Arslan: The Warriors of Legend Review

The Verdict

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is yet another fine example of what Koei Tecmo can do with their standard Warriors formula, and tweak it just enough so it works for a completely separate licenced property.

Those familiar with the anime will find a lot to love, since it seemingly stays faithful to the anime and manga. However, if you're like me, and have never heard of this before, you might be just a bit confused when words like Mardan, Marzban, and Lusitanians come up. Those interested in the lore can read the extensive in-game glossary to get them up to speed, but given that it's a game all about hacking and slashing thousands of soldiers on a battlefield in a given mission, who actually wants to read?

If you're a fan of the Warriors games, and enjoy the spinoffs that don't have to do with stylized Samurai or warriors of Dynasty, then Arslan might be right up your alley.

The Positives

• Arslan's presentation in terms of telling a story is probably one of Koei Tecmo's best, at least in the realm of Warriors games. The game mixes in scenes and still directly from the anime in between missions, which makes it seem like you're actively watching the show, and thus has much better storytelling mechanics, something I wish Koei would have done with Pirate Warriors.

• This is one of those Anti-Warriors games, where instead of presenting you with a myriad of characters to play as, you only get about a handful, 15 to be exact. Each character has wildly different attack styles and special moves, which is appreciated since the roster is rather slim.

• A new feature in Arslan are the collectible Cards that you acquire and equip to your characters to further boost their stats. Each character has a skill number limit which increases as they level up, which means more powerful cards can be equipped.

• Instead of missions being one long sequence, they're broken up into smaller objectives, with each one giving you a grade based on your performance. What's great about this is that it actively tracks your performance while you play, so you're always aware of how well you're doing.

• The game is absolutely gorgeous with its cel-shaded art style and shading, that directly mirrors, the look of the anime. I've always wished for the core Warriors series to go for a cel-shaded look, and while that wish was more or less fulfilled with Pirate Warriors, Arslan feels, at least aesthetically, the closest to a Dynasty Warriors game.

• There are zones in battlefields called Rush Zones, which switch the viewpoint from your singular hero to a massive army. There are various modes of this, depending on the types of units the army of comprised of. Cavalry are the most powerful, are harder to control, but they're able to stomp down blockades. Infantry are more nimble but hit less. Archers, understandably are able to hit from afar. The dynamic shift between perspectives make these moments fun and exciting, even if they're quite brief.

• There are hints of Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War present in Arslan, with a rock-paper-scissors system in terms of the weapons, and of course the previously mentioned Rush Zones which allow you to control a whole army.

• The game supports both offline and online co-op.

The Negatives

• While familiarity with the source material isn't absolutely necessary, you will get confused by a lot of the terminology used in the game. While the in-game glossary does more than enough with information on basically anything and everything you need to know, there's a lot to read, which I'm sure many won't care to do.

When it comes to the Musou franchise, or the Warriors franchise here in the US, I'll play just about any of them. I'm always quite surprised at just how much care and attention Koei Tecmo puts into these games, not only representing their source material rather well, when it comes to adaptations, but also in terms of making each game have unique mechanics. Especially since the Warriors series usually falls prey to the "been there, done that" mentality by a lot of gamers.

Arslan: Warriors of Legend is yet another video game adaptation of an anime, which I've sadly never heard of. Unlike my rigorous preparation for the third One Piece: Pirate Warriors game, I went into Arslan: Warriors of Legend completely blind.

Despite that, I still very much liked what I played, and the game did a pretty solid job at introducing me to a world I've never heard of previously.

I can tell you now, before you click over to the next page, that if you've never been a fan of the Warriors series, Arslan won't make you one now. Despite its crisp visuals and interesting story, and even slightly new mechanics, it's still a game about taking on thousands of soldiers head on with various characters.