Warriors Orochi

Overview
Warriors (Musou) Orochi is a cross-over game created by Koei in which the Dynasty Warriors game series and Samurai Warriors series are combined. The game introduces 2 new characters - Orochi and Da Ji. Another new feature is the ability to form a party of 3 characters in your story or any characters in Free Mode. Each character in Warriors Orochi is divided into three different categories: Speed, Technique, and Power. Each type has it pros and cons in the party depending on the battle at hand. The Game has since been made for the PC, PSP, and Xbox 360.

During story mode, you choose one of four forces, them being Shu, Wei, Wu, and the new Samurai stories. Each has it's own story, eventually having to join with other forces for the ultimate battle at Koshi Castle defeating the Serpent King, Orochi.

After completing a Story Mode, you may play the story with any character you have unlocked, like in Free Mode. Free Mode in Warriors Orochi works the same way that every other Warriors game works. You may use any character that you have unlocked in each of the story modes to form your dream party and take on any stage you have unlocked in the story modes as well.

The game was followed by a PSP port, a sequel, and another installment just for the PS3.

Characters
All major characters from past Warriors games appear, save for Fu Xi, Nu Wa, and the characters from Samurai Warriors 2. Two new unique characters, however, are added to the game, which are Orochi, the game's main antagonist, and Da Ji, his strategist. In the English game, Orochi's generic officers are named after snakes, taking Orochi's Japanese snake demon myth into the game.

Zuo Ci and Tadakatsu Honda, unlike any other Sengoku or Three Kingdom character, are not unlockable by completing a story mode, nor take to a specific force. Zuo Ci only appears in two stages, both affiliated with Shu, to aid Zhao Yun in rescuing Liu Bei. He is unlocked by completing all four stories. Tadakatsu Honda, on the other hand, is unlocked by completing all eighth Gaiden stages, and appears in all seventh Gaiden stages to help the player combat Lu Bu.

Gameplay Elements

 * Warriors Orochi introduces three-man teams, where the player chooses three warriors to play as in-battle, though can only play one at a time. Switching to other selected characters is used on game consoles via back shoulder buttons. Those inactive warriors recuperate health and Musou. Although the player chooses a team of characters, one man's death leads to a stage's failure.


 * Characters now have special attacks, which, depending on the class of warrior, uses Musou to activate. Up to two of these attacks may be attributed to each character. When both are available to use, one may require it being done while moving, and the other requires it while moving. All personages playable are divided into three classes - Power, Speed, and Technique, which affect special moves. The Power class, when using a special move, is provided with a strong strike, combined with invulnerability for that action. Speed characters' special moves usually take no Musou to activate. Along with these attacks, Speed characters can use an "Air Dash", more commonly known as double jump. After a jump, in mid-air, players press the button to jump forward, which is useful for traversing long areas. Technique-class characters usually two special moves, with one to attack and/or counter. The other is called an "Enhanced Strike". Basically, it is used during an attack string, as a undefined attack. During a  attack, the player presses the special move button to activate the Enhanced Strike. When activated, the charge move is super-powered. For example, during Cao Ren's third undefined, he sends out several, pulsing shockwaves, which range from one wave, to three on the last pulse. But when used as an Enhanced Strike, he sends out three waves on all pulses.


 * Growth Points, earned through completing stages, can be used to increase characters' levels, and enrich weapons.


 * Unique items are used to improve the strength of special attacks. Each character has his/her own item, and has his/her own requirements to unlock it. With special attacks, weapons can also be refined and upgraded, using the Weapon Fusion system. Elements, such as Fire, Ice, Multi, Agility, and Brave, can be added on using Growth Points. Each element has a special effect on a weapon, and with more of one component added on to one weapon, the more powerful that component becomes, and more often it comes.


 * Horse calling, originally exclusive to Yukimura Sanada and Keiji Maeda, is now available to all characters.

Shu Story Mode
From the introduction, Liu Bei was captured and supposedly killed while Zhao Yun is held in Ueda Castle where he loses all hope of any restoration of Shu. He is rescued by Zuo Ci, Shimazu Yoshihiro, and Xing Cai with Zuo Ci revealing that Liu Bei is still alive. Zhao Yun rejoices at this news and embarks on his journey to rescue his lord. During the course of the timeline, Zhao Yun receives news that his lord is at specific locations, though they turn out to be deceiving, which deflates the morale of the army. At Hasedo, after rescuing a captive Yue Ying, Zhao Yun finds out that Shu's former strategist Zhuge Liang works for Orochi, which confuses them. At Edo Castle, Shu unexpectedly battles Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Liu Bei's oath brothers. The two reveal that they, including Zhuge Liang, fight for Orochi only because he keeps their brother captive. Though with hope and logic, they see that their tyrant is close to falling with multiple resistances, and join with Shu, to defeat Orochi. This ending is seen as the most canonical to the Warriors Orochi time line, as Liu Bei is rescued at the end, as he starts with them at the beginning of Warriors Orochi 2.

Starters

 * Zhao Yun, Xing Cai, Shimazu Yoshihiro

Unlockable

 * Ginchiyo Tachibana, Yue Ying, Magoichi Saika, Wei Yan, Yukimura Sanada, Meng Huo, Zhu Rong, Yuan Shao, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang,Liu Bei,Jiang Wei, Pang De, Goemon Ishikawa, Masamune Date, Miyamoto Musashi

Main

 * Ueda Castle, Hasedo, Cheng Du, Nanzhong, The Wu Territory, Edo Castle, Koshi Castle

Gaiden

 * Nanzhong, Shizugatake, Escape from Chi Bi, Jie Ting, Tedorigawa, Xi Liang, Mikatagahara

Wei Story Mode
In this story, Cao Pi takes command after his father Cao Cao has gone missing. As the new leader of Wei, Cao Pi agrees to form an alliance with Orochi after an offer sent by his strategist, Da Ji. Under this alliance, Cao Pi suppresses all rebellions under Orochi's command. Da Ji puts an unfriendly Mitsunari Ishida into Wei to keep an eye on Cao Pi. Throughout the early stages of this story, the latter makes a friendship with Ishida], and begin to creep away from Orochi's unfocused eye. [[Da Ji finds out once she sees Cao Pi let Sun Ce go, when he was supposed to be captured. With encouragement from Nobunaga Oda, Xiahou Dun, who led his own anti-Orochi force, joins Wei along with Xiahou Yuan, and Pang Tong. Near the end of the story, at Yamazaki, Dian Wei and Cao Cao appear to help the Coalition, and mold into the powerful Wei, greatly increasing morale, and deflating their enemy's. Wei eventually defeats Orochi.

Starters

 * Cao Pi, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang

Unlockable

 * Xu Zhu, Ishida Mitsunari, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Pang Tong, Huang Gai, Oichi, Azai Nagamasa, Gan Ning, Dian Wei, Cao Cao, Zhang He, Nene, Imagawa Yoshimoto, Diao Chan, Zhen Ji

Main

 * Kuzegawa, Tian Shui, Xia Kou, Yi Ling, Odawara Castle, Chen Cang, Yamazaki, Koshi Castle

Gaiden

 * Nanzhong, Ji Province, Saika, The Five Gates, Liang Province, Nan Zhong, He Fei Castle

Wu Story Mode
For the kingdom of Wu, Orochi blackmails the Sun family, as well as Ieyasu Tokugawa into servitude with the life of Sun Ce's father Sun Jian's, and Tokugawa officers' lives as the consequence. As a reward of sorts, every time Sun Ce completes a mission, Orochi releases one of his hostages. The first to rebel, Sun Ce encounters more conflict in the form of his disapproving siblings, who think that he is acting selfish, forgetting the price of disobeying Orochi. During the later course of the story, Sun Ce is attacked by his brother, Sun Quan, who repeatedly fails. For this, he and Sun Jian are designated for execution at Komaki-Nagakute, though Sun Ce successfully rescues them. In the story, fortunately, after reuniting, the Sun family leads Wu to defeat Orochi.

Starters

 * Sun Ce, Ieyasu Tokugawa, Hanzō Hattori

Unlockable

 * Zhou Yu, Mori Ranmaru, Taishi Ci, Fuma Kotaro, Lu Meng, Sakon Shima, Nō, Kunoichi, Sun Shang Xiang, Ina, Da Qiao, Zhou Tai, Keiji Maeda, Sun Quan, Sun Jian

Main

 * Mt. Ding Jun, Chang Ban,  Odani Castle,  Osaka Castle,  Sekigahara,  He Fei,  Komaki-Nagakute, Koshi Castle

Gaiden

 * Chang Shan, Jian Ye, Wan Castle,   Anegawa,  Osaka Bay,  Ji Province,  Chi Bi

Samurai Story Mode
Here, the three major daimyo Nobunaga Oda, Shingen Takeda, and Kenshin Uesugi each maintain a resistance force against Orochi but refuse to work with each other. Each daimyo, instead of focusing on combining to defeat Orochi focus on gaining more people for their resistances to make themselves more powerful. Throughout the story, Nobunaga predicts the future, making intricate plans that foresee and takes action with Cao Pi's betrayal of Orochi, and sending Sakon Shima to help Wu. Eventually, the three daimyo ally together to defeat Orochi. Afterward, the alliance splits, preparing for future war. Xiao Qiao dislikes the decision, but Shingen Takeda comforts her with a pat on the head.

Starter

 * Oda Nobunaga, Mitsuhide Akechi, Hideyoshi Toyotomi

Unlockable

 * Guan Ping, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, Okuni, Xiao Qiao, Zhang Jiao, Lu Xun, Dong Zhuo, Ling Tong, Cao Ren, Sima Yi, Naoe Kanetsugu, Shingen Takeda, Uesugi Kenshin

Main

 * Jing Province, Honnoji, Kyushu, Tong Gate, Guan Du, Fan Castle, Wu Zhang Plains, Koshi Castle

Gaiden

 * Kawanakajima, Xia Pi, Si Shui Gate, Nagashino, Odawara Castle, Kanegasaki, Bai Di Castle