''FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE''
Developed: Koei Tecmo
Published: Koei Tecmo
Genre: roguelite
Release Date: Feb 12th,2025
Platforms: PC/PS5/Xbox Family/Switch
Review copy provided to me by Koei Tecmo
Warriors Abyss is a rogue like take on the Dynasty Warriors series and it is developed and published by Koei Tecmo. Coming off the success and revitalization of the franchise with Dynasty Warriors Origins, Koei now decides to take a different approach and dip their toes into the rogue like genre. However was this really the proper move for this franchise? or should they have stopped while they were ahead? Only one way to find out, so lets go!
''HERES JOHNNY!''
GAMEPLAY:
Originally revealed with the 2025 State Of Pay presentation, the reception for the most part of it was pretty good, ''Hey a new warriors game, but wait in a different format?'', everyone collectively said. Weird decision? for sure, but overall the initial reveal for it went pretty well and then we were hit with the gem right after its showing ''OUT TODAY''. Wait what? yall are just going to shadow drop a genre shifting Warrior game out of nowhere? what the heck? As Emperor Palpatine once said ''a surprise for sure, but a welcome one''. Warriors Abyss takes on the rogue like format but mixing it with the tried and true Warriors hack and slash formula and creates a hybrid that... strangely enough, works pretty well for the most part... yeah I know, I am shocked too as you never would think these two type of formulas would mix very well, like Michaelangelo and his anchovie and ice cream pizzas, only Warrior Abyss isnt a disgusting abomination like that, so.. win there. However even though it works, at the same time, it comes up a bit short on the ''repetitive'' scale because there's only so much you can do with the warriors style alongside a roguelike genre. But lets just talk about the actual game overall to give you an idea of why it WORKS and why it DOESNT, both at the same time. The game starts with your character getting summoned by a god named Enma, who is the king of hell, aka E.T. cartridge burial site. Enma is livid and is hell bent on reclaiming their throne from another evil being named Gouma, who took over and said ''I made this?'' and yoinked royalty for themselves Now tired of Gouma's crap, Enma decides to bring in the help of characters from all over the Warriors franchise in order to defeat Gouma and put them back in their place once and for all by defeating Gouma's forces and sending them back to the Atar 2600 they came from. Ok maybe not exactly that but, sending them back home at least... and thats pretty much it for the storyline overall, not much to really talk about or in depth stuff since Enma occasionally pops in to say something here and there, but beyond that? its all gameplay baby, well mostly.
Gameplay wise Warriors Abyss is like the love child of Diablo and the Warriors franchise rolled into one, with the player moving through four various biomes that house eight levels each with the end of the main stages ending with a boss battle to fight before you can proceed any further. If you manage to not die and have to re-do everything all over again, you'll most likely complete your run in roughly 2 to 3 hours depending how fast you work and will proceed through stages through each floor and claim ownership of various treasures or summon new heroes to your aid as you kill a specific number of enemies required of you to complete your task. Sounds familiar right? thats because it is, it follows the same format of every other rogue lite on the market with rewards for upgrades and summons after every completed floor that you take with you till the next floor, which... is good and nothing is bad about that on paper, but overall? its... sorta... boring?. Not the gameplay itself, but the fact that nothing is changed up that aspect and sorta feels like a re-skin of the genre, just with Warriors placed on it, just like bro slapping Flex Seal tape on everything like his tank and boat... speaking of which, whatever happened to bro? he was definitely needed for all these Nintendo Switch 2 leaks we got recently. When the world needed him most, he vanished, you let us down. Unoriginality aside, making you feel powerful in this game is the name of the game and it does this really well by giving a rapid fire collection of buffs and power ups at a pace to where the game doesnt snail and feel slowed down and makes you feel just as powerful you do in a typical Musou game with you feeling like you can take on whole armies by yourself, even if difficulty can be a hit or miss here there with some enemies feeling way too easy to defeat, while others, being way too hard for the sake of being so, rather than for a strategic perspective, its a very weird mix to describe. Just dont be like me and fail your runs for like the first half hour, getting your butt whipped left and right until you figure out the right direction to go for character progression and picking the right combination of power ups that caters to your play style, that is.. if you can get past the 100 characters to play as, because more than likely, at least one of your favorites is in the game, which definitely makes choosing who to play as, even more frustrating than the potential gameplay itself, which is like picking if I want stuff crust pizza or just extra cheese on a pizza, both are good BUT WHICH DO I WANT!?. Even with 100 playable characters though, the game doesnt really do much beyond that with as all characters use the same heavy and light attacks to pull of their fighting, with a few surprises sprinkled in here and there with character abilities like instant revive that gives you one shot to come back to life after a butt whipping per run, or even a strength enhanced power up that can take your heavy hitting attacks to new levels, giving you a chance to take down the final boss of each stage that you may be struggling on. Whatever it is you decide to do or what character to play as, you'll eventually feel most comfortable with one of them and then its game on in an intense ride in the name of do or die in a game of death - a stable of roguelites.
By using the Crystal Sapling, which is basically a tree of divine power, it allows you to pull a obi wan kenobi and force ghost talk to other spirits, which in this case instead of other Jedi, its other Warriors characters and that's how they are added to your already growing team, all of which are able to be summoned to the battlefield as damage summons, each with their own cooldowns as they help you by attacking with their own individual powers and combos and every single one of them giving you a much needed stat buff to make your character stronger. This is where it gets a little hard to grasp, not that its confusing, but with so many people to choose from with each giving fixed power points, its hard to pick which exact build you want to make, whether you want to be speed based, or focus more on power. Choosing wisely is key because just like any other roguelite game, what happens when you die? That's right, do not pass go, do not collect $200, you go BACK to the great hall and start all over again with a new character. Yikes. But hey thats roguelite for ya, its a staple. I mean you can get some upgrades from hall of bonded souls to spend your currency on, but imagine being 40 minutes into a run and dying and that 40 min of your life just got wasted - just like letting me drive you around in GTA Online with a brand new car you just bought, why would you spend all that money and then let ME drive? those thousands you spent? WASTED because theres a 99 out of 100 chance its getting crashed. Hope you got insurance pal.
''OWARI DA!''
OVERALL:
At the end of the day, Warriors Abyss does end up a fun time, even if its not exactly very original and having some stuff that may turn people off like abrupt difficulty spikes, 100 playable characters that dont really add a huge amount to the game and if you do not like roguelites and starting over in the game after dying once, then chances are you arent going to like this one and will be ticked off really quick. However with strategic gameplay that makes you think about which buffs you choose, variety of characters to play as that include fan favorites, buffs and skill upgrades that can make a floor go from being a nuisance to being pure domination on your part, boss fights that are both annoying frustrating about extremely rewarding when you tackle one, etc etc, all make Warriors Abyss a great pick up and play title. Now should you get this game if you are NOT a fan of Roguelites? absolutely not, you will hate it because of that very reason, but if you're a fan of Dynasty Warriors and either like or are curious about the Roguelite genre, then I definitely say give this one a shot, its a definitely a weird gamble that just happened to pay off. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW
thanks for the review