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The Lowdown
Pros: A dramatic tale told in between swordplay.
Cons: Too slow to be an action title and not enough depth to be a
strategy game either.
 Purchase
at Play-Asia
 Purchase
at Lik-Sang
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After millions of copies of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors titles
were sold in Japan alone From Software decided to jump on the bandwagon.
Better known for making Armored Core games and Tenchu Kurenai, From
Software is a new contender in the hybrid strategy-action genre. Their
story has its roots in Japanese history. You'll be playing as Yoshitsune
who was the leader of the Minamoto clan in the military era of 1100's
feudal Japan.In the history books Yoshitsune was known for being a
good leader in battle. However, in the game you'll throw out most of the
tactics for mastering Yoshitsune's skill with the blade. The actual
gameplay is really similar to any other hack and slash game out there.
Yoshitsune can jump by pressing X and do a basic jumping attack. He can
also do a decent number of combos by alternating between basic attack
(square) and a hard slash (triangle). Playing a character with a handful
of moves is OK for part of the game, but you really need more moves than
these to keep the game interesting. By the time you're halfway through
the game you will have seen all the gameplay it has to offer. The combo
system doesn't get anymore advanced or challenging. In fact you can't
even customize it or learn new usable skills like in similar titles.
In lieu of not being able to customize Yoshitsune's own attacks you're
able to customize everything else around him. At the start of the level
you can select from a couple of generals, each with different abilities.
Generals tag along with you like advanced body guards. Yoshitsune can
even give them commands by holding down the L1 or R1 button to activate
the general skill menu. This will allow you to call up skills you
assigned earlier. Each general can learn more skills by obtaining skills
scrolls hidden in each level. Of course different generals can learn
different skills, so it takes a tiny bit of thought when preparing for
battle. Most of the time you will want a powerful close range fighter
and a long distance archer on your team. This combination offers the
most balance in the game. You can use your close range fighter as a
shield when you're low on life. The archer plays a more offensive role,
launching arrows on oncoming troops.
Battles take place on large open fields. Unlike other 3D action games
there is a specific and typically narrow path to follow. Since the game
forces you along a certain path, you'll always fight the same groups of
enemies in the same places. Enemy encounters are a constant stream with
a few troops at a time. In Yoshitsune you don't want to be surrounded. A
couple of hits will easily finish you off. Also enemy warriors won't
drop dead after one or two hits. There is a bit more realism in between
swordfights. Each individual encounter feels slightly more intense
in comparison to the large scale battles that Dynasty Warriors players
are used to. If you are quick enough to knock a troop on the ground you
can do an impale move for an instant kill.
The Story of Hero Yoshitsune is visually appealing in style. The
environments and movies have a tranquil feel to them. Each massive
battle takes place in a large outdoor environment. While these areas are
nice to look at they are full of invisible walls or in other cases poor
clipping. The unclear boundaries and sometimes hilarious clipping
errors puts the game in a mediocre graphic level. The game does suffer
from jagged edges. Most notably you'll see the spiky grass. On the plus
side the game has a unique style to it and the characters in Yoshitsune
look good. The in game videos aren't too bad either. Some of the little
details like pink leaves blowing in the wind and subtle character
expressions make the FMVs stand out.
If you're looking for a hack and slash game The Story of Yoshitsune
shouldn't disappoint. A simple combo system makes the game accessible and
the hints of an in game story will keep players engaged. What separates
this game from other top tier titles are a couple of details. There is
the lack of a progressive combat system. This means that most gamers will
get sick of the same gameplay rather quickly. Worse of all is the lack
of a two player system. I can imagine that this game would be a blast to
play with a friend, but no such mode is available. Just don't have your expectations high and enjoy the
simple ride that From Software has made for you gamers out there.
All of the menus and level goals are written in kanji. This could
make playing the game difficult, if it wasn't more instinctual gameplay.
Even if you only have a glimpse of what is actually going on, the Story
of Hero Yoshitsune can still be fun to play.
US Bound?
Currently this game in unannounced. It seems unlikely that this game
will be brought over due to localization issues.
Overall
The Story of Hero Yoshitsune does a fair job of blending drama and
fighting. Now if it just had a better combo system and a faster gameplay
engine we would be somewhere.
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