Arslan: The Warriors of Legend

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is a crowd-pleaser of a game. Although it has a more open-ended conclusion since it follows the series so closely, the more cohesive story and seamless transition between gameplay and cut scenes make the title feel more substantial.

Give it 20 minutes and I guarantee you won’t put it down for the next 4 hours.

Whereas the core of Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is nothing new, it brings enough flair to the table so that it feels like it could be new. If any Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, or Warriors Orochi fans have been looking for another great example of the hack and slash genre, this is definitely it.

It's a bit lighter in content than some other Musou titles with more history, but Arslan: The Warriors of Legend improves the formula with a stronger, focused story based on the anime. Arslan anime fans and Dynasty Warriors fans should find a good time here. If you've ever wanted to take up a sword and slaughter hundreds of enemies, Arslan is your game.

For fans of the manga, anime series, or of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, this game is an absolute winner.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is an exceptional crossover with the Warriors series, standing just behind last year’s Dragon Quest Heroes as the best the franchise has to offer.

If you can stomach a few minor issues that add up over time, Arslan: The Warriors of Legend will be your huckleberry. True to Warriors form there's plenty of collectibles to find, new weapons to discover, online and offline co-op, and a free-play mode.

Minor bugs start to stack up in Arslan: The Warriors of Legend, and they wind up sucking some of the air out of a fun Warriors game. Omega Force definitely has the formula for fun down pat, and they captured the essence of the series, so check it out if you're a fan of the source material.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend takes the Warriors formula and franchise in a new direction, but the core gameplay is largely familiar.

A really faithful and exciting Musou recreation of the epic battles seen in the memorable manganime/novel Arslan.

Arslan is a fun distraction and even more so with a friend. If fans of the warrior’s games can enjoy this story and the themes preset here, I see no reason not to love it. I didn’t know anything about Arslan or its history, yet still I was hooked.

It doesn't want to reinvent the wheel, but it's a musou that's above the average. If you like the genre and/or the series it is based on, it's a good choice.

Another combat-heavy title that doesn’t really offer anything different than other Omega Force titles, but the story is certainly worth following and Arakawa’s artwork is stunning.

Average Omega Force musou game that takes place in the fantastic world of Arslan. It lacks some animation videos, but it's an overall good adaptation. Specially made for Arakawa's Arslan fans.

A great addition to the franchise despite minor problems that might annoy new players or those that are playing for the source material. It won't convince anybody that has hated the many, many games up until this point, but it doesn't really even need to.

[Arslan is] not really that different from those that have come before it, but the focus on story leads to missions that feel more urgent and engaging.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend doesn’t stray too far from the tried and tested Warriors formula. But, once again, Omega Force has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of a brilliant source material while combining it with a solid, combo-filled slasher – and arguably the best-looking Warriors-style game to date.

Ultimately, what might bring down Arslan: The Warriors of Legend in the eyes of some isn't any single aspect, but the fact that in spite of everything, it is—and remains—a Warriors game, with all the attendant baggage and stigma that comes with it. Open-minded fans and the already-converted will be satisfied, but those hoping for more of a departure from tradition won't find it here.

No matter how many protagonists you get to play as or how many play styles you try, sooner or later the whole experience becomes rather boring. Suffering from same repetitive nature as most musou games, Arslan follows the same formula and can only be recommended to hardcore fans of the genre.

This is a unique Warriors experience that delivers more in the narrative side that the others in the series catalogue. Low replayability may not seem like the perfect feature, but it includes original movesets and colorful characters that will make the overall experience enjoyable.

Just playing one or two missions feels like you’re playing the equivalent of one episode. This emphasis on emulating its established story is its main strength and is also a bold move when compared to most other anime game adaptations. If Omega Force experimented with more noncanonical scenarios in its Free Mode, this could have ranked among the best Warriors spin-offs.

While not innovative, Arslan: The Warriors of Legend manages to be yet another well crafted musou from Omega Force. It might not have the depth of others entries gameplay wise, but the narrative is compelling enough to keep players entertained.

From the moment the wallpaper popped onto my PS4 screen, the manga influence took centre stage. It continued to be that way as I pressed start, with the overall in-game graphics beautifully cell-shaded, mimicking the appearance of an anime.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is another solid take on the Warriors formula, one with a clear, and above all else, focus on bringing the anime’s entertaining story to life in an action filled video game.

A great story and some well scripted/designed characters are not enough to elevate this Dynasty Warriors-style game above average status.

Arslan boasts great story and character concepts woven beautifully between stunning action sequences. Gameplay is straightforward, but a diverse cast of playable characters prevents too much monotony.

Faithful to the manga, but lacks the modes of other Dynasty Warriors games.

Yet another musou, with almost no novelty for a genre that’s always been light on complexity and variety. A game that’s just for fans of the manga series, or dynasty warriors aficionados.

All in all, Arslan: The Warriors of Legend seems to be a pretty good anime that got turned into an okay Dynasty Warriors-style game.

This is a new Warrior game but it's not really different from Dynasty Warrior games. It has some nice features though. But don't buy it for 60 euros, half of it is enough.

It's a mediocre tie in, lacking content, personality and interesting mechanics. Fans will at least find that their favourite characters have been treated with respect, but that's not enough to make a good game.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is not the best musou created by Omega Force, but it has a pretty nice story based on a good anime license. As far as gameplay goes, do not expect nothing new or fancy, though.

The tactical depth is somewhat let down by an inconsistent technical quality. [Apr 2016, p.94]

Think of Arslan as a fast-food joint’s seasonal range: a few flourishes make it more appealing than the standard menu, but it still ain’t top-tier chow. [May 2016, p78]

The breath of fresh air we got from Omega Force in Hyrule Warriors and Dragon Quest Heroes is not present here, which means that Arslan is suitable mostly for fans of the anime.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend does nothing new, but it looks good and plays well. The story is run of the mill, but is nice if you're a fan of swords, sorcery, and royalty.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is a decent entry in the musou series, if you keep your expectations down.

A lot of care and effort has been poured into Arslan: The Warriors of Legend's story mode, but the narrative focus has taken attention away from other aspects of the release. Outside of the plot, things are enjoyable but unspectacular, and by and large, the title feels like the basis for a better sequel.

Tear the anime-patterned wrapper away and what you have is essentially another iteration on the same aging format Omega Force has been peddling for years. In this case it has been slightly altered but not enough to conceal the franchise’s ongoing fatigue as fewer bold ideas are brought to the table.

With less personality than a Dynasty Warriors game, totally forgettable story and sparse content, Arslan is only somewhat redeemed by its minor combat improvements. [Issue#268, p.76]

Overall, what we have here is your standard mixed bag.