Warriors: Abyss Review – Hades Meets Vampire Survivors in a Musou Inferno

Warriors: Abyss Review

Warriors: Abyss blends the addictive roguelite loop of Hades, the frantic, overwhelming combat of Vampire Survivors, and the large-scale musou battles Koei Tecmo is known for. But does this strange fusion of action elements create a must-play for hack-and-slash enthusiasts?

Heroes from Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors find themselves trapped in hell, where the ruler, Enma, informs them that the demon Gouma has seized control. In order to escape, you must join forces with fighters from across the franchise in a chaotic battle through hell. While the premise is intriguing, it never truly develops. The vast and diverse roster consists of avatars rather than fully realized characters with distinct arcs, and while conversations with Enma push the story forward, the game lacks the dynamic storytelling that made Hades a genre-defining experience. Though the narrative doesn’t reach the heights of its influences, it provides a solid foundation for an addictive gameplay loop.

Fight Through Hell

Your journey through hell is a thrill due to the array of battle mechanics that seamlessly combine to create a fun and addictive system. The Musou-style combat works extremely well with the roguelite formula. You can unleash a devastating attack with a variety of light and heavy combinations and quickly evade signaled strikes with your dash. As the screen quickly fills, these combat prompts add a layer of strategy forcing you to consider your positioning. The importance of your location is elevated further with your specials. Knowing when and where to unleash these devastating attacks is vital as they can quickly contribute to the completion of a phase if executed effectively.

Each phase has an objective with most focusing on eliminating a particular number of foes, some include additional missions which grant extra rewards upon completion. After finishing an area, you can select a hero to join you on your journey. While they are not physically there, their presence is felt by how their abilities intertwine with combos. Depending on when you transfer to your heavy strike will alter which character’s expertise comes into play. This adds a strategic layer to battles giving you some control over the chaos.

Getting the Band Together

In addition to adding characters to your team, you can also opt for a route that rewards you with currency which you can use to unlock more warriors. This is vital as it gives you more choices when building your team and opens the ability to create stronger, more powerful teams. Creating bonds with other characters is important and due to this, you will alter your team throughout the run. Although you can experiment with creating certain builds, I did find that opting for the most powerful is the most productive. However, the powers linked to characters do make a difference. Stacking the specials on top of one another results in huge attacks that can quickly eviscerate anyone on the battlefield.

With your team, you can unleash a devastating joint attack that sends elemental forces surging across the battlefield, obliterating everything in its path. When activated, the screen erupts in a blaze of colors, with the background saturating to amplify the chaos. Watching your kill count rise and your score soar triggers a rush of endorphins, making it all the more addictive. Though immensely powerful, this attack takes time to earn, so using it strategically is key to maximizing its impact.

Although the franchise prides itself on huge battles that flood the screen, with the small maps, it can be difficult to read exactly what is happening, especially in the latter parts of the game. Reading and reacting take a backseat to complete annihilation as you aim to wipe out the area as quickly as possible. While this is clearly by design, the busier the game gets, the harder it is to play strategically.

Not a Pretty Picture

Visually, the game feels dated. The environments are sparse, textures lack detail, and character models appear basic. While I understand this is a spin-off meant to align with Koei Tecmo’s other titles, the art direction ultimately weakens the experience. Even with a lower budget, a distinct visual style could have added more personality and helped set it apart. However, as it is, many may overlook this due to its visuals.

Warriors: Abyss is an addictive roguelite that successfully blends elements from acclaimed titles, carving out its own place in the genre. Combat is a thrill. Taking on hundreds at a time with an array of huge, diverse attacks leads to a compelling system that can quickly get its hooks in you. However, fights can get a little messy in the latter stages of the game removing some of the deliberate actions which take place in the earlier portions. Despite its dated visuals, this roguelite remains a fun and engaging experience.

***A PS5 code provided by the publisher for review***