“REVIEW: Touken Ranbu Warriors Breathes New Life Into a Beloved Franchise”

All screenshots taken by Deanna Nguyen

 

Game Trailer

 

 

Touken Ranbu started out as an online web browser game with static 2D illustrations of handsome boys and men who are human versions of historical Japanese swords — yes, you read that correctly. Despite launching in Japan in 2015, it didn’t get an English release until 2021, but it still garnered international fans before then. I’m one of these fans, with Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU as my first exposure to the franchise. When I heard the news about Touken Ranbu Warriors, a 3D video game adaptation with Musou-style gameplay, I was over the moon. For this review, I offer my first impressions of the game (I played on the Nintendo Switch) from a fan perspective.

 

Story

 

 

The Honmaru is home to the Saniwa and Touken Danshi (Toudan) who work together to stop the History Retrograde Army (HRA) from altering the past. After a tough battle against the HRA, the Toudan discover that their Saniwa has gone missing. Sometime later, a talking fox guide named Konnosuke appears before the remaining 15 Toudan and gives them a mission. With a new purpose, the Toudan take up their swords and prevent historical events from deviating from the original timeline, all while looking into a mysterious doppelganger and the whereabouts of their Saniwa.

 

Touken Ranbu Warriors is very similar to Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU in terms of story. Each team of Toudan goes back in time and encounters their previous masters (who’re Japan’s famous historical figures); they find themselves stuck in a moral dilemma of fighting the urge to interact with their masters and wanting to protect history. 

 

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I’ve taken a few Japanese history courses during college, so I was fascinated by how historical events played out with fantasy elements in Touken Ranbu Warriors. I either succeeded in helping the Toudan keep history’s course or failed the investigation and drastically changed up the events. There were times when I was engrossed in the story and wanted to jump to the next part but was forced to return to the Honmaru. Gameplay-wise, it made sense. All that to say, I was far from bored (which I wouldn’t say about college-me who dozed off during the 90-minute lectures).

 

Characters

 

 

While Touken Ranbu continues to grow its cast of characters, Touken Ranbu Warriors shrinks it down to 15. Mikazuki Munechika is the face of the franchise, and given his track record of appearances in the anime adaptations, I wasn’t surprised that he made the cut here. I was a little sad that my favorite sword, Izuminokami Kanesada, didn’t make it into the game, but he had his time to shine in Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU. 

 

There are five teams in total, each comprising two to four Toudan and one of whom is the team leader. The game deliberately puts certain characters together in one team based on historical ties, which lends itself to the story of the Toudan coming across their former masters. The box art reveals a mystery character by the name of Omokage, which would technically make it a total of 16 characters. A couple of the starter swords (Kasen Kanesada and Yamanbagiri Kunihiro) from the online web browser game got into the game as well. Below is the full character roster and team comps:

 

First Team:

• Mikazuki Munechika (Team Leader)
• Sengo Muramasa
• Tonbokiri

 

Second Team:

• Kasen Kanesada (Team Leader)
• Ichigo Hitofuri
• Namazuo Toushiro
• Hyuga Masamune

 

Third Team:

• Heshikiri Hasebe (Team Leader)
• Yagen Toushiro
• Tomoegata Naginata

 

Fourth Team:

• Tsurumaru Kuninaga (Team Leader)
• Shokudaikiri Mitsutada
• Okurikara

 

Fifth Team:

• Yamanbagiri Kunihiro (Team Leader)
• Yamanbagiri Chougi

 

Gameplay

 

 

The only other Musou game I’ve played was the Gintama one, but the game mechanics of Touken Ranbu Warriors — and most if not all Musou games for that matter — are less exhaustive on the mind than they are for the thumbs. Story mode comes in two settings: Easy and Regular. Easy mode is essentially just pressing one button and letting the game do the rest of the work for you, while Regular mode is where you have to be more involved and strategic about how you’re controlling the characters. 

 

I chose Regular mode for more engagement. Instead of mindlessly button-mashing my way through hordes of enemies, I had to explore my surroundings during investigations that required analyses. I admit I had a few instances of failing investigations because I was too focused on hacking and slashing my way through to the end that I didn’t stop and survey the area.

 

 

The game also throws a bunch of different modes at you like hissatsu, which is a special attack that comes with a cutscene of the Toudan you’re playing. He performs a finisher move on the enemy, which left me in awe and definitely leveled up the Toudan in epicness. The controllable Toudan is accompanied by a partner who acts as support and will sometimes perform follow-up attacks. What’s even better about a cool cutscene of a finisher move is one performed by the Toudan and his partner — or one where the Toudan gets injured and his clothes are shredded. You bet I was fangirling during these moments!

 

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Aside from story mode, a replay option is available. It’s meant for the Toudan who’re stuck at the Honmaru and don’t get to level up as fast as the Toudan you’re currently playing in story mode. It’s also the answer to story mode’s weakness of locked-in team comps; replay mode lets you pick and choose (I haven’t tried out this mode as my tunnel vision only wants me to get through the story first).

 

The Honmaru is where you get to relax and watch the Toudan either interact with each other in different areas or upgrade and buy materials for them to get stronger. After every investigation, a dice icon usually appears next to the Toudan in a certain area, signaling that a mini-game is available to play. Each area has a different mini-game, and it’s how you get more materials and koban (currency). I can’t say I’m a pro at all of these mini-games, but I still got passing marks.
 

 

Photo Mode is available at the Honmaru and you can take pictures of the Toudan in whichever area you assign them. You can adjust the settings by adding filters, borders, and stickers. What you can’t do, sadly, is control the Toudan’s poses and expressions. The Voice Gallery is where you can listen to each of the Toudan’s voice lines after reaching level 20 — seiyuu fans will appreciate this feature!
 

 

Another important feature is the bond conversations, which unlock once you level up two Toudan’s bond levels with each other. You accomplish this when you pair them together in an investigation. Touken Ranbu is about the characters and their interactions with each other, so the bond conversations are a strong selling point.  

Downloadable Content (DLC)

Touken Ranbu Warriors has a deluxe version that includes DLC. Don’t mistake this for an extra chunk of stories but rather casual outfits, music, and backdrops. I was lucky enough to play the deluxe version and change the Toudan in their uchiban outfits at the Honmaru. I’d say only buy it if you enjoy cosmetics or you’re a huge fan of the franchise. 

Overall Thoughts

I loved seeing the Touken Danshi in a whole new medium. It’s a merge of the anime adaptations, Touken Ranbu – Hanamaru and Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU, which are polar opposites in tone and setting. As a player, you can hang out with the Toudan at the Honmaru (like Hanamaru) and jump into battles with a narrative focus (like Katsugeki).

 

Touken Ranbu Warriors not only expands the franchise but also initiates a harder push for more female-oriented games — it does not contain romance despite the eye candy. You also don’t have to be a fan to understand the characters or story. If you want to get to the heart of the franchise, though, you’ll want to play the web browser game, which is free to play and is also available on mobile.
 

 

All in all, I enjoyed the game. While it doesn’t offer challenging gameplay, it’s a new way to get to know the characters and be in control of them while earning beautiful cutscenes and interactions as a reward. I’d recommend this to anyone who loves Musou games and wants to explore the Touken Ranbu franchise. 

Review Roundup

+ A special treat for fans who get to see their favorite characters in beautiful 3D graphics
+ Character development and interactions are the game and franchise’s bread and butter
+ An entertaining, modern method of learning about famous figures from Japan’s history
+ Easy mode available for players who just want to mash one button
+ / – Team comps are chosen for you in story mode but customizable in replay mode
– Returning to the Honmaru after every investigation disrupts story progression
– Only 15 characters made the roster, leaving out some personal favorites

 

Game Details

 

Developers: Omega Force, Ruby Party
Publishers: Koei Tecmo
Genre: Musou, Hack n’ Slash
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

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