The ceiling on combat potential has been shattered here, and using the new tools at players’ disposal can allow them to more or less combo indefinitely to their hearts’ content. While the breezy, fast and simple style of Musou isn’t for everybody, fans will undoubtedly have a blast pushing this one to its breaking point, should one even exist. Warriors Orochi 4 is an easy highlight in a series that has consistently improved (Dynasty Warriors 9 being an exception) over the past few years.

Warriors Orochi 4 brings the Warriors franchise back its roots -- after the disaster that was Dynasty Warriors 9 -- while pushing it in exciting new directions.

Warriors Orochi 4 is successful in maintaining the essence of the series while introducing new gameplay mechanics, making it a definite step in the right direction for the evolution of the series.

It serves its purpose and delivers on what it advertises, giving players a power fantasy experience where they can tear through waves of enemies with the touch of a button. It’s an enjoyable Musou title which will keep fans entertained, and takes some small steps forward that future installments could use to great effect.

The honest truth is that despite being a lot older, Orochi 3 is the game I'd prefer to play over Warriors Orochi 4. It feels more fully featured, more well-designed, more interesting to play, and it has a more interesting cast. If you're burned out on Orochi 3, then Orochi 4 might give you a nice fix. It's not a bad game — just a very by-the-numbers entry in the series. Fans of the franchise will probably get their usual enjoyment out of it, but there's little to strongly recommend it over most of the recent Warriors games.

Warriors Orochi 4 is neither the best nor the worst of the Mosou genre. It has a giant character roster and new gameplay possibilities for everyone of them, a long campaign and the inexplicable sense of fun and exaltation of games crafted by Tecmo-Koei. But it also retains all the flaws of its genre, together with a slow narrative and a menu system that will not please everyone. Only those who really appreciate mosou will find themselves attracted to this game. Others (and newcomers too) should look to other representatives of this genre.

Warriors Orochi 4 is a disappointingly cheap sequel. Stripped back and basic, it feels like a quick and easy apology aimed at fans who were left disgruntled by the dire Dynasty Warriors 9. There's still enjoyment to be found here, with the series' trademark action holding strong, but poor presentation and unstable performance drag the experience down. Koei Tecmo really needs to get its Warriors games back on track, but until that happens, you're better off nabbing the far superior Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate.