Easily one of the most prolific game series ever made, Koei’s Warriors franchise has seen a lots of additions over the past couple of years. Orochi probably won’t be remembered as a particular benchmark in that well respected series, despite the singularly fascinating nature of its crossover storyline, but the intrigue felt by stalwart fans will be rewarded should they venture into Koei’s reimagined Eastern history.

The premise of a series crossover is one that’s been explored in a variety of different mediums, from films to comics, but rarely producing the awesome possibilities such a combination of popular facets suggests. Perhaps it comes down to too much of a good thing, but a hybrid of beloved characters brought together seldom pays off (for further details, see either of the AvP movies). And here we have the two worlds of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors drawn together on one massive, trans-dimensional battlefield – a premise which could immediately excite stalwart aficionados of the prolific series, but one which brings a well learned scepticism along with it.

The evil Serpent King Orochi has created a rift between the worlds of the two greatest warrior tribes in history so he might test himself against their combined abilities. Naturally, this means the vast number of favourite characters from both factions of the Warriors franchise are finally brought together under one banner. And, of course, they bring with them Koei’s signature trademarks of wonderfully atrocious voice acting, rampant, overflowing battlefields, extravagant button-mashing action and light strategy. So, all faults aside, the core essentials of any Warriors game – be it Dynasty or Samurai – are all present and correct, so the hardcore fans most certainly won’t be disappointed.

Really, there’s too much to keep track of because of the simple amalgamation of the two franchises, let alone making any major (or even particularly minor) gameplay changes. By taking the largest number of playable characters the series has ever seen, and changing the dynamics of play on top of that, there’d probably be little left for the fans to recognise, so it’s presumably a considered decision to make the crossover premise itself the most significant aspect of Orochi – and it’s greatest selling point.

What’s new is a team battle mode, which allows a player to select up to three different characters to take out to war. By switching between these characters during play, the others are given the opportunity to recharge their musou and energy levels – an interesting tactic which extends the battlefield sequences quite considerably, and thereby increases the exhausting (in a good way) action rather significantly.

The rarely seen option to build your own weapons has also been brought through the crossover rift, which is a welcome addition that’s always proven popular with Warriors gamers in the past. Combined with the option to chain musou combos between the team characters, the emphasis of Orochi’s gameplay starts to become clear. This is a game that, by the very nature of its crossover concept, is about combinations – bringing together characters from across the Koei universe, merging their abilities, attacks and weapons and uniting both series’ vast and fertile histories.

The subtlety of this gaming undercurrent is perhaps a little too slight, and could leave a lot of gamers feeling as though there isn’t enough of a difference to really warrant picking up this latest addition to the franchise. While it’s very liberating to be able to enjoy all the best parts of both Dynasty and Samurai in one game, there’s been so many additions to both series of late that we don’t really feel as though we’ve not had the opportunity to explore these individual aspects independently. If the amalgam aspect was a little more prevalent, it’d be easier to credit that particular facet as being the reason and purpose for Orochi to exist.

Still, the fact remains that this game does indeed represent an interesting and, speaking in terms of story and series continuity, vital juxtaposition in the Warriors mythos. It doesn’t hurt that it also delivers every enjoyable and playable aspect the series has become renowned for, so at the very least it gives fans of the microcosmic sub-genre a host of new battles and warriors to enjoy.

That’s not to say this is the Warriors game that’s finally going to achieve the holy grail of Koei’s long running series – the one that converts nonbelievers by some subtle, yet ingenious tweak of the superb gameplay. Orochi isn’t that game. So this really restricts Koei’s audience to those who’re already converts to the Warriors cult (of which there are a great many, fortunately) and provides for them an intriguing and enjoyable novelty. But a novelty nonetheless.