WARRIORS ALL-STARS
- August 29, 2017
- KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Interesting friendships between varied characters from multiple games, a fun combat system with some welcome additions, and that same soldier stomping fun make Warriors All Stars a solid Musou game.
In "Warriors All-Stars," players can experience a crossover action game featuring characters from various Koei Tecmo series, including Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, Ninja Gaiden, Atelier, and Dead or Alive. The game features open scenarios, multiple endings, and action that combines familiar elements with new features. With over 30 playable characters and their original voice actors, players can enjoy a true all-star title.
Reviews
- The game features a diverse cast of characters from various Koei Tecmo franchises, providing fun interactions and unique playstyles.
- The combat system is enjoyable and allows for flashy, satisfying gameplay, especially with large area-of-effect moves.
- The game runs smoothly on PC with good performance, maintaining a solid frame rate even during intense battles.
- The gameplay can become repetitive and tedious, with many missions feeling like a grind and lacking variety.
- The story is poorly written and lacks depth, often feeling like a contrived excuse to bring characters together.
- The absence of a free mode and the reliance on a card system instead of traditional weapons detracts from the overall experience.
- story373 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story in "Warriors All-Stars" is largely criticized for being shallow, repetitive, and poorly executed, with many players finding it uninteresting and filled with clichés. While the game features multiple branching paths and endings, the mission design is often tedious, requiring players to replay scenarios to unlock content, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite some enjoyable character interactions, the lack of a compelling narrative and the overwhelming grind make it difficult for many to stay engaged with the story mode.
“The only real mode is story mode, and it is good; the plot makes a lot more sense than 'Warriors Orochi' (the other major Warriors crossover game). There are multiple endings, multiple battles, and scenarios.”
“The story, while nothing special narrative-wise, is unique in that there are multiple different paths and endings, and that makes this decently fun.”
“This game has multiple endings with 3 main story branches depending on which sides you choose when selecting your first character every time you start a new game.”
“The story is one of the worst I have had the displeasure to experience.”
“The plot is incoherent and all over the place (to be fair, often the case with these mash-up games) but the bigger issue was the gameplay.”
“Frustrating, tedious mission design, a throwaway story, and a wildly unstable framerate make it very difficult to recommend when there are so many better Koei Tecmo titles on the market.”
- gameplay152 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Warriors All-Stars" is characterized by its repetitive nature and simplicity, typical of the musou genre, which may deter some players despite its fast-paced action and enjoyable character interactions. While the introduction of mechanics like the bravery system and team support adds some depth, many players find the overall experience shallow and grindy, particularly due to the limited character roster and mission structure. Fans of the Warriors series may appreciate the familiar combat style and character variety, but newcomers might find the gameplay dated and lacking in innovation.
“The gameplay itself is very fun; it's fast-paced, you choose one character to be the leader of your team and four others to be the companions, and they all fight alongside you the whole battle, which gives a sense of a true squad.”
“Combat itself is nice and fluid as musou games should be, and the mechanics surrounding it are fun (team attacks, friend skills, and musou rush) which give it a unique sense of flair compared to others like it.”
“Awesome characters, fast-paced missions, fast-paced gameplay.”
“Wanted to enjoy the game due to the character cast, but the gameplay was way too unbearable and repetitive to enjoy.”
“The gameplay is very simple and can be repetitive, more than the usual musou game due to its simplicity in progression and structure.”
“In short, this game is a dumbed down version; the gameplay is more shallow than the same games in this series like the Warriors Orochi series.”
- graphics55 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players praising the aesthetic appeal and character designs, while others criticize performance issues such as low frame rates and unremarkable visuals. Despite the game's ability to run well on certain systems and the inclusion of customizable graphic settings, many feel that it does not stand out compared to other titles in the genre. Overall, while some appreciate the art style and detail, others find it lacking and frustrating.
“This game has amazing graphics, stories, characters, and controls; you have to try it!”
“The graphics look really good, and the story is really something special.”
“Graphics are pretty, performances are great, and combat is very fun.”
“This 2017 game is stuck at 20fps no matter high or low graphic settings.”
“Locked 30/60fps (on PC), very bad, the worst graphics in all of the Warriors games.”
“It's bizarre, and honestly, pretty unforgivable given how unremarkable the game's visuals are to begin with.”
- grinding28 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, requiring players to complete numerous missions to unlock character-specific achievements and rare items. Many reviewers noted that the grind feels artificially inflated to extend playtime, with some elements relying on luck and meticulous tracking of completed battles. While the core gameplay can be enjoyable, the overwhelming focus on grinding detracts from the overall experience, making it hard to recommend compared to other titles in the genre.
“Grinding becomes enjoyable when you connect with your favorite characters; otherwise, it can feel repetitive.”
“The experience of grinding is significantly enhanced when you're playing with characters you love.”
“The amount of grinding and time it takes to obtain all the unlocks is insane and independent for every single character.”
“Extremely grindy, most of the focus is on repeating the same missions over and over to finish character quests to unlock their rarest cards; some take hours to complete while others are nearly impossible.”
“They intentionally made this game grindy just to artificially boost the playtime.”
- optimization25 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 24 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly on consoles like the PS4 and Vita, while others report stable performance and impressive graphics on PC, even on lower-end systems. Many users noted a lack of noticeable impact from performance-enhancing cards, leading to frustration. Overall, the game's optimization appears inconsistent, with some praising it highly and others deeming it unplayable.
“Optimization - 10/10”
“Graphics are pretty, performances (for me) are great, and combat is very fun.”
“Lots of settings and stable performance.”
“Secondly, the game is not optimized at all and runs terrible even on my beefy build.”
“I've returned most of them due to horrible performance.”
“I imported this title on PS4 and Vita and found it to be disappointing on the PS4 and unplayable on the Vita in regards to performance.”
- replayability21 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while multiple playthroughs are necessary to experience the full story and unlock all characters, some players find the limited choices at the start frustrating. Many appreciate the solid opportunities for replay, especially in the hack-and-slash combat, but some feel the price does not justify the replay value compared to other titles in the genre. Overall, it offers decent replay value, particularly for fans of the Warriors series.
“Also, multiple playthroughs are required to witness the entire story and unlock everyone, so the replay value is good.”
“Solid game with nice opportunities for replay value.”
“There is always replay value in warriors games, just start it and play!”
“The main downside for me is the price tag versus the replayability compared to other Warriors games.”
“And the fact the replay value is very limited to who you choose in the beginning of the game is very frustrating because that means I have to redo some things all over again.”
“It's just not for me; a linear story with replayable missions is better.”
- music20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the upbeat original tracks and the enjoyable remixes from various crossover games. While some players find the soundtrack memorable and fitting for the gameplay, others feel that it lacks standout pieces and would prefer the background music to pause during cutscenes. Additionally, the option to select battle music adds a personalized touch to the experience.
“A flawless PC port, wonderful soundtrack, enjoyable gameplay, and an actually very interesting story.”
“You can even choose the background music for each battle in the game yourself.”
“Most of the OST are soundtracks taken from various games that participate in crossover and their remixes.”
“No faults with the game at all, although I would prefer background music to stop playing during cutscenes.”
“The original music tracks introduced in this game are very upbeat and hype.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, particularly through the witty interactions between characters and the inclusion of amusing elements like the "funny nobunaga cat." Players appreciate the comedic moments, references, and easter eggs, deeming it one of the most hilarious hack'n'slash titles available.
“I especially enjoy the humorous interactions between the various characters as they get to know each other.”
“Honestly, the funny Nobunaga cat is reason enough to buy this game!”
“It was really funny to see William and Lu Bu defeating Puni and a lot of references/easter eggs from the games!”
- stability6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The stability of the PC port is generally positive, with many users reporting smooth performance at 1440p and 60fps on capable hardware. However, some players experienced occasional freezes, indicating that while the game runs well overall, there are still stability issues that need addressing.
“The PC port runs great at 1440p 60fps max on an RTX 2060 Super, and I didn't have any issues during my playthrough.”
“It looks and runs great, and feels pretty standard for what you'd expect from Musou at this point.”
“The PC port is also not that great; from time to time, I experienced a few freezes.”
“The PC port is also not that great; from time to time, I experienced a few freezes.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of "Warriors All-Stars" is generally viewed positively due to the absence of microtransactions, which some players appreciate. However, there are criticisms regarding the game being perceived as a quick cash grab, with a lackluster story that diminishes replay value.
“Hell yeah, but hey, it doesn't have microtransactions.”
“This is one of the things that makes Warriors All-Stars feel like just a quick cash grab. The story is bad, and after finishing the game for the first time, I didn't bother with it on my next playthrough.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional response to the game is overwhelmingly negative, with players expressing frustration over its lackluster storytelling, limited character roster, and repetitive gameplay, which collectively detract from the celebratory essence expected of a warriors-style game. Many feel it fails to engage or resonate emotionally, leading to a disappointing experience.
“As a game that should be a celebration of the warriors-style games, this fails miserably, with an extremely small roster, boring story, extremely repetitive battles (warriors is already known for that, but this is a new low), unsatisfying endings. It's an exercise in frustration; it should have never been released.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game features a mix of generic art styles, but there are notable exceptions with well-designed characters, particularly from older intellectual properties, providing players with alternative options.
Critic Reviews
Warriors All-Stars is Cross-Franchise Fun
Power fantasies are awesome.
80%Warriors All-Stars Review
Warriors All-Stars is a colourful hack and slash title that can be fun in short bursts thanks to its varied cast of playable characters, but it just has too many problems to be considered a good Warriors game. Frustrating, tedious mission design, a throwaway story, and a wildly unstable framerate make it very difficult to recommend when there are so many better Koei Tecmo titles on the market.
50%Warriors All-Stars Review
Not going to convert people to musou, but a nice, non-serious departure from the stewards of musou.
65%