Warriors Orochi has been one of the better Warriors offshoots after Dynasty Warriors' one versus one thousand format has spread its wings from Three Kingdoms era China. The story runs into typical complications that happen with time travel and divine meddling in mortal affairs but that's okay. The point of these games is to merge the worlds of Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors together and throw in some other guest characters for good measure. Warriors Orochi 4 added the Greek and Norse pantheons to the meddlers from the Mystic Realm. As convoluted as the story was, Warriors Orochi 4 was a great game for the genre. Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate brings back some of the less godlike guest characters from previous entries, introduces new game modes and expands the story campaign. The question is whether this is enough new content to justify the upgrade.

Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is an expanded and improved version of the 2018 title. More in-depth coverage of the Warriors Orochi 4 base game can be found in our review while this review and score will focus on the new content. This ultimate update brings several new additions. The main portion of the game is the story campaign which was already rather robust during its original incarnation. Originally five chapters in length, the story campaign received three new chapters to flesh out and expand on the already convoluted story. The new chapters introduce new areas and characters and allow for multiple endings.

Not that they needed since they already had the most playable characters of any Musou game but the ridiculous roster of over 170 characters has been expanded. The new additions include an expanses to the Greek pantheon with Hades along with some returning guest characters from other Orochi games such of historical figures Achilles and Joan of Ark and Ryu Hayabusa of Ninja Gaiden fame. It's nice to see the return of these characters though with the roster as expansive as it already is and the Norse and Greek gods being as fun to play as they are this is one occasion where the additional characters aren't particularly noteworthy.

After playing Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate one of the best features was its Gauntlet Mode. This was a long and difficult series of battles where high level characters could still find a challenge. The answer to this in Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is the Infinity Tower. This mode is twelve different towers named for the zodiac signs and is available after completing Destined to be Destroyed in Chapter 5. Each tower has five floors and an objective must be met within a time limit, such as defeating a set number of officers or finding and destroying pots. This is a mode for high level characters to grind their levels and find rare items but because of the time restraint and having to find an escape point its best to do most grinding after the floor has been cleared once before. Unlike Gauntlet Mode, these are meant to be shorter battles and overall Gauntlet Mode was a more enjoyable and satisfying way to enjoy the game after the main campaign has been completed.

Like its predecessor, characters can be reset to level 1 after reaching their maximum level but maintaining some of the strength they've gained up to that point. This can be repeated up to ten times per character, giving the player the opportunity to build up their characters to ridiculously high levels of power. Doing this makes some of the more challenging difficulty settings and battles more accessible but also makes the lack of the challenge of Gauntlet Mode more real.

Some other quality of life changes that come with the expansion are the character selection screen now divides units by their affiliated faction. This makes character selection much easier and it was a wonder why they went away with this system in the first place. The Stronghold feature has additional levels that can be gained, offering the ability to play as even more characters and other bonuses. Primarily this allows players who have hit the maximum level after clearing chapter five to continue to build up the stronghold as they complete the added chapters.

The additional content of Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is available in two options. One way to get it is to purchase the complete game in either physical or digital format. The other is to digitally download the content as an upgrade for $39.99 from the respective platform's online store for those who own the base game already.

Closing Comments:

Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate takes a great musou game and expands it. The Infinity Tower is an enjoyable way to grind for rare gear and high levels and the additional story campaign chapters and characters extend the life of this title. This is one of those games where the final verdict is somewhat up for debate. On one hand this is the definitive version of the game and if one had to choose between this or the 2018 release this would be the recommended version hands down. For people who have already completed Warriors Orochi 4, the additional content may not be enough to justify the cost of admission. For hardcore fans like this reviewer the new content is worthwhile, but other people who felt satisfied with the conclusion of Warriors Orochi 4 and feel no need to return to that world won't likely have their opinion swayed by the new content.