Omega Force has been rather busy as of late, even if not many people have immediately recognized it work. It collaborated with Team Ninja and Nintendo to create Hyrule Warriors, a Dynasty Warriors-style Zelda title. What’s next for the studio in the coming months? As it turns, Samurai Warriors 4, which has already released for the PS3, Vita and PS4 in Japan. The game will be making its way to North America and Europe on the above mentioned platforms. Will it be worth the wait?
GamingBolt spoke to Omega Force’s Akihiro Suzuki about the game and asked about various issues such as cross-by support, the process of porting the game from PS3 to PS4 and much more.
"The development was initially planned for the PS3 and PS Vita installments so it came naturally that we looked into the development PS4 to follow."
Rashid K. Sayed: Unlike Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, Samurai Warriors 4 has not been announced for the Xbox One. Is there a specific reason for the same?
Akihiro Suzuki: The development was initially planned for the PS3 and PS Vita installments so it came naturally that we looked into the development PS4 to follow.
Rashid K. Sayed: Are there plans to support cross buy and cross save across the PlayStation platforms?
Akihiro Suzuki: SW4 comes as Cross Save ready between PS4, PS3 and PS Vita. Also the purchased DLC has a common usage so it comes Cross Goods ready as well.
Rashid K. Sayed: Can you let us know how the PS Vita version will differ from its console counterparts?
Akihiro Suzuki: Obviously the controls are slightly different but all the remaining areas including the overall experience of the game play should feel identical between the different consoles.
Rashid K. Sayed: Samurai Warriors 4 features less characters compared to the first Samurai Warriors. Is there a specific reason for the same?
Akihiro Suzuki: Allow us to correct the case. You will actually see 55 characters appear in Samurai Warriors 4 which is the highest figure in the history of all the Samurai Warriors games.
Rashid K. Sayed: Is the PS4 version going to run at 1080p and 60fps?
Akihiro Suzuki: Yes, the visual output will run in the indicated specs although the frame rates will vary at certain areas whilst playing being exact.
"In the past, it was a case of picking different characters to see their dedicated stories unfold as the players played through the mode. For the latest installment, we took an approach where the players can play and understand the overall history of the warring states era as a whole."
Rashid K. Sayed: Given that the Samurai Warriors 4 on the PS4 is a port of the PS3 version, how difficult was the porting process to the PS4?
Akihiro Suzuki: Although it was the first time for the Samurai Warriors team in developing for the PS4 hardware, having the Dynasty Warriors 8 project up and running a step ahead of us helped a lot so it was not as difficult as first anticipated.
Rashid K. Sayed: Can you tell us what has changed in the story mode this time around?
Akihiro Suzuki: In the past, it was a case of picking different characters to see their dedicated stories unfold as the players played through the mode. For the latest installment, we took an approach where the players can play and understand the overall history of the warring states era as a whole. This approach will allow players to start off by experiencing the regional warlord rivalries leading up to the final land unification as the history tells.
Rashid K. Sayed: What changes have you made to the gameplay compared to Samurai Warriors 3?
Akihiro Suzuki: On top of the Story Mode features mentioned earlier on, further exhilarated feelings can be experienced in this action filled game by using the Hyper Attacks to name one. Also the ability to switch between 2 characters in real time during play, renewed Growth and Collectives system as well as the detailed Character Creation mode simply shows the vast amount of gameplay variation and fun which awaits the players.
Rashid K. Sayed: Can we expect a new Samurai Warriors game built from the ground up for the PlayStation 4 in the future?
Akihiro Suzuki: Difficult to confirm at this stage but hopefully we can meet the expectations our fans in the long run as well.
Rashid K. Sayed: Is there anything else you want to tell our readers before we take off?
Akihiro Suzuki: Being the 10 year anniversary title since the first SW game was introduced extra passion and efforts were obviously put in from the initial development stage for SW4. As part of the celebration, Japan saw a one hour animation being broadcast on national TV.
For our overseas fans, the same animation will be made available as part of the special Anime Pack which will launch at the same time. Also the PS4 version will have the Share function so I’m looking forward in watching everyone enjoy the 10 year anniversary title of Samurai Warriors on a personal level as well.