Arslan: The Warriors of Legend
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Critic Reviews for Arslan: The Warriors of Legend
Omega Force's latest Warriors anime spin-off adapts an unlikely show that proves to be a surprisingly suitable fit.
It's a bit lighter in content than some other Musou titles with more history, but Arslan: The Warriors of Legend improves the formula with a stronger, focused story based on the anime. Arslan anime fans and Dynasty Warriors fans should find a good time here. If you've ever wanted to take up a sword and slaughter hundreds of enemies, Arslan is your game.
Overall, what we have here is your standard mixed bag. While people with patience for repetition without innovation or increased challenge, such as the audience of Cookie Clicker or Assassin's Creed, might see nothing wrong with Arslan, the truth is it could be a hell of a lot better, because the seeds of greatness are all here just waiting for something, anything, to help them sprout life.
If you can stomach a few minor issues that add up over time, Arslan: The Warriors of Legend will be your huckleberry. True to Warriors form there's plenty of collectibles to find, new weapons to discover, online and offline co-op, and a free-play mode. Like nearly every Omega Force game before it, I'll be playing this one for quite some time.
For those who love the novels, manga, and television show, this is perhaps the only Arslan game you'll ever get to play, unless a sequel is already in the works. Based on that fact alone, it's sure to reel in fans although other players may fail to see the appeal. Tear the anime-patterned wrapper away and what you have is essentially another iteration on the same aging format Omega Force has been peddling for years. In this case it has been slightly altered but not enough to conceal the franchise's ongoing fatigue as fewer bold ideas are brought to the table.
Another combat-heavy title that doesn't really offer anything different than other Omega Force titles, but the story is certainly worth following and Arakawa's artwork is stunning.
Arslan: Warriors of Legend does a great deal more right than it does wrong, but you would likely already need to be fan of the Koei Warriors games to think so. While the improvements this entry has over typical Warriors games are a big plus and make this title more accessible to players unfamiliar with the content it's based on, they also shine a brighter light on where the developers are not evenly spreading their attention to detail. The right combination of patches and DLC could possibly make this one of the best Warriors games yet, but the unlikelihood of that happening makes this just another example of action game mediocrity; albeit an exceptional one.
A lot of care and effort has been poured into Arslan: The Warriors of Legend's story mode, but the narrative focus has taken attention away from other aspects of the release. Outside of the plot, things are enjoyable but unspectacular, and by and large, the title feels like the basis for a better sequel. On this occasion, Omega Force's latest is like a commanding officer with no charisma – you can find respect for it, but you wouldn't follow it blindly into battle.
