This is a very odd release. No, I’m not mentioning this is a crappy drop by Koei Tecmo or anything like that. I can already inform you that, just like any other Musou game made by Omega Force (well, aside from the horrendous Dynasty Warriors 9), Samurai Warriors 4 DX is pretty fun, if you’re into this kind of mindless button mashing which requires ten of your brain cells at the very best. The thing is, this is Samurai Warriors 4. It was originally released back in 2014, with this specific DX version gracing the PS4 and Switch five years ago. Even Samurai Warriors 5 is already a few years old at this point. So the question is, if the sequel has already been out for a while, does Samurai Warriors 4 DX manage to carve a niche on PC?

Well, sort of.

I imagine this is part of a Koei Tecmo push to release some of their slightly older titles on Steam, complete with all literal hundreds of DLC pieces of content included in the package, for a somewhat affordable price, mostly to take advantage of the Steam Deck and other portable playable PCs. They did that with Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate last year, after all. So this is the main advantage Samurai Warriors 4 DX has over Samurai Warriors 5: there’s so much stuff in it. Dozens upon dozens of characters, a ton of different campaigns, a character creator (with a dedicated story mode for them)… you will rarely get bored with the sheer amount of content included in this package.

Well, that’s not bad at all. A ton of content in a highly enjoyable but braindead Musou is always a good deal. But considering the fact Samurai Warriors 4 is a game originally released back in 2014, not only for the PS4, but the PS3 and Vita (RIP my king), you simply cannot expect it to look very good. And that’s true: cutscenes look simplistic and dated. The game itself doesn’t push any graphical boundaries (well, maybe the PS3, but that’s not what we’re discussing), but there are two positives I was able to take away from it.

This is mostly a comparison towards Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate‘s PC port from last year. The framerate is a lot more stable, and there aren’t any visible visual glitches, unlike that specific version. It doesn’t matter that there are literal (and I do mean literal) hundreds of enemies onscreen at any given time; it will be a constant 60fps at all times. Oda Nobunaga can freely use his ridiculously overpowered dash attack onto them without having to worry at all about framerate or memory leakage issues.

I don’t think I need to dive deep into the gameplay because, well, it’s a Musou. You’ve played one, you’ve played them. Bash buttons mindlessly whilst killing three thousand enemies per level with absolute ease. Pick up a few items along the way, which will let you improve your skills in between levels. Fight the occasional (very easy) boss. Complete objectives which amount to going to a specific place on the map and killing the living hell out of everyone in front of you. Struggle with the camera clearly not being able to keep up with Nobunaga’s lightspeed dash. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

These games aren’t meant to be complex or thought-provoking. Being able to murder so many samurai in each level, with so much ease, just makes my caveman brain happy. They sure know how to drench me in dopamine with their utterly silly, admittedly very repetitive, but enjoyable gameplay loops. Of course, there is always a lingering sensation you could be playing a better, more polished Musou instead.

Just like most of the games crafted by Omega Force, sure, the gameplay is one of the highlights, but nothing beats the sound design. They never miss a beat. It’s always a bunch of bangers. Just their typical blend of traditional Japanese instruments and scales coupled with EDM or rock music. Nothing beats the sound of guitars clashing with shamisen at the same time. As always, the voice acting ain’t half-bad either. Cartoonish? Sure. Still pretty good, though.

In conclusion, is there a reason to pick Samurai Warriors 4 DX up if its sequel has been readily available on PC for the past couple of years? Yes. That is, if you’re into Musou-style catharsis. It might not be as pretty or polished as its sequel, but it makes up for it with a lot (and boy, do I mean a LOT) of content. Between the dozens of playable characters, multiple storylines, dumb-but-fun gameplay, and a story mode dedicated to an original creation of your own, there is a lot to do and enjoy in this particular port. It suffers from the same issues other Musou games by Omega Force have, but then again, if you are into these games, you are already aware of them and most likely do not care about them.

Graphics: 6.0 It is clearly an older game. It’s not as detailed as more modern Musous. There are no visual glitches like Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate‘s PC port, thankfully enough, and it also runs smoothly.	Gameplay: 7.5 It’s a Warriors game by Omega Force. It’s all about mashing buttons nonsensically and barely using any brain cell. It’s a perfect case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. That being said, the camera struggles to keep up with the action at times, as per usual.
Sound: 9.0 Good voice acting and some banger tunes which fuse rock with classical Japanese instruments. Can’t complain.	Fun Factor: 7.5 It might not be as polished as Samurai Warriors 5, but it has a lot more content. If you are into Musous, it’s as much as a no-brainer as the amount of brain cells needed in order to enjoy it. That being said, the fact this came out for PCs years after its original release is a bit odd, to say the least.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Samurai Warriors 4 DX is available now on PS4, PC and Switch.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Samurai Warriors 4 DX was provided by the publisher.