Samurai Warriors: State of War

The sight of Lord Nobunaga Oda’s impressive army is enough to make any brave warrior consider the possibility of defeat but in the name of the noble clans of Japan and peace, war with the evil armies of this tyrant is necessary. You look across at your sub-commanders, both men who have followed you willingly into battle repeatedly, and with a war cry that even Heaven itself can hear you charge down the field with your soldiers close behind you and the battle commences. This is the war you’ll encounter in Samurai Warriors: State of War for the PSP … a war that’s just excessively repetitive.

If the game looks too familiar it’s because Samurai Warriors is Koei’s Dynasty Warriors with Japanese characters (loosely based on real-life warriors of that era) in place of Dynasty’s Chinese characters. With characters like Nobunaga Oda and Hanzo Hattori, the war depicted in the game’s Story Mode pits the Oda Army verses the Tokugawa Army, the Eastern Forces and the Western Forces. Like Dynasty Warriors, you’ll pick from a short list of warriors and take them through a campaign with their own personalized story until you unlock more playable characters. Of course, each character has his or her own specialty attack as well as weapon preference and the more battles you win the more skills your characters will be able to upgrade.

The most interesting part about State of War, though, is that the game introduces a strategy phase that adds more variety to the gameplay. You start on a map that’s made up of a grid of boxes and icons that represent everything from enemy strongholds to main camps as well as environmental dangers. You essentially move your character’s icon in any direction, keeping in mind that you only have a set number of turns. Running into an enemy’s icon opens up the game’s familiar battle phase - a phase that can also be triggered by stepping on the color-coded enemy territory. You’ll also come across environmental hazards like thickets that can hide enemy forces, low or high water that can block your path and enemy gates.

Capturing as much of the enemy territory is really the name of the game in the strategy phase and helping you achieve this task, aside from winning battles in the game’s battle phase, are Charms (scrolls that can be used to give you an advantage during battles or on the strategy map). The Tactics Charms allows you to breach closed gates, cause avalanches that harm enemies or stop them from attempting to capture your territory as well as the ability to open or close floodgates. The Battle Charms are effective in curing your wounds after a battle, causing damage to your enemies before entering battle or give your men a morale boost. On the map, you’ll find charms that will allow you to move forward a few extra spaces.

Then, of course, we come the battles and if you’ve played a Dynasty Warriors game you’ll know that battles pit you against scores of enemies that flood the screen. You’ll have your own allies with you as well and depending on what two sub-officers you pick to battle by your side you can really tear through the enemies. As I mentioned above, the characters you pick have their own specialty skills and weapons they can upgrade along the way. Yukimura Sanada, for example, possesses a fire elemental attack and his weapon of choice is a spear while Okuni uses the most unlikely of all weapons … an umbrella. Each character has a normal attack as well as a Musou Gauge that, when filled, gives your hit combo more power for a limited time.

These battles, however, are quicker than the ones found in the console version and thus have you attempting to defeat as many enemies as possible for a high grade (the higher the grade the more skill points you earn to upgrade your character). You’ll find the usual Samurai Warriors battle elements like mounts and plenty of high-ranking enemy officers to dispatch. The problem is that the battles begin to become a repetitive cycle with very little variation or unique twist to set them apart. Sure, it’s great to see that the framerate does not drop during these massive battles but the simple fact is that each battle just mirrors the last battle you just fought.

While we’re pointing out the negatives, State of War isn’t big on game modes. While Story Mode has enough depth to keep you busy for awhile, Free Mode allows you to take any character (including items, sub-officers and Charms you might have gained) you happen to unlock and play them through one of the 22 maps. There is also a Multiplayer Mode that can be played with up to four players using the Ad Hoc connection. Unfortunately, the multiplayer isn’t deep nor is it fun to play through.

Visually, State of War is not a very pretty PSP game. Its flat environmental textures and PSOne-quality character models really don’t make for a very attractive game. It’s certainly an impressive feat to see all those warriors on screen at once and the Musou attack and combos are neat, but the PSP could do better than this. The game’s sound is also a weak point and anyone who has played a game in this series knows the rocking guitar riffs are becoming worn-out. Since the dialogue is purely text, the only real sounds you’ll hear from your characters are mostly grunts. Even the sound effects are familiar territory for fans of the series.

Samurai Warriors: State of War for the PSP is really just a bite-sized version of the console game and while it does not break any new ground in the gameplay department, it’s a game worth investing in if you’re a huge fan of the series. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, though, this game won’t make you a fan. Fans be warned, though, aside from the repetitive battles, there aren’t many juicy extras that will have you coming back for more.

Gameplay: 7.0
The good news is that the framerate doesn’t drop even a little with all the enemies and allies on screen at once. The bad news is that the battles, no matter how fierce and pleasing to the eye, become way too repetitive no matter what commanding officers the enemy throws at you. The strategy phase of the game is a great addition to the series, though.

Graphics: 6.5
Not as visually stunning as the console version, State of War’s character models are the weakest aspect of the game’s visuals. Even with some truly dazzling visual effects and the ultra-cool sight of dozens of enemies getting knocked around on the screen, the game still could have done a lot better in the graphics department.

Sound: 5.0
The game’s soundtrack is pure Dynasty Warriors - heavy guitar riffs that really don’t scream feudal Japan. There’s no voice acting to be found but the sound effects of battle will more than keep you company during the various battles.

Difficulty: Medium
The game does provide enough challenges when it comes to storming the enemy’s stronghold or main camp. Like in any war, poor strategy can lead your troops and yourself to certain defeat. Then again, the enemy AI isn’t very smart at times.

Concept: 7.0
A quick bite-sized version of Samurai Warriors is great for the portable medium but with very little in terms of game modes and a multiplayer mode that doesn’t offer enough fun to be worth sharing, there’s very little to come back to when you’re finished. The characters do add some extra bang and there’s plenty of items and sub-officers to collect, though.

Multiplayer: 5.0
There’s a multiplayer mode that can be played through an Ad-Hoc connection that supports up to four players but the two multiplayer modes (Bandit and Vanguard) are short modes with no substance. Bandit has wiping out your opponent to steal their gold while Vanguard has gamers attempting to kill five captains as quickly as possible.

Overall: 6.9
Samurai Warriors: State of War for the PSP might not be a major improvement but this is the game to buy if you’re a fan of the series or missed the portable Dynasty Warriors game. Then again, despite the intriguing strategy segments, its repetitive battles and very limited game modes might not win over any new fans.