New Samurai Warriors 5 Characters, Story Details, and Systems Revealed

Koei Tecmo released a plethora of new information about Samurai Warriors 5 characters, its story, and its mechanics. The company announced two new characters and revealed new skills and battle mechanics unique to the upcoming hack ‘n slash title.

First up are the newly announced characters in Samurai Warriors 5: Toshiie Maeda and Tadakatsu Honda. Both fighters are from previous entries in the series, with Honda debuting in the first game and Maeda in the second. The official website describes Maeda as clumsy, caring, and passionate. He is also a friend and retainer to Nobunaga Oda. Conversely, Honda is the Ieyasu Tokugawa’s friend and retainer. Honda is wild and hot-blooded but supportive. All fighters in Samurai Warriors 5 will receive redesigns to fit with the game’s new aesthetic, as we saw recently with Oichi and Azai Nagamasa. Check out Maeda and Honda’s redesigns below.

The story of Samurai Warriors 5 will take place during the Sengoku period. It will be a fictional retelling of the civil war centered around several influential historical figures: Yoshimoto Imagawa, Ieyasu Tokugawa, Nobunaga Oda, and Toshiie Maeda. Samurai Warriors 5‘s characters are the heart of the story involving political intrigue, friendship, double-crossing, raiding, and rescuing.

As for the systems and battle mechanics, Koei Tecmo highlighted the game’s key skills. First is Hyper Attack, which will allow the player to cover a large amount of ground while attacking. Next are the four Ultimate Skills that will require building up a gauge. Each of the following Ultimate Skills will have different power, range, and even strategic advantages against certain enemy types. Pulse is the first Ultimate Skill. It will allow the player to string together even longer combos. Recuperation will increase the fighter’s attack, their defense, or refill their Musou gauge. Avalanche will let the player stun nearby enemies with a shockwave by thrusting their weapon into the ground. Finally, Relentless Storm is Toshiie Maeda’s unique Ultimate Skill; Maeda will throw his opponent into the air and unleash a devastating attack. Check out some screenshots below of the action.

Samurai Warriors 5 will launch on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. It will release in Japan on June 24, 2021 for Switch and PS4, and overseas on all platforms on July 27, 2021.