World of Warriors Review (PS4)

poor
key review info
  • Game: World of Warriors
  • Platform: Playstation 4
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
World of Warriors

Do you like playing mobile games? Because that's what you'll be playing if you decide to go for Mind Candy's World of Warriors, a very popular game when it was launched on Android and iOS back five years ago.

Although World of Warriors started as a mobile game, developer Mind Candy announced in 2016 that its first ever PlayStation 4 game will be a port of World of Warriors. Two years later, the game made its debut on Sony's gaming console and we've been given the chance to play it so that you won't have to.

Before going into more details, it's worth mentioning that the combat system from the console version of the game is slightly different than the mobile game. Even so, if you've tried the latter, you'll feel quite at home playing the PS4 version of World of Warriors.

Another important aspect that's been removed from the console game is the freemium system that doesn't makes sense for a game that's not available for free. As some of you may already know, World of Warrios for Android and iOS is available for free, but it comes with in-app purchases and an energy system.

While you'll still use in-game currency to unlock new heroes, you'll receive plenty of virtual money upon successfully completing a battle. The same goes for other gameplay mechanics that require real money to speed up certain actions.

Story and gameplay

Don't expect much in terms of story, as World of Warriors is simply meant to offer you a way to burn some free time when you're waiting for your plane/bus/train. Truth be told, this kind of game doesn't really need a story since it's meant for casual gaming.

If you haven't played World of Warriors for mobile, you'll probably enjoy the short tutorial that explains the basics of the game. You start by unlocking your first hero from a range of 40 available to collect.

Unlocking a new hero may be the most fun aspect of the game
Unlocking a new hero may be the most fun aspect of the game

All battles take place in real-time in special arenas where players can roam freely and attack using light, heavy and combinations of these to perform devastating combos. Button mashing aside, you'll have to be careful what hero you'll face since they can be weak to certain elemental attacks.

Each warrior can unleash a “super” power after they pick up three orbs. These orbs drop whenever your warrior takes damage, so you want to let your hero be hit from time to time if you want to make use of this powerful attack.

The controls are very simple to use, but hard to master, especially when playing against another player instead of the AI. Besides fighting 2v2 matches, your team will fight in special arenas where you'll be facing multiple teams at the same time.

Although the game wants to go a bit deeper than this and offers a progression system for your collected heroes, as well as a craft system that allows players to create talismans and potions that can be equipped before fights.

The crafting ingredients usually drop in treasure chests, but you are also awarded a fair share of ingredients after each battle that you win. Unfortunately, I don't see any major improvements after equipping these talismans, especially when facing the AI, so it might be better to wait until you unlock the more powerful versions.

Another downside is that you can't level up your heroes, as this is done automatically once they gain enough experience points. Basically, that reduces your interest to what your warriors can do to … zero. The only things that matter are the HP and elemental attack a hero can do, which is quite sad.

The good news is the game is spiced up with “surprise” battles where you will be fighting “mini-bosses” or you will have to hit certain objects in the correct order. On top of that, as you progress into the game and unlock more locations on the map, you'll be facing various gameplay mechanics besides opposing heroes. They are explained at the beginning of the fight so that you can take advantage of them or avoid them entirely, depending on the level.

Multiplayer

World of Warriors features co-op and versus mode battles, but it's quite hard to find players to fight against. That's quite unfortunate since Wold of Warriors is at its best when facing another real player, not the AI. Yes, it can become a bit chaotic at first to the point that it turns the match into a button mashing fest, but it's more rewarding than the solo campaign.

It also makes your choices of warriors vital since they have their own weaknesses and strong points. Also, the talismans and potions that your heroes wear can really make a difference in these multiplayer games.

Chaos is the best word that can describe many arena battles
Chaos is the best word that can describe many arena battles

The Good

  • Cute art style
  • Reward amount
  • Level design
  • Lots and different warriors to collect

The Bad

  • Multiplayer is almost impossible to get into
  • Uninteresting progression system
  • Solo campaign can do away with most gameplay mechanics
  • Falls short to ambitions, remains a “time waster”

Conclusion

Although World of Warriors wants to be more than a time-waster, it falls short to its own ambitions. It's true that it greatly improves on the mobile version, especially when it comes to controls, but there is not enough interesting content to justify the high price (£25).

With so many titles coming to the PS Store each month, you'd definitely be better off playing something else, especially if you don't want to waste your time. It would have been more fun playing against other players, but since you can't get into online multiplayer too often it's a bit of a letdown.

Even though developers have removed most of the freemium aspects of the mobile version, World of Warriors remains a shallow experience that you'll want to replace as quickly as possible. While there are some positive like the cute art style, there isn't much else that's couldn't be classified as mediocre at best.

story 0
gameplay 6
concept 5
graphics 7
audio 6
multiplayer 5
final rating 5.5
Editor's review
poor
 
NEXT REVIEW: Far Cry 5

World of Warriors for PS4 (21 Images)

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