Warriors: Legends of Troy has some of the right ingredients for making a fun and fulfilling title, however they are not quite executed or polished to make this a must buy title.
Warriors: Legends of Troy
Developer: Tecmo Koei Canada
Price: $59.99
Platforms: PS3 (reviewed)
Before anyone tries to compare this title to Dynasty Warriors (because of obvious inspirations), Warriors: Legends of Troy sets it self apart from its counter part early on, introducing good voice acting that fleshes out each of the characters personality, as well as a story that is worth following. The story is inspired by the Iliad, Homers epic poem about the Trojan War. Cutscenes are accompanied by an excellent narrator and beautiful drawings that depict events that happen between chapters, which sets up the story for the players. Players will have to control both sides of the war with characters such as Achilles, and Hektor, but don’t expect to play the entire story as one character, as players must play as several characters from both sides. Playing on both sides of the war not only gives a different perspective, but what I found interesting, is that it is not done in a way for the player to favor one side over the other. It gives players the idea that each of these characters actions effect the other characters around them, allowing a chain of events and consequences to be followed throughout the story.
The battleground is not bad to look at, however the maps are recycled, making it boring to fight in the same areas throughout the game. The level design feels like walking on a narrow path, which makes the battles feel linear and restricted. Character animations are awkward at points, especially during quick time events in specific boss battles. Overall this is not a bad looking game, but the problems are evident when they pop up. The score is also something to appreciate in this game. It is beautifully constructed, and plays well with intense moments in the game.
Gameplay is simple, with combos easy to remember and not requiring a huge list of buttons to memorize, however it can get old because there is not much variety in each character’s attacks. There are also execution style attacks that can be used on regular infantry and bosses alike. When used on heavy type enemies, the game goes into a slow motion mode that builds up the impact of the heavy hitting execution kills. Timing your attacks is the key to being successful in this game, as well as timing your blocks. Parrying can be done when an enemy is on the attack, and when in a boss fight, parrying will be key to holding off your opponent.The timed attacks and blocks kept me on my toes in boss battles, as I was forced to watch their every move, and jump at the small window of time I had for attack or to block. Players also have the ability to pick up weapons off the ground, such as spears and swords, and either use them to slash away at enemies, or toss them across the battlefield impaling them as they either run at you, or run away after they become afraid ( I admit it’s a little sadistic, but still fun!).
Attacks felt sluggish which hurts in moments where you are scrambling to get away from larger groups of enemies.The lock on system is also a bit of drag, in fact sometimes it hardly worked. Lock on only became useful in the boss battles, but other than that, it is better to free aim on the enemies The gameplay is simply “hack-n-slash”, so for those who played Dynasty Warriors, you will fit in quite well with this game, however the lack of variety in game play left me bored early on, with a few intense boss fights that pumped a little energy back into me.
The health system gave me the most annoyance in the game. It recharges only when you move away from enemies, which can make boss fights very tough. Players collect Kleos, which is the currency in the game, that is used to purchase items that can increase the health bar, or the characters attacks. There is a lot of items to buy, and items can be shared with all characters, freeing players from having to start all over with the process of purchasing items.
The Final Word
Warriors: Legends of Troy definitely is set in the right direction, but in the end, not enough of the game is executed well enough to make this a worthwhile title. Tecmo Koei Canada definitely has something here, and I am excited to see them in the future expand on all the things they did well in this game.
– MonsterVine Rating: 3 – Average
