Summary
At this point, it’s expected that there will be a permanent upgrade system in a roguelike as opposed to the old style, which was more arcade-like in nature.Warriors: Abyss, a spin-off to bothDynasty WarriorsandSamurai Warriors, does indeed have a good upgrade system, referred to as the Hall of Bonded Souls.
Players will startWarriors: Abysswith over a dozen heroes to choose from, but the Hall of Bonded Souls can unlock more. There are about a hundred in total, andfuture updates from Koei Tecmo/Omega Forcemay add more. Unlocking heroes comes with the bonus of upgrading stats, including Attack Power, Defense, and Health. So, of the many heroes in the Hall of Bonded Souls, these are the ones that are both beneficial and fun to use once unlocked.
8Hanbei Takenaka
Young But Still Capable
Hanbei Takenaka is one of the younger characters inWarriors: Abyss, and he also has a strange weapon. His shield is a yo-yo that he can fling at enemies as if it were a natural extension of his body. Players should find it easy to string combos together with this weapon, and Hanbei is an overall agile character.
Taking his stats into consideration, he’s about middle of the pack without excelling in anything in particular, but that’s not a bad thing. Hisboost to the player’s overall skill treeis good for Defense, too.
7Huang Zhong
This Old Man Can Still Crank That Bow
Huang Zhong looks like he should have retired from being an action hero, but this old codger still has some fight in him. He’sone of the few bow usersinWarriors: Abysswho actually uses the weapon properly for most of his combos. As an opposing example, one of the starting bow characters, Ina, uses her weapon more like a sword.
Huang can pull back and fire many arrows to hold enemies back. The wrinkles are deceiving, but Huang is worth unlocking for sure, and he grants a good boost to Health, too.
6Kotaro Fuma
A Stretchy Demon Ninja
Kotaro Fuma is one of the deadly ninjas that players can summon from the shadows. He looks like a demon and behaves like one, too, as he can unnaturally elongate his arms,evoking imagery of stretchy-limbed characters like Mr. Fantastic.
It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but these Musou games have never been about logic anyway. His sickest move has to be Kotaro’s Musou attack, which sees him spinning like a top, with players being able to direct him around for a limited time. He will boost Defense, too, but that’s not as cool as actually playing Kotaro.
5Masamune Date
Even With One Eye, He’s Still A Crack Shot
Masamune Date is a samurai who seems like he shouldhave a disadvantage with an eyepatch. However, he still manages to hit his targets with deadly accuracy. His main weapon is a katana, but his combos, along with his Musou attack, see him bringing out pistols, as if to emulate a gun-toting action hero akin to Dante fromDevil May Cry.
Right next to Masamune on the upgrade tree is Magoichi Saika, a character who wields a musket. They both boost Attack power and are fun to use, but Masamune is a bit more versatile.
4Naotora Li
These Fists Launch Tornadoes
Naotora Li looks like a bit of a ditzy fighter because of the way her character is positioned, and her speech pattern is timid. However, like Huang’s old age, Naotora has a deadly secret. This beauty can punch so hard that she can create tornadoes on the battlefield.
Her punches and kicks are legendary, making her both an agile and a strong warrior to choose. She’d give a warrior monk likeTifa fromFinal Fantasy 7a run for her money and then some.
3Sun Quan
Tokyo Drifting Through The Underworld
Sun Quan, like many characters inWarriors: Abyss, uses a sword. However, he holds it behind his back and drags it on the ground to create a dazzling effect. If players can string the right moves together, Sun will zip behind an enemy and thensurprise them with a flaming blade.
This fire effect will then continue to burn for a few seconds on his sword. Sun is one of the only characters who can use elemental coatings like this naturally without the aid of temporary upgrades like Emblems, making him a rare commodity.
2Tadakatsu Honda
An Unbreakable Wall
Tadakatsu Honda is an example ofaWarriors: Abysscharacter who players should unlock as fast as possible, but he is not fun to use. Tadakatsu is plenty strong with his attacks, and he can retain a lot of damage. His slowness is not appealing, though, and his combos are kind of basic.
Still, his boost to Defense is too good to pass up. Boosting Defense, even more than Health, will helpWarriors: Abyssplayers survive longer, and survival is always a key factor in a roguelike.
1Yoshitsugu Otani
A True Mage Of The Samurai Age
There are characters like Sun Quan who have a light command of the elements. Then there are mage-like characters akin to Yoshitsugu Otani inWarriors: Abyss, who can control straight-up magic.
With his frilly baton, this wizard can create bolts of lightning, balls of energy, tornadoes, lasers, and so much more with just a few simple flicks. He is weaker against bosses, though, so he is definitely more of a crowd-dispersing character, but that’s still pretty intense.
