Common Sense Media Review
By Paul Semel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Curious hack-and-slash action game has limited appeal.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
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Warriors All-Stars
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
In WARRIORS ALL-STARS, characters from many Koei Tecmo games -- including Ninja Gaiden, the Dead or Alive fighting series, and the Dynasty Warriors games -- all travel to a mysterious land in hopes of saving it from the impending spring. As a result, they'll use their various weapons, as well as martial arts skills they have, to fight human enemies, as well as various monsters that have been drawn to this strange country.
Is It Any Good?
Some fans may enjoy seeing their favorite characters from different games fighting together, but ultimately it's only these fans who'll enjoy this hack-and-slash action title. In Warriors All-Stars, characters from the Ninja Warriors series, the Dead or Alive games, and 10 more of Koei Tecmo's franchises come together to do battle. Except unlike in Super Smash Bros., this isn't a fighting game, but a third-person hack-and-slash action game. Or, to be more specific, a Dynasty Warriors-esque hack-and-slash action game. Which is why, whether you're playing as Ôka from Toukiden: The Age of Demons, Sophie from Atelier: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, or Arnice from Nights of Azure, you still spend all your time slap-fighting your way through large swaths of easily beaten enemies.
It also means that unless you're a fan of the Dynasty Warriors games, or the spin-off series, Samurai Warriors -- both of which also have characters who are playable here -- you'll probably feel this is about as much fun as cutting grass. Rather than pitting you against a few tough enemies, the game has you regularly facing dozens, even hundreds, of opponents, but most are as weak as newborn deer. That said, fans of those games will enjoy getting to play this with more than a dozen characters, each of whom bring their own fighting skills, such as how Kasumi from Dead or Alive brings her jiggly brand of martial arts. Which isn't enough to make hardcore fans of D.o.A., Ninja Gaiden, or the other dissimilar games enjoy this, but lovers of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors who enjoy the other ones as well will get a real kick -- and a couple punches, and some sword slashes -- out of Warriors All-Stars.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. When playing this game, did you feel any different when your enemies were human or humanoid, as opposed to monsters or blob-like creatures? Why do you think that is?
Talk about cooperation. In this game, you can get other characters to help you out, but what does this kind of cooperation teach you that you can use in your everyday life?
Discuss dressing appropriately. In the game, some of the female characters wear skimpy outfits that don't seem appropriate for combat. Why do you think they're dressed that way? Does it bother you?
Game Details
- Platforms : PlayStation 4 , Windows
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Koei Tecmo
- Release date : September 7, 2017
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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