Warriors: Legends of Troy

Warriors: Legends of Troy (TROY無双, Troy Musou) is a game announced by Koei at E3 in 2009. It is being made to appeal to Western players who don't like the Three Kingdoms setting from Dynasty Warriors. Even the development team members are not fans of the series and are working to invigorate the hack-and-slash system from previous titles. Most of the staff working on the project are from Canada and they want to create an European game to appeal to Western audiences. The game was made using SpeedTree software. Its Japanese counterpart will be completely voiced in Japanese, retaining most of the violence featured in the original release.

Akihiro Suzuki states that he supports their ideas, but he has expressed concerns that the Canadian staff will lose the Warriors image. Regarding the level of violence and realism, he adds that he would like to include an option to turn off the gore -even though the Canadian team took great pains in simulating it. This is likely tied with his plans for the Japanese release, in which he wants to avoid a Cero Z rating (age 18 over only due to explicit content) and aim for a D rating (age 17 over only with mature content). He notes that the supervision of the cutscenes for the game were done by developers of a famous Canadian TV drama, thus assuring the quality and sequencing of the story scenes.

Players can side with heroes from either side of the Ten Year Trojan War as their stories are told through an oral narrative, similar to how it would have been during the game's setting. The developers are using The Iliad as the game's base, but they are also aiming to include mythological information from other sources. For instance, Suzuki has hinted to a "Zombie story" being in the game.

Gameplay
Unlike other Warriors titles, this game is much more grittier and rustic, aiming to create a sense of cruel realism. The sound effects have been improved to emphasize the cutting of flesh and spurts of blood.

The sense of "one versus a thousand" remains, but there is a noticeable difference with Warriors: Legends of Troy. Players can't always run into crowd of villains and expect them to always be taken down by their normal attacks alone. The enemy AI is also aggressive and will attack on impulse. This new system stresses the importance of planning and careful preparation. To remove the redundancy that may come from the older system, players can use various methods and tactics to gain an advantage over their opponents.
 * Charges have been adapted for a different combat system with three attack buttons (,undefined,). These buttons can be used in various attack combinations
 * or Quick Attack allows several damaging attacks for combos.
 * undefined is for Focused Attacks to pierce through an enemy's guard. When an enemy is caught off guard or shows an opening, undefined may appear to perform a Finisher, or a stylized killing blow. Finishers change their animations based on the position of the player's character to their target.
 * is a Stun Attack, which has a higher chance of lowering an opponent's guard than undefined. These attacks deal no damage, but they can provide a momentary opening for players. When the player has purchased the right items for their character, they can learn how to use Quick and Stun Attacks button combinations.


 * Jumps -or at least the act of performing high jumps commonly found in other Warriors titles on command- have been omitted.
 * The trademark musou move found in several Warriors games has been removed and replaced with a different "Fury" gauge . When it is filled, the character will not be totally invincible but they will instead have a significant power boost until the gauge depletes. Special attacks during this phase have slow motion effects and dramatic cuts not otherwise seen unless Fury is activated.
 * As players fight through crowds and obstacles, they will be awarded Kleos, or the monetary currency in this game. Bonus Kleos can be earned by performing stylish kills without suffering damage. If the player doesn't attack an enemy for ten seconds or if they are hit once, their bonus Kleos counter will reset. Kleos can be used to purchase rare items for the player's usage. Purchased items can be used to let players learn various skills for their characters or change certain attributes such as the gained Kleos or length of a character's health bar.
 * Items can also be unlocked within the game if the player meets certain Battle Objectives during Story Mode. Objectives that must be met within a certain time limit have a on screen timer for the player's convenience. Special items also appear within the game's Challenge Mode.
 * Unlike other Warriors titles, there are no battlefield items to restore a character's lost health or temporarily increase their stats. Characters regain their health by cutting a path through their foes. The more Kleos accumulated from their attacks, the more health is restored. Since a character has a naturally minute health bar, it might be in the player's best interest to avoid blindly rushing into crowds.
 * Characters are not limited to the weapon they are using and can use their shield, javelin, boulders and other soldiers to thrash their foes. Equipping a different weapon also changes what actions the player can perform. For instance, a character with a shield and sword will act in a different manner than a character who only has a sword. Weapons can be found as the player progresses through a stage and can be used immediately (i.e. if an enemy drops a sword, the player can pick it up and use it by pressing L2). When using an enemy's discarded weapon, players can perform Quick Attacks and can hurl it at opponents by using a Focused Attack. Each weapon has a limited amount of uses before it shatters or breaks, so players need to plan their strikes carefully.
 * A lock-on option is also available by pressing L1. Lock-ons can also be used to increase the accuracy of thrown weapons.
 * Rolling or evading from attacks can be done by pressing R2. It can help players dodge certain attacks and is useful for gaining distance between opponents. Rolling doesn't make their characters completely invincible under normal means, meaning that it shouldn't be the be-all-answer for avoiding attacks. The realistic vulnerabilities found in evading is its prime difference between its Samurai Warriors or Dynasty Warriors counterparts.
 * There are two types of guarding in this title: Guarding and Parrying. Guarding can be performed by holding R1 to block incoming enemy attacks. Tapping on R1 for incoming attacks performs a Parry, triggering a quick guard with a chance for an offensive rebound for the player. When a Parry is timed the exact moment an enemy hits the character, it's possible to retaliate with a stronger Perfect Parry. Mastering the art of parrying is a necessity for progressing through the game on harder difficulties or Challenge Mode.
 * One-on-one fights with bosses are implemented in the game. During a duel, it's encouraged to lock onto their lone opponent and gradually chip away their health. Rushing into a fight might turn for the worse for the player. When their foe nears low health, the player can then finish them off with a Fury attack.
 * Special bosses, such as the mystical giants or beasts, will have a weakening sequence for players to input or a special Finisher animation. As their health drains during the fight, key buttons may appear in the center of the screen for the player to rapidly press. Reacting to the button sequence correctly awards bonus Kleos. Depending on the opponent, performing a perfect sequence can change the boss's A.I. entirely. Like Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, causing a mistake in the button inputs restores a portion of the boss's health and lowers the player's life as punishment.
 * All events can be manually skipped by the player, including the seamless in-battle events.

New Story
Players fight through the Trojan War while being introduced to each section through a stylized narrative. Similar to the Story Mode in Dynasty Warriors 7, players cannot freely select their own character within this mode. The narrative is told in a manner that combines the characters' histories into a solid, collective story. Unlike the previously mentioned title, it additionally reenacts events that predate the current conflict, gradually dramatizing the setting and the history of various characters as the player progresses through the game.

Chapter Select
Analogous to Free Mode from other Warriors titles.

Challenge Mode
There are three courses the player can choose to participate in:
 * Arena - players fight through a continuous stream of enemies who gradually become stronger as the player progresses. As they defeat more enemies, players can gain bonus Kleos.
 * Rampage - challenges players to obtain as many Kleos as possible without getting hit by the swarm of enemies surrounding them. Being hit once within this mode means an instant game over.
 * Bloodlust - the player's health gradually drains until it is nothing. In order to restore their health, players have to defeat their foes as quickly as possible.

Participating in these courses may award players large quantities of Kleos. An allotted amount of Kleos is awarded to players based on their overall performance.

Options
Allows players to change controls and difficulty, disable certain ui and blood effects, adjust sound settings and toggle cheats. Cheats the player can activate are:
 * Super Strength - Adds a knock back effect to player's attacks. Unlocked by completing all chapters on easy difficulty.
 * Big Heads - Cosmetically enlarges characters' heads. Unlocked by completing all chapters on normal difficulty.
 * Infinite Ammo - Picked-up weapons may be thrown repeatably. Unlocked by completing all chapters on hard difficulty.
 * Sudden Death - Kills players in one hit but doubles the Kleos earned from attacks. Unlocked by completing all chapters on expert difficulty.

Extras
Allows players to view previously earned movies and achievements and listen to the game's soundtrack. It also features an art gallery containing any concept and promotional art players have unlocked.

Greek

 * Achilles
 * Odysseus
 * Ajax
 * Patroklos

Trojan

 * Hektor
 * Paris
 * Penthesilea
 * Aeneas

Present

 * Helen
 * Tyndareos
 * Hippolyte
 * Menelaos
 * Agamemnon
 * Priam
 * Deiphobos
 * Mynes
 * Eetion
 * Kassandra

Bosses

 * Statue of Apollo
 * Griffin
 * Cyclops
 * Lyssa

Related Media
On May 15, 2011, a miniature blogger event to offer a sneak peak to Japanese consumers was held within Tokyo. It was held at the Greek and Mediterranean dinner and bar, Kaze no Kura. Game designers Mike Bond and Mr. Kuroda and the game's director, Hiroshi Kadowaki, were present to offer their impressions to sixteen attendees. Bond explained the cultural impressions and differences seen for the Warriors series. As opposed to controlling ridiculously speedy, unrealistically energized supermen, the Canadian staff sought to create natural moving powerhouses with more believable movements. Whilst talking about the game's Story Mode, they noted that the idea to have individual stories for each character was a considered design. However, it became much too complicated and detailed with over one hundred characters, so it became its current chapter format. Photos and other details of the report can be seen at 4Gamer.

Like the previous Yoshimoto Musou Project from Dynasty Warriors 7, the Warriors fans in the Yoshimoto Performance Group played Troy Musou to showcase/advertise it to curious buyers. Their gameplay video can be seen on the official Japanese website.