Warriors Orochi

Warriors Orochi (無双OROCHI), is a PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 hack and slash video game developed by Koei and Omega Force. It is a crossover of two of Koei's popular video game series, Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors (Specifically Dynasty Warriors 5 and Samurai Warriors 2). The game was released on March 21, 2007 in Japan, September 18 in the United States, September 21 in Europe, September 27 in Australia and September 28 in New Zealand. The game came out for the Xbox 360 in Japan on September 13, and the UK version came out on the same date as the PlayStation 2 version in the United States.

The game was ported to the PSP. It was released in Japan February 2008, March 25 in the US, and March 28 in the UK. A PC version was released in the US on March 25, 2008.

A direct sequel was released in Japan on April 3, 2008 and was released in Europe and North America in September 2008.

A compilation was released on March 12, 2009 in Japan for the PlayStation 3; it is only available in Japan and will not receive a Western release. Koei announced a PC release of the game for November 2009 in Japan, but it is uncertain whether or not it will be released outside Japan.

Plot and characters
Yamata no Orochi,the all powerful Serpent King, created a rift in time and space. By creating a twisted new world and bringing together warriors from the Three Kingdoms era of China and the Warring States period of Japan (more than 1,000 years apart in history), Orochi wished to test the might of the warriors of these two eras.

The story is told in four separate but related subplots. Each subplot starts the player with three characters. More characters are unlocked as the player progresses through the story or satisfies certain conditions in certain stages. Each subplot is named after one of the Three Kingdoms, and one from the perspective of the Samurai Warriors characters. Characters from different factions band together in each subplot to confront Orochi. Because of the storyline, most of the characters have split from their respective factions in the original games and have been forced into other scenatios. However, the character selection screen still places all the characters in their original positions.

A total of 79 characters encompasses the roster of Warriors Orochi: 48 from Dynasty Warriors, 29 from Samurai Warriors (including Yoshimoto Imagawa, Kunoichi and Goemon Ishikawa from the first Samurai Warriors, left out in its sequel), and two new characters: the titular character and primary villain, Orochi (远吕智/八歧大蛇) the Serpent King and the mythological beast of Yamato; and Da Ji (妲己), the villainous concubine of King Zhou of Shang from Fengshen Yanyi. Orochi wields a very large scythe, named "Eternal Agony", while Da Ji fights with two floating orbs, called "the Orbs of Ruin".

There are many generic, non-playable officers who are also part of the game, all taken from the Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors games. There are also exclusive non-playable officers that are in Orochi's forces.

Shu story
In the Kingdom of Shu story, the Shu forces were in shambles after their battle with Orochi. Many Shu officers were captured by Orochi, went missing, or joined other forces. Zhao Yun was captured by Orochi's forces and held prisoner in Ueda Castle. He is later rescued by Zuo Ci, Yoshihiro Shimazu and Xing Cai. Zuo Ci revealed startling news to Zhao Yun, which led him to embark upon a quest with help from unexpected allies.


 * Starting characters: Zhao Yun, Xing Cai, Yoshihiro Shimazu
 * Affiliates: Ginchiyo Tachibana, Yue Ying, Magoichi Saika, Jiang Wei, Wei Yan, Yukimura Sanada, Pang De, Meng Huo, Zhu Rong, Goemon Ishikawa, Yuan Shao, Masamune Date, Musashi Miyamoto, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei
 * Stages: Ueda Castle, Hasedō, Nanzhong (2 times), Cheng Du, Shizugatake, Huarong Pass, The Wu Territory, Jie Ting, Hu Lao Gate, Tedorigawa, Edo Castle, Xi Liang, Mikatagahara

Wei story
In the Kingdom of Wei story, Cao Cao had disappeared in his battle against Orochi's forces. His son, Cao Pi, took up leadership of the Wei clan and allied himself with Orochi, under the offer sent by his strategist, Da Ji. There were a few Wei officers who refused to surrender, or ended up joining other forces opposing Orochi. Under the new alliance, Orochi orders Cao Pi to suppress all those who oppose him. Though Cao Pi obediently obeys Orochi's every command, he has an ulterior motive that he is planning as the story progresses.


 * Starting characters: Cao Pi, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang
 * Affiliates: Xu Zhu, Mitsunari Ishida, Zhang He, Nene, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Pang Tong, Huang Gai, Diao Chan, Oichi, Nagamasa Azai, Yoshimoto Imagawa, Gan Ning, Zhen Ji, Dian Wei, Cao Cao
 * Stages: Kuzegawa, Tian Shui, Nanzhong (2 times), Xia Kou, Ji Province, Yiling, Saika Village, Odawara Castle, The Five Gates, Chen Cang, Liang Province, Yamazaki, He Fei Castle

Wu story
In the Kingdom of Wu story, Orochi uses the captive Sun Jian and other Wu officers to blackmail the Sun family into servitude. Orochi demanded that rebel leaders and officers be turned over in exchange for the release of the captives. Sun Ce is the first to rebel against Orochi, under the guidance of Sakon Shima, and much to the disapproval of his siblings, Quan and Shang Xiang.


 * Starting characters: Sun Ce, Ieyasu Tokugawa, Hanzo Hattori
 * Affiliates: Zhou Yu, Ranmaru Mori, Taishi Ci, Kotaro Fuma, Lu Meng, Sakon Shima, Nō, Kunoichi, Sun Shang Xiang, Inahime (Ina), Da Qiao, Zhou Tai, Keiji Maeda, Sun Quan, Sun Jian
 * Stages: Mt. Ding Jun, Chang Ban, Chang Shan, Odani Castle, Jian Ye, Osaka Castle, Wan Castle, Sekigahara, Anegawa, He Fei, Osaka Bay, Komaki-Nagakute, Ji Province, Chi Bi

Samurai Warriors story
In this story, Nobunaga Oda, Shingen Takeda, and Kenshin Uesugi each maintained a resistance force against Orochi's army. Even in this most dire of circumstances, the three daimyos refuse to work together against Orochi. Each of them were focused on assimilating smaller resistance forces spread throughout the land into their own forces.


 * Starting characters: Nobunaga Oda, Mitsuhide Akechi, Hideyoshi Toyotomi
 * Affiliates: Guan Ping, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, Okuni, Xiao Qiao, Zhang Jiao, Lu Xun, Dong Zhuo, Ling Tong, Sima Yi, Kanetsugu Naoe, Shingen Takeda, Kenshin Uesugi
 * Stages: Jing Province, Honnouji, Kawanakajima, Kyūshū, Xia Pi, Tong Gate, Si Shui Gate, Guan Du, Nagashino, Fan Castle, Odawara Castle, Wu Zhang Plains, Kanegasaki, Bai Di Castle

Orochi Army
The Orochi Army consists of pale-skinned troops that behave similarly to regular troops of the protagonist forces. Several major characters from both Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors either aligned themselves or were subverted by Orochi, fighting in his name. Orochi's main headquarters is at Koshi Castle, where the final confrontation takes place for all four stories in the game.


 * Orochi, the Serpent King: Commander of the Orochi Army
 * Da Ji: Orochi's Chief Lady Advisor and his second-in-command
 * Major characters aligned with Orochi:
 * Lu Bu: Orochi's personal elite guard. Follows Orochi so that he can find and battle the greatest warrior.
 * Dong Zhuo: Orochi's field commander. Serves Orochi only because the Serpent King is paying him a mountain of gold(Unlocked in Samurai Warriors story)
 * Pang De: Orochi's rebellion suppressor (Unlocked in Shu story)
 * Masamune Date: Orochi's field general. Believes that Orochi is the path of progress. (Unlocked in Shu story)
 * Keiji Maeda: Orochi's training officer. Fights for the Serpent King so that he can fight strong opponents. (Unlocked in Wu story)
 * Cao Ren: Orochi's warden (Unlocked in Samurai Warriors story)
 * Sima Yi: Orochi's field strategist (Unlocked in Samurai Warriors story)
 * Diao Chan: Serving as the faction's lady of the court (though she only wanted to be with Lu Bu), but is quickly regretting serving Orochi (Unlocked in Wei story)

In the English language version of Warriors Orochi, the Orochi officers are all named after various species of snakes (using their common names) as a pun to Orochi being the Serpent King. The Orochi officers all share the same character model, and are unplayable enemy characters. The names of the Orochi officers in the English language version: In the original Japanese verson, they are named after various legendary monsters (youkai) in both Chinese and Japanese folklores.
 * Hognose, Yellowbelly, Sidewinder, Lancehead, Urutu, Cottonmouth, Diamondback, Bushmaster, Mamushi, Coachwhip, Copperhead, Keelback, Hooknose, Patchnose, and Boomslang.

Unaffiliated characters
Zuo Ci and Tadakatsu Honda do not have an affiliation to any faction in Warriors Orochi.

Zuo Ci appears in Warriors Orochi as a guide to the imprisoned Zhao Yun in the beginning of the Shu story. Zuo Ci reveals to Zhao Yun startling news, which lifts him out of despair and embarks him on a quest. Zuo then aids Zhao Yun in an escape attempt. He also appears much later on in Shu's 8-X level to assist the player but makes no other appearances.

Tadakatsu Honda leads a small band of resistance troops on his own in Warriors Orochi. He often shows up to confront Lu Bu in the 7-X levels, aiding the player against the legendary Three Kingdoms warrior.

New elements
The following are some new game play mechanics added exclusively to Warriors Orochi:


 * Players can take any three characters from the Dynasty and Samurai Warriors lineup into battle, forming a party, as seen in Marvel vs Capcom. Players can switch between the characters in their party any time during battle. Those that are inactive are invisible, during which their health and Musou energy regenerate. If one character is defeated, the game ends in defeat, even if the player's other two characters are still intact.
 * All characters are grouped into one of the following character classes: Power, Technique and Speed. The first type hits hard and relatively (but not completely) slow; the second type demonstrates more "fancy" fighting moves with moderate strength and speed, and is able to perform a "counter-strike"; the third type usually attacks and moves faster than the previous two types, and is the only type that can double jump (see below).
 * All characters have a new move called an Enhanced Strike. This move consumes Musou energy with all Power characters and sometimes with characters of other classes, and varies by character and their class.
 * All characters have specific personal items that can be acquired by completing character-specific objectives. This also unlocks special features. These replace the final weapons of previous games, which had similar requirements, but are only another more powerful weapon in the game.
 * Weapon improvements are performed with the new Weapon Fusion system. Players can combine attributes of multiple weapons of one character into one more powerful weapon.

Revised gameplay elements
The core game play combines elements from Dynasty Warriors 5 and Samurai Warriors 2. Many of these elements have been revised for Warriors Orochi:
 * Character selection screen: Dynasty Warriors characters are divided by their respective kingdoms. Samurai Warriors characters are divided by which game they made their first appearance.
 * Correct pronunciation of names: Unlike the Dynasty Warriors games, the English language version of Warriors Orochi utilizes the correct pronunciations of certain Three Kingdoms officers. The best example is Cao Cao, who in Dynasty Warriors is pronounced as "cow cow". Cao Cao is now "ts'au ts'au" following traditional Chinese pronunciation. This new pronunciation method also applies for Cao Pi, Cao Ren, and Xing Cai.
 * Art gallery: Showcases CG art and trailers from past Warriors games. Trailers are removed from the US PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PSP and PC versions.
 * Chaos difficulty: This highest difficulty level is available in Warriors Orochi at the start. Dynasty Warriors 5 and Samurai Warriors 2, in comparison, offered the Chaos difficulty only after completing special requirements.
 * Game soundtrack: Composed of the original music from both Dynasty Warriors' rock-based soundtrack and Samurai Warriors' techno-based soundtrack. A few new songs were created exclusively for Warriors Orochi. Lu Bu's theme song is given a rearrangement combining both rock and techno music styles.
 * Multiplayer: Player 2 uses same team as Player 1, albeit with a swapped palette.
 * Game stages: Recycles stages from both games, some of which are modified by Orochi's supernatural influence. Such stages have burnt ground and 16th century Japanese buildings placed on some Dynasty Warriors stages. Koshi Castle, a stage made exclusively for this game, is the location of the final battle against Orochi for all stories.
 * Equipment: Abilities acquired by characters during the game are equipped, as seen in Samurai Warriors 2. Using an element from the first Samurai Warriors game, a limit is placed on the number of Abilities equipped at one time.
 * Camera control: Players are given complete control over the game camera, similar to Samurai Warriors 2.
 * Special attacks: Following Samurai Warriors 2 to an extent, characters perform their own Enhanced Strikes, varied by characters and their classes.
 * Weapon deadlocks: No indication as to which character holds the advantage during a deadlock, following Dynasty Warriors 5. In Samurai Warriors 2, a tug-of-war-style bar is displayed during a deadlock, indicating which character holds the advantage.
 * Double jumps: Expands on the concept of Samurai Warriors 2. All Speed-class characters in Warriors Orochi can perform an Aerial Thrust, which keeps them in the air but propels them forward (or in a given direction as per player control); this can be used for example to avoid certain attacks or to reposition on the fly.
 * Additional attacks: This is the ability for characters to perform hits beyond the standard six. Characters in Warriors Orochi gain this ability with experience, following Samurai Warriors. Dynasty Warriors characters also gain an additional three attacks after their regular combo once they reach a high proficiency; the attacks are the same as the "Evolution" attacks from the Dynasty Warriors PSP series.
 * Fourth weapons: These are the most powerful weapons a character can possess. They are obtained in Hard mode on a stage rated 3-stars or higher, or any stage in Chaos mode. Fourth weapons contain random elements. Lu Bu and Tadakatsu Honda possess the strongest of those weapons, both with Strength values up to 100.
 * Calling horses: An ability exclusive to Yukimura Sanada and Keiji Maeda in Samurai Warriors 2, any character can perform this ability in Warriors Orochi. If the player character(s) did not start the game on horseback, however, s/he will be only able to call a low-level steed.
 * Special mounts: Only the Red Hare from Dynasty Warriors 5 and Matsukaze from Samurai Warriors 2 are present when a player acquires a Level 10 Cavalier ability in the game. They can also be found mid-game by defeating either a mounted Lu Bu or Maeda Keiji.
 * Facial expressions: All characters, including the Dynasty Warriors characters, display different facial expressions in their in-game avatar when speaking, following Samurai Warriors 2.
 * Base captains: Following Samurai Warriors 2, base captains carry shields, allowing them to withstand several hits before taking damage.
 * Objectives: Following Dynasty Warriors 5, some stages have certain objectives that, if completed successfully, greatly help the player in winning the stage. Not implemented is a feature from Samurai Warriors 2, which awards the player additional gold if objectives are completed successfully.

Gameplay elements not included
The following elements were not incorporated into Warriors Orochi:
 * Musou Rage from Dynasty Warriors 5.
 * Musou refill from attacking or being attacked from Dynasty Warriors 5.
 * Use of bow and arrow from Dynasty Warriors 5 (except the character that already had bow as weapon).
 * Bodyguards from Dynasty Warriors 5.
 * Dodge Roll from Samurai Warriors 2.
 * Special Stances from Samurai Warriors 2. They are included in Warriors Orochi as Enhanced Strikes.
 * Multi-tiered Musou Gauges from Samurai Warriors 2.
 * Counter Attack (performed on the PlayStation 2 version by holding the guard button and pressing the charge button) from Dynasty Warriors 5. Only Technique-type characters can counter attack by pressing the R1 button (PlayStation 2 version) when attacked.
 * The Create-A-Warrior system from Dynasty Warriors 5: XL/Empires and Samurai Warriors 2:Empires
 * The Double Jump ability of the ninjas from Samurai Warriors 2, although characters with the speed abilities can jump forward after the first normal jump.

Reception
Warriors Orochi has sold over 1.5 million units worldwide.

Sequel
The sequel Warriors Orochi 2 was released in 2008.