.”
    • “But speaking of the gameplay, one of the real problems is that everything is reliant on events.”
    • “The combat mechanics, which should be the heart of any warriors game, feel outdated and uninspired.”
    • “It's a fun game if played in short amounts, but the repetitive gameplay and lack of endgame content really hurts the game's quality.”
  • music44 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its blend of traditional Japanese instruments and modern genres like rock, creating an atmospheric experience. However, others find the soundtrack forgettable or underwhelming, noting that many tracks are remixes from previous entries. Overall, while the music is appreciated for its fitting style and nostalgic elements, it lacks the memorable impact of earlier soundtracks in the series.

    • “While that alone may be enough to seal the deal and make a good game, what makes this game exceptional in my eyes is the soundtrack.”
    • “The music is arguably the best part about the game.”
    • “Music is the typical musou fusion of butt rock and traditional instruments, but it’s for the most part unobtrusive and fits the atmosphere.”
    • “The soundtrack in this game feels forgettable. I personally don't think they should've done a reboot for the 5th entry, and having played through the story mode fully, it's not historically accurate at all. I'm not sure what the point of this entry was.”
    • “Some of the soundtracks in the past have been a bit of a mixed bag, in the sense that there were tons of great tracks, but there were also quite a lot of uninteresting ones.”
    • “Honnō-ji's music is really underwhelming, and so is the death of Nobunaga due to the song playing in the background.”
  • character development27 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and evolution, particularly in the narratives of key characters like Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, though some players feel it can be rushed. The character designs are a significant highlight, with many appreciating the fresh artistic direction, while others express disappointment over certain redesigns and a perceived lack of variety among some characters. Overall, the combination of engaging stories and visually appealing character designs contributes positively to the game's character development aspect.

    • “The stories are amazing with great character development in it.”
    • “As mentioned above, there's also more character development all across the board.”
    • “Evolution becomes a big (though not big enough) part of the story, and as a lover of stories and narratives, I really appreciated the character development Nobunaga and Mitsuhide go through, even if it feels rushed at times.”
    • “Other character designs like Oichi, Tadakatsu Honda, and Nagamasa Azai stand out to me because of the change from their more mature appearances to relatively 'young and hip' attitudes they've donned this time around, which I wasn't a huge fan of.”
    • “I am attached to the previous models and wish there were some kind of option to include the older character designs.”
  • grinding25 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback; while some players find it manageable and even enjoyable, particularly those who appreciate roguelites, others criticize it as tedious and repetitive, especially in the citadel mode. Many reviews highlight that significant grinding is necessary to unlock character events and achieve 100% completion, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, players who dislike grinding may want to reconsider, while those who embrace it might find satisfaction in the game's depth.

    • “It's not too grindy when compared to other games, and it prevents you from becoming overpowered against enemy officers by limiting your progression in story mode.”
    • “The grinding feels rewarding, as each level up brings a noticeable improvement to my character's abilities.”
    • “I appreciate how the grind is balanced; it encourages exploration and strategy without feeling tedious.”
    • “The main drawback for me is citadel mode and its bond unlockables; it is less than I expected and the grinding is pretty boring.”
    • “You will be grinding a lot if you want to see everything the game has to offer, and that grind never gets more interesting than spamming the X button until your fingers bleed.”
    • “My main complaint is the side mode, citadel mode, feeling very grindy, boring, and repetitive with you completing these basically identical 5-minute or less battles over and over again.”
  • replayability19 mentions

    Overall, the replayability of the game is heavily criticized, with many players noting a lack of depth and unique content compared to older titles. While some enjoy the fun stages and grinding aspects, the reliance on cloned movesets and forced objectives detracts from the overall experience, leading to a perception of diminished value for the price. Ultimately, players feel that the game fails to provide sufficient incentive for repeated playthroughs.

    • “The overall stages are also really fun to play, and have much more replay value with the objectives or ranks.”
    • “Visuals are great, combat is smooth and there's lots of replay value.”
    • “Hours and hours of replayability.”
    • “In Samurai Warriors 5, these elements feel watered down and insignificant, robbing the game of depth and replay value.”
    • “The only good thing is the skill system which is basically just stolen from Final Fantasy X, but its more shared skill trees with every character in the game which makes the replay value diminish.”
    • “No replayability and no updates or DLC since launch.”
  • optimization11 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game is generally well-received, with users noting smooth performance and comfort in average FPS, especially when compared to other titles like Dynasty Warriors 9 and Age of Calamity. While some players express frustration with certain gameplay elements, the game is praised for its artistic style and performance-friendly design on PC.

    • “Compared to Dynasty Warriors 9 with all of its performance issues, Samurai Warriors 5 proves to be extremely better, since the average FPS is comforting.”
    • “It's very well optimized for the PC, great artistic style.”
    • “Game runs smoothly, very well optimized.”
    • “Seems terribly poorly optimized... why can't I play co-op for the first time, do the story mode on co-op?”
    • “I'm not as big on Age of Calamity due to the horrid performance.”
    • “Each character does have their own skill tree, but these mostly break down to a few underwhelming stat buffs that are unlikely to make much difference in your performance.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its focus on the perspectives of Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, which deepens the impact of their experiences. While many players appreciate the emotional moments in the story, some criticize the historical liberties taken, particularly regarding character deaths, which can undermine the intended emotional weight. Additionally, there are mixed feelings about the musical choices during key emotional scenes, suggesting that the overall emotional resonance may vary among players.

    • “By following events almost exclusively from the perspectives of Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, the story is able to develop a real emotional core, making the triumphs, tragedies, and compromises these men experience hit all the harder.”
    • “I really enjoyed the story; it had some great emotional moments.”
    • “Took a chance on a musou game after probably not touching one in over 10 years due to the reviews talking so highly about this one, and I gotta say I don't regret it a bit.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its entertaining story and well-executed cut scenes, particularly the comedic reimagining of historical figures like Tokugawa Ieyasu and Nobunaga. Players appreciate the amusing lip-syncing that adds to the comedic effect, alongside the satisfying and humorous chaos of combat.

    • “The story was entertaining and funny, with a few well-done cut scenes, and the fighting is just pure ASMR as you improve your ability to send waves of bodies flying.”
    • “How they re-imagined the young Tokugawa Ieyasu is just hilarious!”
    • “I can tell how important a scene is based on how well it is lip-synced, which I found funny.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highlighted by a masterfully designed soundtrack that, while not universally praised, effectively enhances the storytelling set in the enigmatic Sengoku era. The music blends traditional instruments with modern rock elements, creating an unobtrusive backdrop that complements the overall experience.

    • “I can't claim that the soundtrack is indisputably good—look hard enough and there will be detractors, and to each their own—but if you ask me, it's truly a gift, a masterpiece of atmospheric design.”
    • “Speaking of atmosphere, the story beats were enough to keep me invested in the story, in this new rendition of the oft-mysterious Sengoku era.”
    • “Music is the typical musou fusion of butt rock and traditional instruments, but it’s for the most part unobtrusive and fits the atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion I expected from a game set in such a rich historical period.”
    • “Despite the setting, the world feels lifeless and devoid of any real tension or excitement, making it hard to stay engaged.”
    • “The visuals are underwhelming, and the overall ambiance fails to capture the essence of the era, leaving me feeling disconnected from the experience.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, users report a high level of stability, noting very few to no bugs or glitches encountered during gameplay.

    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
    • “I encountered several bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
    • “The stability issues are frustrating; I often find myself having to restart the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

Buy SAMURAI WARRIORS 5

Play time

13hMedian play time
15hAverage play time
6-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games