There are a lot of games that would put up with the Dynasty Warriors style of gameplay, but you wouldn’t expect something like Arslan: The Warriors of Legend. Yes, you would take control of characters, hack-and-slash through seemingly hundreds upon hundreds of enemies in a map, but it brings a kind of visual appeal that many might not have considered. It has more than a dozen characters to choose from, with each one having over-the-top attacks, marvelously-looking Persian architecture, high levels of detail, and a politically-charged story that will get anyone excited over playing it.
The Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is a Solid PC Port
Combat scenarios from Arslan: The Warriors of Legend are something reminiscent to the Dynasty Warriors engine, but they are well placed. Despite the massive amounts of enemies and the maps that are of large scales, one level can be completed in about 10-minutes. Gameplay and storyline will transition quickly and smoothly, so there’s just the right amount of variation to keep you going and not get bored with it.
There are smaller scale missions that lie after some large-scale quests. For instance, there is a mission wherein you will have to see Gieve, the wandering bard, who escorts the queen away from the palace through a series of sewer passages. There is also another level wherein you would assist Elam, an archer, who is sabotaging weapon kiosks in the dead of night. While the smaller scale missions are easier to complete, they are able to change the pace in a good enough manner to make Arslan: The Warriors of Legend (PC) enjoyable and varied to last for long gaming sessions.
While the visuals and the story can capture the interests of many, it is incomplete. The narrative only covers the first season of the anime as the second season has not been aired yet (at the time of writing). Naturally, there are many uncovered areas around the plot that may leave you hanging and wanting for more. Therefore, you might not get much closure by the time you get to the end of the story campaign.
But the bottom line here is that Arslan: The Warriors of Legend will only be favored among the fans of the anime. Sure there is plenty of visual appeal to go around, but the repetitiveness can get to you over time. Furthermore, there’s not much replay value here once you reach the end. So before picking up this game, ask yourself if you’re a fan or not.