Samurai Warriors 4 Empires

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
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  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Mar 14, 2016
    90
    Ultimately the success of Samurai Warriors 4 Empires rests on how well it has been able to merge action and strategy together, and while I feel this veers strongly on the side of action, compared with even the Dynasty Warriors Empires series, there’s still enough thinky stuff to do between battles to add nuance to the overall experience.
  2. CGMagazine
    Apr 1, 2016
    85
    It’s been years and several sequels, but where Samurai Warriors was the perfect game for me in my early teens, Samurai Warriors 4: Empires is the perfect game for adult me.
  3. Gamers' Temple
    Apr 5, 2016
    83
    Samurai Warriors Empires adds extra strategy in between the battles which makes the overall game much more addicting than the other Samurai Warriors 4 expansions.
  5. High-Def Digest
    Apr 10, 2016
    80
    Both a great action game and a really fun strategy game, 'Empires' might not appeal to most 'Warriors' fans, as the new elements can seem intimidating and almost jarring when put next to the combat, but for those who put the time in, there's a lot of complexity and fantastic ideas to be found here, making this one of the best 'Warriors' games to date.
  6. Hardcore Gamer
    Mar 14, 2016
    80
    Anyone looking for a new excuse to smack down thousands of enemy soldiers per battle should check this one out.
  7. Brash Games
    Mar 12, 2016
    80
    If you don’t have much experience with this genre then this is a great place to start. I loved almost every aspect of the game and if I had the time I’d probably play for the platinum trophy. I highly recommend this one and can happily endorse the price.
  8. Eurogamer Italy
    Mar 11, 2016
    80
    Samurai Warriors 4: Empires delivers an highly entertaining experience, mixed with strategy mechanics and a solid musou gameplay.
  9. Gaming Nexus
    Mar 11, 2016
    80
    Samurai Warriors 4 Empires is a nice change of pace for those who want more to the Warriors franchise than just hack and slash. Not that the hacking and slashing isn't fun, but the addition of the strategy elements makes it and even better game and one that is a blast to play.
  10. TheSixthAxis
    Mar 11, 2016
    80
    Put simply, Samurai Warriors 4 Empires is the very best this series has to offer. Taking the refined core gameplay of Samurai Warriors 4 and dousing it in the tactics of Nobunaga’s Ambition has worked wonders.
  11. God is a Geek
    Mar 11, 2016
    80
    Samurai Warriors 4 Empires breathes life into a tried and tested formula, helping even the most hardcore Musou fans find something refreshing to experience.
  12. Vandal
    Mar 12, 2016
    77
    It successfully mixes action, political management and customization. It's not revolutionary, but still a good episode.
  13. Worth Playing
    Mar 30, 2016
    75
    Samurai Warriors 4: Empires is an interesting addition to the original games. It doesn't necessarily improve upon or replace them but offers a similar-but-different experience.
  14. 3DJuegos
    Mar 15, 2016
    75
    Another Samurai Warriors 4 edition designed exclusively for PlayStation consoles that improves over the original thanks to the complex and deep new Genesis game mode.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 28
  3. Negative: 7 out of 28
  1. NecrousGir
    May 22, 2016
    10
    I have been playing warriors games almost all of my life but I've personally found Empires games much more appealing. While I give this game aI have been playing warriors games almost all of my life but I've personally found Empires games much more appealing. While I give this game a 10/10 it is very important for people who are fans of Empires games to think of what you want before you buy. This game is far more a sequel to Samurai Warriors Empires 2 (Or more likely 3 Empires though that never got a western release) than it is to Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires. This game and SW 2 Empires aren't focused on a certain character so there are no free officers and no quests like "Infiltrate the traders house." SW 4 Empires takes a lot of it's elements from Samurai Warriors 2 Empires, such as placing officers in specific territories, fulfilling a smaller ambition before conquering Japan, and formations that add to the tactical elements of the game.

    I really think this game was meant to differentiate Dynasty Warriors Empires and Samurai Warriors Empires. While some elements are weak, such as the character creation, some things that seem to be gone or completely random you just have to dig for. This game, unlike just about ever other Empires game, has objectives that occur in battle that generally raise the friendship between two characters. If you choose to ignore these objectives these characters will not become closer. So basically, if you want your character to become friends with a specific person, and not other people, do the right in battle objectives. It's not like DW 8 Empires where you can just have two characters talk twenty times and they're in love.

    All in all I think the game is the best installment in the Empires series since Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires, but if you want to be able to focus on creating a character and living out their life in Japan you're better off just picking up a Dynasty Warriors Empires game. However if you want a clan of custom characters (or historical ones) who each develop relationships with each other and their enemies then this is the game for you.    … Full Review »
  2. MrMagicBrownies
    Mar 15, 2016
    2
    Really disappointing. I wasn't super thrilled with the last Empires title (Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires) because of how stripped-down it felt,Really disappointing. I wasn't super thrilled with the last Empires title (Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires) because of how stripped-down it felt, and was hoping for something different, maybe something that felt like a more fleshed-out experience. Luckily for me, this game is very different from DW8:E, Unluckily for me, it's different in the worst possible way(s). Starting with Edit Mode, which should logically be expanded upon and improved in a sequel (direct or otherwise), is strangely empty, with a grand total of 6 facial hair options for male officers, 4 voices to pick from, hairstyles lifted directly out of Dynasty Warriors 8, a very limited static selection of banners, and a general lack of polish.

    Conquest and Genesis mode are absolutely awful. You pick a clan, as opposed to a soldier, and play out predetermined scenarios, playing as the historically accurate ruler. As somebody who likes to play these games with a focus on the character that they created, this is a huge piss-off. You can no longer begin as a Free Officer and work to build an army to unite the land, which was kind of the entire reason I bought this game in the first place. The pre-existing characters and lore are nowhere near strong enough to hold my interest, and that becomes even more glaringly obvious to me when I don't have a choice in whether or not I want to follow their halfway historically accurate scenarios.

    The other huge problem is the scenarios themselves. They take about 45 minutes apiece to complete, especially with the tragically easy combat in these games (I played for 13 hours and almost died once on Nightmare difficulty). Sometimes the ambition of the clan you've picked is to simply 'Unite these 4 provinces', or 'Reach the Capital, which is literally two provinces away'. The difficulty is nonexistent, which is basically par for the course, but I was hoping for some sort of new mechanic, or at least a political aspect with a steeper learning curve, but if you choose to listen to them, you can just mindlessly sit in front of the TV watching menus while your advisers make the "tough" decisions for you.

    To sum it up, if you're looking for a sandbox experience of any sort, steer clear of this game. Not worth the money they're asking for it. I'd struggle to give it a recommendation at $25, let alone $50.    … Full Review »
  3. BrunaSantos
    Sep 2, 2016
    10
    I love this game so much, i play, and this very fun

    I really think this game was meant to differentiate Dynasty Warriors Empires and    I love this game so much, i play, and this very fun

    I really think this game was meant to differentiate Dynasty Warriors Empires and Samurai Warriors Empires. While some elements are weak, such as the character creation, some things that seem to be gone or completely random you just have to dig for. This game, unlike just about ever other Empires game, has objectives that occur in battle that generally raise the friendship between two characters. If you choose to ignore these objectives these characters will not become closer. So basically, if you want your character to become friends with a specific person, and not other people, do the right in battle objectives. It's not like DW 8 Empires where you can just have two characters talk twenty times and they're in love.

    All in all I think the game is the best installment in the Empires series since Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires, but if you want to be able to focus on creating a character and living out their life in Japan you're better off just picking up a Dynasty Warriors Empires game. However if you want a clan of custom characters (or historical ones) who each develop relationships with each other and their enemies then this is the game for you. Collapse    … Full Review »
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