Samurai Warriors 4: Empires Pre-Order Bonus, New Characters & Battle System Details Revealed

January 13, 2016February 13, 2017 Handheld Players 2016, Announcement, Europe, Hack-and-Slash, Koei Tecmo, March, North America, PS Vita, PS3, PS4, Samurai Warriors 4: Empires, Screens, Screenshots, Strategic, Trailer, Video

Koei Tecmo has revealed the pre-order bonus content, new characters and battle system details for its upcoming Samurai Warriors 4: Empires for PS Vita, PS3 and PS4.

Pre-Order Bonus Content

Fans who pre-order from Amazon, Best Buy, EB Canada and GameStop will receive a ‘Bonus Item Set’ consisting of an additional castle option, the ‘Golden Castle,’ the ‘Osaka Campaign’ scenario, and an additional costume for in-game character Takakage Kobayakawa. In addition, fans will receive an exclusive costume for one of the most popular female characters of the Samurai Warriors series, Lady Hayakawa.

New characters

Lady Hayakawa is only one of the historically known women of influence available to players in Samurai Warriors 4: Empires. This entry also features the first appearance of individualized minor officers with the inclusion of over 200 male and female officers, all of whom with unique appearances and stats. These officers are based on warriors, known lords and ladies, and dynamic personalities who left their distinct mark in history.

Battle System Details

Additionally, Koei Tecmo released two gameplay videos detailing some of the options available in battle preparation and while on the battlefield in Samurai Warriors 4: Empires. To prepare for battle, players must choose which of the tactics or formations proposed by the magistrates to deploy prior to battle.

Tactics fall into two categories: basic tactics, which are deployed prior to battle, and executable tactics, which are deployed during battle. Basic tactics involve actions such as managing troop economy, blocking enemy aid, and taking action to increase troop strength prior to engagement, whereas executable tactics involve battle strategies such as charging with cavalry and capturing enemy officers.

Formations affect the way an army is structured, with specific formations offering bonuses on attack, defense or speed. A well thought out and balanced strategy is essential when choosing formations, as the enemy could use opposing formations to overrun player troops.

Engagements in Samurai Warriors 4: Empires follow the classic Empires style of ‘Base Battles.’ By conquering enemy bases and converting them to allied bases, players can establish supply lines that link strongholds together on the battlefield. Players can also claim “chains” of enemy bases by cutting off enemy supply lines and isolating them, and an enemy base positioned in-between two allied bases will automatically be converted to the player’s side!

Analyzing enemy battalion placements and efficiently cooperating with allies can help players bolster their supply lines until they can lay siege to the main enemy camp. These options add a wide variety of strategic elements to the exhilaration of the game’s “one versus a thousand” battle style iconic to the Warriors franchise.

Samurai Warriors 4: Empires will be released for PS Vita & PS3 digitally and PS4 digitally & physically in North America on March 15, 2016 and in Europe on March 11, 2016.

Check out the Samurai Warriors 4: Empires Screenshots: