Koei Tecmo Game Reviews
Capitalism can be cute
The gameplay structure of Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian feels a bit like a recipe, with intertwining elements that each contribute to the sum of its parts. This is fitting, we suppose, because the game is all about brewing concoctions as an alchemist to both aid you in turn-based combat and...
Love island
When Sony settled on the slogan “this is living”, we think it may have had Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme in mind. This eye-poppingly presented PS5 dating game may seem like an oddball outing, but Koei Tecmo has been working towards it for eons. Those of you with strong memories may recall Dead or Alive Xtreme on the...
Atelier what I want what I really really want
While the Atelier series has been steadily evolving and tweaking its winning JRPG/craft-'em-up formula across 30 years and 20-plus games, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land perhaps represents the most radical shift yet. But that doesn't mean existing fans should be...
Mini Review Warriors: Abyss (PS5) - A Decent Descent into Hell for Roguelike and Warriors Fans
The Enemy of my Enma
Truthfully, Warriors: Abyss feels like Koei Tecmo tried to cook up its own budget Hades from the leftovers of last night's Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. That's not to say it fails to sate the appetite, though. Despite being a bit rough around the edges, Abyss is a solid and successfully addictive foray into the...
Mini Review Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (PS5) - Fun Slasher Shows Its Age
All slice, no dice
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is like a time machine back to the halcyon days of PS3, featuring over-the-top violence, ridiculous action, and a globe-trotting campaign. Black sparkles up those graphics for PS5, and while fun, it isn’t quite enough to counter how much this hack-and-slash experience has aged. With the threat of demonic...
Review Dynasty Warriors: Origins (PS5) - Peak Dynasty Warriors Is Back with an Almighty Bang
Wei to go
What a difference seven years makes. In 2018, the dismal Dynasty Warriors 9 effectively put Koei Tecmo's storied hack and slash series on ice, but Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a completely different beast. For the first time in generations, the franchise feels fresh again — a genuine evolution of what's come before. To be clear, Origins...
Mini Review Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake (PS5) - A Gorgeous Return to Series' Roots
“I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me”
Koei Tecmo is almost single-handedly keeping the niche historical simulation strategy subgenre alive at this stage, which is fitting, as back in 1985, when the company was just Koei, it was primarily responsible for creating it. Not to be confused with the series' latest, PS4's Romance...
Review Fate/Samurai Remnant (PS5) - Characters and Story Thrive in This Historical Action RPG
Saber toothed
There's an awful lot to like about Fate/Samurai Remnant — an action RPG set in 1600s Japan. With the country on the brink of unprecedented societal change, protagonist Miyamoto Iori finds himself at a loss. A diligent student of soon-to-be-outdated swordplay, Iori gets by on local busy work, but can't shake the feeling that his life...
Review Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening Review (PS4) - The Demon King of Owari Rises
No-man's fool
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is the sixteenth entry in the venerable strategy franchise (which celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year) from Koei and its most accessible yet. While still convoluted compared to even another strategy title of this scale, the love and dedication to Japan’s iconic Sengoku era and the...
Farewell party
Reisalin “Ryza” Stout and her friends are back in another heart-warming RPG which closes out the 'Secret' sub-series. The long-running Atelier series is well known for featuring young alchemists who spend much of their adventure gathering ingredients, crafting new items, and beating up foes. Atelier Ryza 3 is no exception to that...
Review Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse (PS5) - A Warts and All Survival Horror Remaster
Photographic Violence
Here at Push Square it's site policy that we don't believe in the supernatural. Vampires, werewolves, and Frankensteins? Poppycock, hogwash, and flannel, we say. Having never believed in ghosts we've never considered what we'd do should we ever come face to face with one. We can plan for World War 3 or Covid 2 or bumping into...
Review Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (PS5) - Excellent Action RPG a Must Play for Masochists
The stuff Wuxia dreams are made of
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty raises the bar for Soulslike combat to such an extent it deserves to break free from that descriptor entirely in favour of something new. It provides deeply intricate combat and an exhilarating arcade alternative to FromSoftware's more contemplative formula. A game like Elden Ring seeks to...
Fallen empires
After the disappointment of Dynasty Warriors 9 and its cardboard open world, we desperately wanted Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires to be good — to finally get Koei Tecmo's flaship franchise back on track. And while Empires is easily a better game than its predecessor, it still suffers from many of the issues that Dynasty Warriors 9...
Mini Review Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (PS5) - Remaster Is More of a Trick Than Treat
Camera shy
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water wasn't anything special back in 2015 on Nintendo Wii U, and it's no better six years later. A sub-standard remaster ports the horror title to PlayStation 5 to conveniently coincide with Halloween, but for as creepy as it can be, it's not a particularly enjoyable game to actually play. If we were offered...
Review Samurai Warriors 5 (PS4) - Rebooted Hack and Slasher Is Fantastic Fun, for the Most Part
Incident at Honnoji
It's been seven whole years since the last mainline instalment in the Samurai Warriors series, and as far as we're concerned, 2014's Samurai Warriors 4 is still one of the best Warriors games on the market. Samurai Warriors 5 has quite the legacy to live up to, then, but is a rebooted storyline, a fresh art style, and a slew of...
Review Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection (PS4) - Cut-Throat Action, Old-School Design
Ninja star
Ryu Hayabusa has been enjoying an early retirement ever since the Ninja Gaiden series was put on ice years ago. Team Ninja has been busying itself with the Nioh games in the meantime, a more deliberate style of action title that takes things in a different, yet more modern, direction. Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection brings Ryu back with...
Deluxe treatment
Koei Tecmo has re-released yet another Atelier Trilogy, this time giving the Mysterious series the ‘Deluxe’ treatment. Unlike the Arland and Dusk trilogy, this threesome is already on PlayStation 4, so it does seem a little strange that they’re being released again on the same console. However, this is now the most complete...
Review Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy (PS5) - Another Solid Alchemic Adventure
Cooking up a storm
Just two years after her first game, Reisalin "Ryza" Stout is back with Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy. This time, she’s on an adventure from her home of Kurken Island and has travelled to Asha-Am-Baird to investigate mysteries surrounding some ruins while reuniting with some familiar faces. Atelier Ryza 2...
Mini Review Fairy Tail - Faithful Anime Adaptation Is a Fan Pleaser
They lived Happy-ly ever after
Fairy Tail follows the plot of the anime, set from around the end of the Tenrou Island arc to approximately the end of the Avatar arc. For the uninitiated, that spans around 160 episodes from about 122 onwards. You're therefore much better off going into Fairy Tail with some knowledge of the property already, but there...
Mini Review Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate - Hack and Slasher Finally Feels Like the Complete Package
Promoted
We weren't overly impressed with Warriors Orochi 4 when it launched in 2018, but Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is definitely a cut above. Available as either a digital expansion or a re-release, Ultimate adds two new story chapters, a handful of new characters, and an endgame 'Infinity Mode'. It also brings a number of improvements to the...
Melting pot
It really is crazy to think that the Atelier series has been going for over twenty years now. The series is well known for being far more about enchanting coming of age stories than trying to defeat the bad guys and save the world. Nelke & the Legendary Alchemist: Ateliers of the New World is a spin-off game that celebrates this...
Review Dead or Alive 6 - A Soft Sequel That Somehow Feels Rushed
In limbo
Dead or Alive 6 isn't the full-blown sequel to Dead or Alive 5 that we were hoping for. It's been over six whole years since the previous game first launched back on the PS3, and three years since the enhanced remaster, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, hit PS4. Given the wait, we expected a lot more from this sixth main instalment, even if it...
Review Atelier Arland Series Deluxe Pack - A Trio of Delights
Atelier what, it's pretty good
The Atelier series is something of an acquired taste. The games tend to be a mix of super-relaxed storylines with anxiety-inducing time limit systems. The juxtaposition can be a bit off-putting to some, but once you realise that the time limits aren’t as harsh as they first appear then you can start to appreciate...
Review Warriors Orochi 4 - Worse Than Warriors Orochi 3
Snake eater
Warriors Orochi 4 feels like it was developed on a shoestring budget. It cuts corners everywhere, from the removal of several game modes that were in previous titles, to the the fact that 95 per cent of the game's story is told through static character portraits and text boxes. However, after the dismal open world structure of Dynasty...
Review Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings (PS4)
Double trouble
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is the third and final game in the Atelier “Mysterious” trilogy. If we take a quick look back at the previous two games then you’ll see that there have been some pretty big changes between them. Atelier Sophie was praised by many for getting rid of the time...
Review Attack on Titan 2 (PS4)
Colossal fun
For those who have been living under a rock, Attack on Titan is one of the biggest anime and manga properties of recent years, and tells the story of humanity's struggle against a group of man-eating Titans who are threatening to destroy their world. The first Attack on Titan game came out in 2016, and now Koei Tecmo is back with a...
Review Dynasty Warriors 9 (PS4)
Big trouble in big China
Dynasty Warriors as a series hasn't changed much over the years. Sure it's had its playable character roster expanded significantly, and it's had the odd combat system overhaul here and there, but the core concept has always remained the same: it's one super overpowered Chinese warrior (you) versus entire armies that flood...
Review Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon (PS4)
Let’s get jiggly with it
Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon is an action role-playing title set an unspecified number of years after the first game. Foul fiends, tainted by the blue blood of the Nightlord, still roam the land and there are rumours that a dreaded Moon Queen has appeared as the new ruler of the demons. If she isn’t sealed...
Reflections of sadness
Blue Reflection is the latest offering from Gust, the developer who previously brought us the Atelier series. A brand new IP, Blue Reflection focuses on the story of Hinako, a former child ballet star who starts a new high school. She discovers that she's a Reflector, the game’s version of a magical girl, along with her new...
Review Warriors All-Stars (PS4)
Seeing stars
A crazy crossover title that features characters from a bunch of different Koei Tecmo properties, Warriors All-Stars certainly feels like an attempt at celebrating the publisher's many years of success. Unfortunately, as a traditional hack and slash Warriors title, the game just isn't that great. The PlayStation 4 has been blessed with...
