Gauntlet Mode is another new addition to the selection of modes in Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate. From the onset, you’ll pick a vanguard of not three but FIVE officers under your control and take on a series of increasingly difficult missions and battlefields. As you progress deeper into the Gauntlet, more officers are unlocked and allow you to choose freely amongst them. This mode is incredibly helpful for those that want to get the best equipment for their officers, as various crafting materials can be unlocked and later turned into the blacksmith in exchange for new weapons and skill orbs. Want an ultimate skill like Typhoon or Brilliance for your weapon? Just get the right item drops and you can convert them into a skill orb that can be fused onto any weapon you own.
Musou Battlefields make their return in Ultimate as well. This mode lets you take any stage in the game and remix is to some extent. Change the officers that appear, rearrange their dialogue, tweak the audio effects, and more. There’s also an option to upload or play someone else’s levels. The more people that play your level, the more crystals (Orochi 3‘s currency) you unlock for the main game.
Worried that with all of the new characters that you’re going to have trouble leveling them up? Not to fear, as there are a number of systems in place to boost how quickly you level up. The growth points from the original game return. After completing stages, these points are doled out depending on performance during battle and act as a freely usable experience system. You can stick with one of your higher powered characters to dole out damage then invest those growth points post-battle to gain roughly the same amount of experience for a second character. There’s also a new Fever item that can be dropped during combat. For about 30 seconds, any enemy that is killed is guaranteed to drop an EXP scroll. This means for giant mobs of enemies, you may find yourself being swarmed with over a hundred exp scrolls that will instantly turn into a few levels for that character.
Character growth is so quick in Ultimate that there is a new promotion system has been implemented after hitting level 100 with a given character. The first couple of promotions are fairly straightforward. You drop a character’s level down to 1 but give them an addition skill and item slots. The more you promote a character (up to 9 times in total per character), they’ll unlock additional skills or increase the drop rate on growth points or gems. Also, with every level, you’ll gain stat points that confer a permanent boost to a character’s traits (meaning every character can hit a speed of 180 before any sort of equipment bonuses, very handy for rushing through stages to get shorter clear times).
From a performance standpoint, Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate ran the smoothest of any Warriors title I’ve ever played. On the PS4 version, the framerate stayed relatively high even when the screen was filled with musou effects, item drops, and dozens of enemy troops. Many of the issues that plagued Dynasty Warriors 8 XL on the PS4, including the infamous fire slowdown, are non-existent on the platform. The Vita version on the other hand is just as fully featured as the PS4 release, without the technical prowess. The framerate is on the lower end of the spectrum. While still completely playable, it did provide a stark contrast to the PS4’s beautiful visuals. Another anomaly exclusive to the Vita release is a matter of occasionally disappearing textures. On one particular stage, rotating the camera to one side would always eliminate the water textures on the river that cuts through Tong Gate.
If you only have one platform to pick from, the PS4 release of Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is the definitive way to go. Playing on the Vita doesn’t take away any from the overall experience, just be forewarned that it isn’t quite as polished as its console brethren. For those that have access to both copies, cross-save works wonderfully the few times I’ve experimented with it. A patch that launched on Wednesday (a day after its US release) also allowed players to migrate their progress from the PS3 release of Warriors Orochi 3, eliminating a lot of the redundancies of having to start anew. Story progress, character levels, weapon data, and more are all carried over into Ultimate. If you can migrate a save from the Vita release of Ultimate into the PS4, you’re also rewarded with a great deal of in-game items and exclusive stages for Gauntlet Mode.
Overall, Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is one of the most polished entries in the Warriors franchise. The largest roster, the highest level of detail and framerate, the most customization; all of that is featured in this latest Koei Tecmo release. If you’re a fan of the series or just want to see what all the fuss is about, this is probably the best entry point you can choose.
[Editor’s Note: Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate was reviewed on both the PS4 and PS Vita platforms. Review code was provided to us by the publisher.]