| Warriors Orochi 3 | |
| Developer: | Omega Force |
| Publisher: | Tecmo Koei |
| Director: | Shigeto Nakadai |
| Designer: | Tomohiko Aoki |
| Programmer: | Hiroshi Noda |
| Composer: | Masato Koike Miki Fujii |
| Series: | Dynasty Warriors Samurai Warriors Warriors Orochi |
| Released: | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 PlayStation Portable Wii U Ultimate PlayStation 3, PS VitaPlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch Microsoft Windows |
| Genre: | Hack and slash |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Platforms: | PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 PlayStation Portable Wii U[1] PlayStation Vita PlayStation 4 Xbox One[2] Nintendo Switch Microsoft Windows[3] |
Warriors Orochi 3, originally released as in Japan, is a 2011 hack and slash video game developed by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This is the fourth installment of the crossover series Warriors Orochi, a combination of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series. This installment serves as a sequel to Warriors Orochi 2. The game was released in Japan in 2011, and in Europe and North America in 2012 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360).
There are two ports of the game: Musou Orochi 2: Special, released in 2012 for PlayStation Portable exclusively in Japan, and Warriors Orochi 3: Hyper, which was released as a launch title for the Wii U for Japan, North America, and Europe. An updated version, Warriors Orochi 3: Ultimate, was released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in Japan in 2013 with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ports released in 2014. The four versions were also released in North America and Europe in 2014. An additional port for the Nintendo Switch was released exclusively in Japan in 2017. A definitive edition of the game Warriors Orochi 3: Ultimate Definitive Edition was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows Steam in July 2022. Unlike previous titles, Warriors Orochi 3 only features Japanese voices.
The gameplay of Warriors Orochi 3 is similar to that of the two titles that the Warriors Orochi 3 takes its characters from: namely Dynasty Warriors 7 (specifically, Dynasty Warriors Next) and Samurai Warriors 3. Characters from either of these series play similar to how they play in their respective source games, but with a number of changes to unify the two different games together, including:
For characters who are from neither of the two series, whether or not the character is of Japanese origin determines whether their Musou attack corresponds to that of the Dynasty Warriors or the Samurai Warriors cast. Characters new to Warriors Orochi also have movesets based on their overall character type in this regard: for example, some of non-Japanese origin characters like Nemea, whose moveset is based on a Dynasty Warriors 7 weapon unused by anyone in that roster, have an EX attack like Dynasty Warriors characters, while some of Japanese-origin characters like Kaguya has the longer, standard attack chain reminiscent of a character from the Samurai Warriors roster.
Gameplay takes place on modified versions of stages taken primarily from Dynasty Warriors 7 or Samurai Warriors 3 (in addition, some downloadable content and story elements in Ultimate take place in stages taken from Warriors Orochi 2); a select number of stages relevant to the story are new stages. Each of the new "collaboration characters" (Ryu Hayabusa, Ayane, Joan of Arc, Nemea, Achilles, Rachel, Momiji, Kasumi, Sterkenburg, and Sophitia) is also associated with a stage taken from either Dynasty Warriors 7 or Samurai Warriors 3, with graphical modifications made to resemble their game of origin. Much of the stage music is taken from earlier Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, or Warriors Orochi games; each of the collaboration characters is also associated with a unique theme.
New mechanics for the Warriors Orochi series include:
All characters from Warriors Orochi 2 and Musou Orochi Z return in this game. Unlike the first two games (which the costumes for the characters from Dynasty Warriors 5 and Samurai Warriors 2 are used), the costumes for the characters are taken from Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends and Sengoku Musou 3 Z. Characters not present in either game use visuals from the last game in which they appeared.
Four new characters were initially available in the original PlayStation 3 version. An additional seven were added through various expansions of the game:
The game also include collaboration characters from other Tecmo Koei franchises: Ninja Gaiden, , , Dead or Alive, , and Atelier. It also has a character from Soulcalibur, a Namco Bandai series. Those characters appear and star in their own alternate version of stages within the game.[5] [6] The following collaboration characters are:
In addition to all 96 characters from Warriors Orochi 2 and Musou Orochi Z, there are a total of 145 characters in this game.
Bold denotes default characters.
| Other 1 | Other 2 | Samurai 1 | Samurai 2 | Samurai 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cai Wenji | Bao Sanniang | Deng Ai | Achilles | Aya | |||||
| Ding Feng | Guo Huai | Ayane | Goemon Ishikawa | ||||||
| Guan Suo | Sima Shi | Gracia | |||||||
| Hanbei Takenaka | |||||||||
| Lianshi | Sima Zhao | Kai | |||||||
| Guo Jia | Wang Yuanji | Katsuie Shibata | |||||||
| Jia Xu | Xiahou Ba | Hundun | Kanbei Kuroda | ||||||
| Liu Shan | Zhong Hui | Joan of Arc | Kiyomasa Katō | ||||||
| Wang Yi | Ma Chao | Zhuge Dan | Kaguya | Kojirō Sasaki | |||||
| Ma Dai | Kasumi | Masanori Fukushima | |||||||
| Kyūbi | Muneshige Tachibana | ||||||||
| Momiji | Musashi Miyamoto | ||||||||
| Nemea* | Motonari Mōri | ||||||||
| Xu Shu | Nezha | Ujiyasu Hōjō | |||||||
| Nezha (Human)** | |||||||||
| Orochi X | |||||||||
| Rachel | |||||||||
| Ryu Hayabusa | |||||||||
| Seimei Abe | |||||||||
| Shennong | |||||||||
| Shuten Dōji | |||||||||
| Sophitia Alexandra | |||||||||
| Sterkenburg Cranach** | |||||||||
| Susanoo | |||||||||
| Tamamo | |||||||||
| Yinglong |
Several years after the events of Warriors Orochi 2, the warriors of the Three Kingdoms era of China and the Sengoku period of Japan have begun to rebuild their lives in the twisted dimensional world after Orochi's permanent death. The peace is not to last for long though, as a monstrous eight-headed serpent beast known as Hydra appears and massacres the warriors. Combined with the resurrection of Kiyomori Taira and the reappearance of Da Ji, who brainwashes the remaining heroes, the warriors are left in shambles. The remaining three heroes – Ma Chao, Sima Zhao, and Hanbei Takenaka – are about to be defeated if not for the intervention of the Moon Princess, Kaguya, who claims to have been sent from the mystic world to help the warriors. She uses her time travel ability to send the three back in time, so they will be able to save their comrades from certain doom.
After securing the more strategic places like Odawara Castle, the coalition are informed by mystic Taigong Wang that they can defeat the Hydra using a special weapon called "Yashio'ori", but they will need the time and power to build such a weapon. The coalition capture an amnesiac mighty warrior, Shuten Dōji, who is later revealed to be an offshoot of Orochi who was born at the same time as Hydra; in reality, he is the world's will of Orochi's power, as well as Da Ji herself, who reluctantly joins after the coalition have her friend, Himiko as an unwitting hostage. Because of the time required to build multiple Yashio'ori, the coalition have to return to the distant past when the Hydra had yet to appear in the world, which they fulfill through Da Ji's power, as she has been in the dimensional world the entire time (the other mystics have only appeared when the Hydra had made its appearance). Upon arriving, the coalition have to protect Da Ji from the anti-Orochi forces as well as an army of mystics led by Susanoo, who has dedicated his job to hunt Da Ji. They eventually gain their trust, and with the help of them, the coalition build multiple Yashio'ori powered by Shuten Dōji's essence, while also preparing for the upcoming grand battle with the Hydra.
In the final chapter, the coalition confront the Hydra again, who is defeated with the help of Yashio'ori. The Hydra then reforms to eight Orochi clones and later a final Orochi X form. While battling them, the coalition also have to gain the trust of Susanoo, who is not yet willing to let the problem fall into the mortal's hands. The game has three endings, which are unlocked through certain requirements. The "Normal" ending has the coalition finally being able to destroy Hydra. The "Good" ending is essentially the same, although the warriors then make pledge to rule the land together in peace. In the "True" ending, after Orochi X is defeated, the dimensional world begins to crumble, as Orochi's existence is the only thing that supports the world; defeating him means the end of the world. The mystics band their powers to send the warriors back to their own original time, saving them at the cost of their memories in the dimensional world.
The expanded story in the Ultimate update is continued from the "Good" ending of the original game, thus forgoing the "True" ending. Da Ji and the rest of the Demon Army have broken out from the coalition and are now traversing the dimensional world. They are attracted to a magical stone they found during their journey, which is revealed to be the sealed form of Mae Tamamo, a mystic who possesses a mysterious mirror, the Shinkyō, which has the ability to seal anyone who comes into contact with it and to create doppelgangers. Allying herself with Da Ji, Tamamo seals many warriors of the Three Kingdoms and Sengoku period and create doppelgangers of them, causing chaos and conflict within the Coalition. The mystics, who have gone to the mystic realm since the Hydra's defeat, descend once more to help the warriors. Depending on the progression, the player may finish the game's story in Chapter 6, which ends in the release of the sealed warriors and Tamamo's defeat and subsequent sealing as the stone again by the mystics. Otherwise, while the sealed warriors are released, Tamamo is not yet defeated, and the story continues to Chapter 7.
In an attempt to stop Tamamo from causing further conflicts, the warriors will need her own magic mirror, the Shinkyō to seal her. Through Kaguya's powers combined with Fu Xi's memories, the warriors travel far back in time in the mystic realm, when Orochi had not existed yet. The mystic realm is ruled by Tiandi, who is the original possessor of the Shinkyō and had used it to seal demons. The warriors meet with the mystic Yinglong, who is fooled by Tamamo into believing that the Emperor had used the Shinkyō to control the demons. He starts a rebellion against the Emperor and eventually manages to steal the mirror. This act causes him to be corrupted by the mirror's evil power, which transforms him into Orochi, who proceeds to go to the human realm to commit various evil acts after having killed the half-mystic Nezha. The Emperor, having learned of Tamamo's plans, gratefully lends the warriors the Shinkyō. Back in the present time, the warriors use the mirror against Tamamo, but this only makes her revert to her true form, the Kyūbi no Kitsune, who confronts the warriors in the final battle. The Ultimate update has two endings in addition to the three mentioned above, the first of which is the aforementioned "Normal" ending where Tamamo is sealed without having reverted to her true form. In this ending the warriors continue to live their life in peace in the dimensional world. The second ending is similar to the "True" ending of the original game, where, after having sealed Kyūbi, the mystics band their powers to send the warriors to their original timeline, but the dimensional world seems to stay intact, unlike the original game.
The game was originally released in Japan on December 22, 2011, in Europe on April 6, 2012, and in North America on March 20 (PlayStation 3), and March 27 (Xbox 360).[7] [8] Simultaneous store front meetings in Japan took place at the end of November until mid December for Dynasty Warriors Next and Musou Orochi 2. Attendees could obtain an original clear file for Musou Orochi 2 and play demos for both games at these meetings. Early buyers received a downloadable serial code granting Santa costumes to Mitsunari Ishida, Wang Yuanji, and Da Ji. The Treasure Box release includes a calendar which has characters represent the months and days individually, an original soundtrack, and an exclusive downloadable serial code for Ma Chao's weapon. Consumers who used Gamecity's shopping service had the option of obtaining a Three Kingdoms or Warring States themed hat.
A PSP port, titled Musou Orochi 2: Special was released on July 19, 2012, exclusively in Japan.[9] Two additional characters were added: Rachel from the Ninja Gaiden series and a new character named Seimei Abe. A new Battle Royale Mode was included with support for up to four players. All characters, modes, and features from the original game were retained in this port. Ten PSP customizable themes based on characters are offered for players who pre-order the title. Players can automatically unlock all characters by inserting their saved data from Musou Orochi 2.[10]
The Wii U port of the game, Warriors Orochi 3: Hyper (Musou Orochi 2: Hyper in Japan) was released in 2012 as one of the launch titles for the console.[11] Unlike past releases, this port launched outside Japan first. Hyper features a new multiplayer mode called "Duel Mode" in which players battle enemies using three-man teams. Players have the option to play the game using a Wii U Pro Controller or the Wii U GamePad. The GamePad can be used to display an expanded mini-map. Local co-op includes an option that allows each player to have a full screen to play on, with one player using the TV screen while the other uses the GamePad's screen. The single player game can also be played on the GamePad's screen without the use of a TV. The game includes all characters from Special, including Rachel and Seimei Abe and adds two new characters: Momiji from the Ninja Gaiden series and a new original character, Shennong.
An update to the original game, Musou Orochi 2: Ultimate was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita on September 26, 2013.[12] The PlayStation 4 version was released in Japan on June 26, 2014, featuring improved graphics and lighting among other enhancements. The game was released in North America and Europe in the same year on September 2 and 5, respectively with an additional Xbox One port, which was also released in Japan as a launch title. It was also released for the Nintendo Switch on November 9, 2017 to commemorate Omega Force's 20th anniversary. This is the first collaboration with Bandai Namco Entertainment.
The update includes all new features and characters from the Hyper version. It also features a new character, the game debut of Xu Shu, a Dynasty Warriors character who first appeared in Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires. New characters are also added, including Mae Tamamo, Yinglong, a younger incarnation of Nezha, Kyūbi no Kitsune, Hundun, Kasumi from the Dead or Alive series,[13] Sterkenburg Cranach from the Atelier Arland series, and Sophitia Alexandra from the Soulcalibur series. The game expands on the original game's story by adding two new stories: "The Tale of the Latter Day", which takes place after the defeat of Hydra in the original game, and "The Tale of the Former Day", which is a side story that explains Orochi's origins as well as his secret with Da Ji. New stages are also added, including side stories to expand on the characters not prominently featured in the main story, alternative events on specific stages, and the chance to play stages through the enemy's perspective.
The upgraded version of Warriors Orochi 3: Ultimate, Warriors Orochi 3: Definitive Edition was released for PC Steam in July 2022. This version contains Warriors Orochi 3: Ultimate, as well as most of the previously released downloadable content, highlighted by over 500 DLC items ranging from weapons and costumes to scenarios.[14]
In addition, this version also includes new optimizations for the PC version, such as mouse and keyboard support and a wide range of graphical settings to allow players to fine tune their experience.
Warriors Orochi 3 and its expanded versions received "mixed or average" reviews. The original version of Musou Orochi 2 sold 200,526 copies in its first three days of release.[15] It was rated by Famitsu with a 9/8/8/9, for an averaged rating of 34/40.[16]