ABOUT First Released October 16, 2018 Platforms ps4, pc, xbox-one, nintendo-switch Genre Action Rating for Alcohol Reference, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact Summary Face an unfamiliar mystical threat with a new arsenal of magic in the one-versus-thousands action game sequel Warriors Orochi 4! Set in a world on the brink of chaos, heroes from across the Warring States period of Japan and the Three Kingdoms era of China successfully defeat the evil Orochi and end his reign. After overcoming their desperate struggle to save the world, our heroes return to their respective eras - or so they think. These two worlds, merged by an unknown entity, are again threatened and the heroes must find the key to restore them and return to their respective homes. As they begin to uncover the mystery surrounding their arrival in these new fused lands, their discoveries lead them to one deity: Zeus, the supreme god among gods. Warriors Orochi 4’s gripping narrative can be experienced through the eyes of 170 characters, 165 returning from across the Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, and Warriors Orochi universes - with five new characters joining the roster.

• Warriors Orochi 4 Xbox One
• Warriors Orochi 4 Best Characters

The renowned one versus thousands battle action will see all new additions, with characters being able to cast powerful magic abilities to wipe out their foes; combining weaponry and magic can lead to devastating attacks which will stop enemies in their tracks.

It feels like the Warriors series is constantly looking for a way to act smarter than its fans actually want it to be. The release of any given Dynasty, Samurai, or spin-off Warriors game will come with the promise of some new idea or other. We’ve had flexible combo systems, skill-based special gauges, weapon classes, squad controls. The last ‘innovation’ was the most sweeping of all, as Dynasty Warriors 9 swapped the series’ compact, enemy-packed battlefields for an. The less said about that the better.

The thing is, I’d imagine the majority of Warriors fans are in the same boat as me. Perversely, this is a series beautiful entirely because of its mindlessness. Sweeping bright red enemy armies from the mini-map feels closer to the pleasure of a Tetris or an emptied pool table than the stresses of the hardcore action games Omega Force has seemed keen to copy in the past.

Warriors Orochi 4 Xbox One

I’m happy to say that, with Warriors Orochi 4, the developers may have come around to my way of thinking. After a couple of hours with the latest iteration of the Warriors cross-universe spin-off, it’s clear this isn’t just a return to the classic format, but doubles down on its dumbest excesses in an absolutely delightful way. I’ve long held that the best idea Omega Force ever had was to counteract the simplicity of its characters’ movesets by just making dozens of characters to try, so you never actually get a chance to get bored of them.

Well, Warriors Orochi 4 has 170 of them, drawn from Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, previous Orochi games and, amazingly, Greek mythology. It’s a roster so big I’m told Koei Tecmo’s getting in touch with the Guinness Book of Records to see if it qualifies for a certificate. So that’s a plus. Better, Orochi 4’s new combat system is a way to make things consistently more spectacular, rather than more skill-based. Every character now comes with a ‘Sacred Treasure’ weapon alongside their standard murder tool of choice.

Tied to an always-building meter and activated simply by holding R1 (or equivalent shoulder button) when activating a weak, heavy or Musou attack, this lets you pull off a series of magic moves that are, almost universally, hilariously dumb. Tadakatsu Honda summons a tiny tidal wave that he can skateboard around the battlefield, Liu Bei conjures up strange electric globes that just fall on people’s heads, and Fa Zheng, whose ‘normal’ weapon is a tiny magic carpet, somehow outdoes even that by having the ability to turn into a flaming boar and just run around for a while. There’s explosive rainbow dust, a kamehameha beam, and the ability to just make your horse appear out of thin air under your legs. It’s absolutely ludicrous - I love it. Those who don’t care for Warriors’ dunderheaded charms aren’t likely to be swayed by any of this, of course, but after the muddy disaster of Dynasty Warriors 9, this feels like the perfect tonic for longtime fans.

Warriors Orochi 4 Best Characters

This promises to be the Warriors you remember, but moreso. Joe Skrebels is IGN's UK News Editor, and nothing about his love for Warriors games is ironic. Follow him on.