The game is currently available in Japan, but has not yet launched in other territories. Samurai Warriors 4 launched in Japan for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita on March 20th of 2014 with a PlayStation 4 port being launched this year on September 4th. The game is also set to launch in North America on October 21st of 2014 and in Europe on October 24th of 2014.

The game has received a cross generational release, but remains exclusive to PlayStation platforms having launched on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.

• 1. Development
• 2. Story
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Characters

Development

​Samurai Warriors, much Like Dynasty Warriors, is massively popular within the niche audience it caters for, this is however rarely represented in terms of critical reception where the games tend to arrive to lukewarm reviews and scores that aren’t particularly impressive. Yet despite this, the series has still found a place in gamers hearts, and it’s because of this that the gaming community were pleased that a sequel to Samurai Warriors was 3 in development.

Samurai Warriors 4 is the title with the largest character roster in the series to date, numbering a total of 55 characters as well as 3 characters that had been removed from the main series of games.

This was all confirmed in 2012 but it wasn’t until an official Sony Computer Entertainment of Japan press conference in September 2013 when the game was announced to be coming to the PlayStation 3 with a PS Vita counterpart being announced at the same time. With Samurai Warriors 4 being a celebration of the series 10th anniversary, it’s not very surprising that the game was ported to the much more powerful PlayStation 4, both serving as a celebratory title as well as the series début on an 8th generation home console. Upon releasing in Japan, the game was well received by critics, the industry renowned gaming magazine Famitsu scored the game 34/40 and it was the second best selling game in the week it launched, selling in excess of 120,000 units.​ ​

Story

​Samurai Warriors doesn’t follow one particular narrative, rather the player can take part in three separate stories.They are:

The Unification Story – The Unification story tells a tale of Hideyosh Toyotomi (“The Great Unifier” who ended the Sengoku period) who famously succeeded his lord Oda Nobunaga (a Japanese Samura Warlord). It also chronicles the clashing of Eastern and Western armies following Hideyoshi’s death. This famously led to the…

Battle of Sekighara Story – The Battle of Sekighara story tells the story of the decisive batle which opened paths for the Shogunate to invade and destroy the Toyotomi clan.

The Sanada Story – The Sanada story runs paralell to The Unification story and is more of a personal story.

Gameplay

​As with all the other main series games in the Samurai Warriors back catalogue, the game is played primarily from a third person perspective that helps the player take in the carnage of the battlefield and decide where it’s best to focus their efforts. Players are tasked with doing battle against the enemy and are encouraged to so with a variety of weapons, attacks, styles and powers.

Using theses various attacks and special moves are obviously the crux of the games combat system, the gameplay has been augmented with the inclusion of two new combat abilities. These are:

Hyper Attack – Hyper Attack is a powerful crowd control technique that allows players to take out larges groups of enemies in one fell swoop, although highly useful against most ordinary units, the Hyper Attack is useless ​w​​h​en used a​​gianst an enemy officer who will simply deflect the attack or remain uninjured by it.

Rage Mode – The Rage Mode mechanic greatly enhances the power of the players attacks but it will also enhance their musou attack strength by depleting the Spirirt Gauge. It’s very much a potent, risk Vs. reward ability.

Players can create their own characters through the games returning Create A Warrior mode. The Create A Warrior feature now comes packed with more content than previous iterations, this includes a total of five new weapon move-sets, two of which are from the spin off game Samura Warriors: Chronicles. These custom characters can be used in the games new Chronicle Mode which allows players to take order requests from their custom generals.

The games story mode now takes on a gameplay style much more in line with that of the Dynasty Warriors titles wherein the player is given a set of characters to choose from. Each of these characters takes part in the battle relevant to their actual contribution to the overall battlefield effort, thus some characters may not make an appearance at all.

A new gameplay mechanic has been introduced into the main game that has previously been used in the main series spin off title, Samura Warriors: Chronicles. This enables players to take two separate characters into battle, thus changing the gameplay dynamic and opening up space for a certain degree of strategy that is found in the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series, it’s shallow strategy, but strategy none the less.

When the player takes to the battlefield and encounters one of the enemy officers, they may (if the conditions are right) engage in a duel with the officer and initiate a one on one fight. A duel can however only be initiated by a player controlled character.

Characters

​The game features a vast amount of characters of over 55 different individual warriors, as of yet we don’t have a compiled list of all the characters in the game.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

Koei Tecmo’s hack and slash epic Samurai Warriors 4 is now available in North America and will be launching on October 24th for Europe. It will be available for the PS3, PS4 and PS Vita. Check out the launch trailer above to learn more about the game.

Producer Hisashi Koinuma states that,”With every new installment, we strive to bring great advances to the series, making it even more immersive and exciting for players. We are so thankful for the devoted supporters who have waited four years for Samurai Warriors 4, our greatest hope is that players feel like they are truly making their own mark on history.”

Along with the new story, missions and attacks, there will be a total of 55 characters – the largest roster in a Samurai Warriors game till date. Will you be picking up the game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for more details.

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.

Samurai Warriors 4 is releasing on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation 4 on October 24 this year, although honestly, just by looking at the graphics (which look dated, to put it kindly) you wouldn’t know it.

Nevertheless, few, if any, play these games for their graphics- you usually do it for the unique brand of action that only these games can offer, and judging by the pictures that Tecmo Koei sent out today, it seems like Samurai Warriors 4 will not disappoint in that regard.

The pictures show us new stages, new characters, and new fighting modes, pointing to a bigger and more full featured Samurai Warriors game than any of the previous ones so far.

Tecmo Koei also announced that the Warriors games have now collectively sold over 34 million units worldwide- a number that only seems like it will go up in the coming months with the release of several new Warriors games across all platforms.

Tecmo Koei has announced they will be launching the next iteration into Samurai Warriors 4 on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita. The game will be released across all systems on October 24th of this year. The game promises to have 55 playable warriors to choose from, new attacks and moves along with new modes.

Developers have promised to “create a deeper and more satisfying combat experience, including the all-new ability to switch between two characters in real-time.” The game will have several adjustments to the morale system, officer development and the return of the popular portable item system.

Samurai Warriors 4 will also feature “Chronicle Mode”, upgraded character system, detailed visuals and graphics, and collecting items. Samurai Warriors 4 will also support cooperative Play and cross save functionality. This functionality will be available across all three system.

What are your thoughts about this announcement? Let us know in the comments section below.

Samurai Warriors 4, the fourth in the series of action games by Tecmo Koei, has been announced for a western release this fall; curiously enough, the game, which was released in Japan on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, also got announced for the PlayStation 4 for the west, a port that simply has not yet been announced for Japan.

Samurai Warriors 4 will get its proper, official debut via an animated trailer at MCM London Comic-Con from May 23-25; there will be no playable build available right then, although we can probably hope for one at E3 in Los Angeles next month.

Samurai Warriors 4 was released for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita in Japan in March, where it did about as reasonably well as any similar game does upon release, both critically and commercially. The PlayStation 4 SKU announcement might be an attempt by Tecmo Koei to maximize sales for the title in the west come Fall.

Samurai Warriors 4 producer Hisashi Koinuma said on Twitter that the game will probably be released in the west, even giving it a tentative release date of Summer 2014, reports Siliconera.

A fan tweeted him, asking “can we get Samurai Warriors 4 for the West please?” To which he replied, “Yes. Perhaps, next summer.”

Samurai Warriors 4 is currently being developed for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita, and it is due for release on those systems in Japan on March 20, 2014. However, the west is not being left out of the action either, as we’re getting Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends next spring. Then there’s always Hyrule Warriors, due out next year, which is the bizarre Zelda/Dynasty Warriors spin off for the Wii U. Dynasty Warriors 8 will be released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. So basically, you should be set for musou action unless you only own an Xbox console.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage on Samurai Warriors 4, Dynasty Warriors 8, Hyrule Warriors, and other similar games.