I try to keep myself from giving games 5/5 stars too freely, but I feel that this is a game that really deserves it. I had a ton of fun with this one from start to finish, and the story turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences I've had for a game.

There are a lot of little things in this game that elevate the Warriors experience. The more focused story on a single clan is a huge help for getting me to care about the characters I'm playing as, and follow the history of the Sengoku time period more easily. You first play as the lead character's father, then the lead as a child, and finally the lead as an adult. It's pretty epic. I also loved how the battles you win would affect subsequent battles. Complete specific objectives during a battle to unlock "stratagems" that will help you achieve future victories. Gives you more to think about, than simply hack-and-slash through a thousand enemies. All in all a really engaging title that I sunk dozens of hours into, and could easily sink dozens more if I wanted to be a completionist with bonus battles and side quests and whatnot. I'll be looking into other Samurai Warriors titles for sure.