Koei Tecmo released Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, a video game based upon the legendary manga and anime series, today (check out our review), and it marks yet another musou title from developer Omega Force. This shouldn’t be surprising as other recent licensed games from the studio, such as Arslan: The Warriors of Legend and Dragon Quest Heroes, were in the same style. It turns out that Dynasty Warriors‘ signature brand of gameplay has shown to be highly versatile, and it’s ended up providing some fantastic titles when tweaked.
That got us thinking to the future, and specifically what other series could be adapted into a great musou game. Considering Koei Tecmo have adapted everything from other video games to anime into a Warriors title, there were plenty of great properties that immediately came to mind. After narrowing down the list to 10 best ones, we’re hopeful that one of these games will eventually be made.
With that out of the way, check out our list below of 10 series that would be a perfect fit for a musou game!
We hope you enjoyed our look at 10 series that would be a perfect fit for a musou game. While not every possible fit could get the spotlight here, it doesn’t mean that other musou games couldn’t be made. After all, if there’s one thing that Koei Tecmo has shown gamers over the years, it’s that the genre is very versatile.
Let us know in the comments below which musou games are your favorite, and what property you would like to see receive a game in that style!
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Musou Spin-Offs
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Series That Need A Musou Game
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Dragon Ball Z
There have been Dragon Ball video games for over 30 years now, and that has led to adaptations in many different genres from role-playing games to 2D fighters. Surprisingly, there hasn't been a Dragon Ball musou, and I think this is the time to change it. A retelling of Son Goku's Dragon Ball adventures would be a fresh take in particular, as it would keep the action primarily on the ground, and a skill tree would make sense as the young warrior is still honing his craft.
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Final Fantasy
Dragon Quest Heroes already showed that fantasy RPGs can make a pretty amazing musou game, so it's only fitting that Final Fantasy would get a spin-off as well. It's filled with even more memorable characters than Dragon Quest, and stages could be filled with iconic villains. However, the best thing would be getting to ride a chocobo around a battlefield instead of a horse.
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Mortal Kombat
Adapting a fighting game into a musou makes a lot of sense. This isn't just because the original Dynasty Warriors was a PS1 fighting game, but because the games feature a lot of characters that are readily equipped to take out hundreds of foes at once. While several fighting games are good fits, few feature a world as fleshed out as Mortal Kombat. The series has ventured into other genres in the past, and I'd love to see Johnny Cage and crew battling throughout the different realms to save Earth.
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Naruto
Naruto is a valuable gaming series, but one that doesn't have a clear direction to go in now that Ultimate Ninja Storm has chronicled the entire saga. Something needs to be changed if the Naruto brand is going to continue to get games, and I believe that a genre change would freshen things up considerably. A musou title would be a natural fit, especially since developer CyberConnect2 toyed with the idea of battling multiple enemies at once in Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. Follow the excellent example that One Piece: Pirate Warriors has laid out, and the series could retell the story in a bold new way.
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One Punch Man
One of the defining traits of a Warriors title is that characters cut through grunts with a single attack. There's no real justification for it, but these smaller characters just exist to get killed. With One Punch Man, it'd make sense why lower level enemies would be sent flying after a single blow. An adaptation of the popular anime wouldn't be easy, as they'd have to create a compelling game around the overpowered protagonist, but it certainly could be done if the game leaned into the series' signature sense of humor. I'd love to see it happen, even if it's one of the least likely ideas on this list.
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PlayStation All-Stars
No matter if you dug Sony's attempt at a platform fighting game, there's no denying that PlayStation All-Stars had a pretty amazing cast. It brought all kinds of gaming icons together, and it'd be a smart move if Sony used this IP for other types of crossovers too. Imagine a musou title where players got to control their favorite PlayStation characters as they battled it out in various game worlds. Players would face off against Chop Chop Master Onion's trainees in one level, and then battle the Helghast in the next. It could really be something special.
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Sailor Moon
Thanks to the success of Sailor Moon Crystal, Naoko Takeuchi's beloved series is back in the pop culture spotlight. The Sailor Guardians have been icons of empowerment for decades now, and a game allowing them to show off their moves would make perfect sense. There are plenty of arcs to adapt, and who wouldn't want to see Queen Beryl get her comeuppance again?
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Star Wars
This one is a no-brainer. Give players a lightsaber, let them take out thousands of Imperial soldiers, and you have a satisfying Star Wars power trip. It doesn't need to reinvent the wheel, but a good Jedi story could go a long way.
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WWE
A good musou title has a diverse set of characters, and nothing runs the gamut of wackiness quite like professional wrestling. From the immortal dead man The Undertaker to the Macho King Randy Savage, there are dozens of memorable characters that could be used in a game. Since the WWE 2K series has been stale for almost a decade now, a more fantasy-inspired game using these larger-than-life characters (similar to WWE Immortals) would make for a great way to make WWE relevant in gaming again.
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X Men
One of the reasons why X-Men has been such a successful comic series is due to each character having different abilities. From having super-strength to shapeshifting, there's a wide array of abilities, but they all have one thing in common — they can be used to dish out some serious damage. The various mutants would make for a great cast of playable characters and foes, which makes X-Men a great fit for a game where superpowers actually feel powerful during gameplay.