Free Mode: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:04, 23 December 2023

Free Mode (フリーモード) is a mode featured in several Warriors titles. Originally introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2, it features several characteristics that distinguish it from Story Mode.

Allows one to replay unlocked stages without having to go through story introductions, cutscenes, and pre-battle dialogues.
Provides a faster method of grinding for loot and experience in order to strengthen characters.
Sometimes provides easier alternatives to acquiring rare weapons and items, though only certain characters can pull it off depending on their placement on the battle map.
Offers the choice of fighting from the perspective of factions and occasional third parties not made playable in Story Modes. It should be noted that this option is omitted entirely in the Warriors Orochi series.
Enables players to hear an enemy officer's death quote instead of their retreat phrase. Select characters may offer unique dialogue found only in this mode.

Playable characters that cannot be played within a game's own Story Mode are usually referred to as "Free Mode characters" by fans. They typically have special traits to distinguish them from unique NPCs, player-created characters, or other generic officers on the field. Their exclusion from Story Mode is often met negatively, especially with fans who desire to experience more facets of their respective games' narratives. Expansions or spin-off titles sometimes alleviate this problem by giving these characters their own unique stories.

Characters in the third-party Warriors collaboration titles may solely be available in the game's original mode (closest equivalent to Free Mode in these titles). These characters often differentiate themselves from "Free Mode characters" since they have individual side stories or optional objectives dedicated to them. Downloadable content might also highlight them in some way.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Free Mode''' (フリーモード) is a mode in several ''Warriors'' titles that allows characters to be leveled up in stages not found during their [[Musou Mode|personal story]]. Since it generally ignores story related cutscenes, it is a convenient method for players to survey a stage and build up weaker characters. In most games, it is the quickest method of searching for weapons, additional bodyguards, and unique items. For select characters, it may also trigger unique character interactions not usually seen in other game modes.
+'''Free Mode''' (フリーモード) is a mode featured in several ''Warriors'' titles. Originally introduced in ''[[Dynasty Warriors 2]]'', it features several characteristics that distinguish it from [[Story Mode]].
+#Allows one to replay unlocked stages without having to go through story introductions, cutscenes, and pre-battle dialogues.
+#Provides a faster method of grinding for loot and experience in order to strengthen characters.
+#Sometimes provides easier alternatives to acquiring rare weapons and items, though only certain characters can pull it off depending on their placement on the battle map.
+#Offers the choice of fighting from the perspective of factions and occasional third parties not made playable in Story Modes. It should be noted that this option is omitted entirely in the ''[[Warriors Orochi (series)|Warriors Orochi]]'' series.
+#Enables players to hear an enemy officer's death quote instead of their retreat phrase. Select characters may offer unique dialogue found only in this mode.
-Free Mode allows players to play through a set of stages earned while progressing through characters' individual story modes (or kingdoms/factions in ''[[Dynasty Warriors 4]]''). These stages typically grants permission to choose between both sides -or occasional third parties- for the chosen map; this option is omitted in the ''[[Warriors Orochi (series)|Warriors Orochi]]'' series. Battles within this mode follow a general scenario present within all participating characters' stories, often taking out special events from unique stories. ''[[Samurai Warriors]]'' and its [[Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends|expansion]] substitutes this system with the ability to choose a character specific map instead (such as [[Nō|Noh's]] version of [[Honnōji]] from her upper path story). ''Dynasty Warriors 4'' and ''[[Dynasty Warriors|8]]'' categorize each stage into different regions.
+Playable characters that cannot be played within a game's own Story Mode are usually referred to as "Free Mode characters" by fans. They typically have special traits to distinguish them from unique NPCs, player-created characters, or other generic officers on the field. Their exclusion from Story Mode is often met negatively, especially with fans who desire to experience more facets of their respective games' narratives. Expansions or spin-off titles sometimes alleviate this problem by giving these characters their own unique stories.
-In ''[[Dynasty Warriors 3]]'' and ''Dynasty Warriors 6'', this mode is the only way to level playable characters without Musou Modes. A similar instance also occurs in ''[[Samurai Warriors 2]]'' and ''[[Samurai Warriors 3]]'' for several characters, though these characters can alternatively level up in the games' alternate battle modes. The new characters in ''[[Warriors Orochi Z]]'' are mainly featured in their Dream Modes and are not present during the series's main story.
+Characters in the third-party ''Warriors'' collaboration titles may solely be available in the game's original mode (closest equivalent to Free Mode in these titles). These characters often differentiate themselves from "Free Mode characters" since they have individual side stories or optional objectives dedicated to them. Downloadable content might also highlight them in some way.
+[[Category:Game Modes]]
-Playable characters that fall into this category are usually dubbed "Free Mode characters" by fans. These characters have unique traits to distinguish them for unique NPCs, player-created characters, or other generals on the field. However, the notion to prohibit them from having their own scenarios is met with mixed impressions, especially with the fans who desire to experience more facets of the game's stories. Regardless, fans who do not prefer repetition in stories don't find this as a negative feature.
-The ''[[Dynasty Warriors: Gundam]]'' games and ''[[Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage]]'' have a majority of their playable cast available for selection solely in the game's original mode (closest equivalent to Free Mode in these titles). Characters within Original/Mission/Dream Mode differentiate themselves from "Free Mode characters" since they have individual Story Missions. [[Heart]] and [[Outlaw]] are the ones to break the trend for these titles.
-[[Category:Gameplay]]