Berserk and the Band of the Hawk

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is the pinnacle of musou games, as far as I’m concerned. Omega Force and Koei Tecmo have experimented with the formula for years, and everything they’ve learned and perfected has led up to this game. Berserk Musou gives you the addictive, outrageous hack-and-slash combat musou games have had for ages. It gives you the unique characters and varied mission structures that musou games have only had in the last few years. And on top of that it gives you a gripping, mature, and masterful narrative that a musou game has never had. Until now.

There have been a lot of non-Dynasty Warriors Musou games released by Koei Tecmo in the last couple of years. For those of us that don’t care so much about Chinese history, but do care about franchises like The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest, and Attack on Titan, Koei Tecmo has been taking care of us. Their latest Musou offering is Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, based on the Berserk manga and anime series’. If you are curious about Musou games, Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is a great start. If you are a Berserk fan, then play this game!

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is not only one of the best Musou titles to date, it’s the first license to truly fit the mould effortlessly.

Do you want to slice some demons into little meat chunks as a troubled badass, and perhaps missed out on the great Dreamcast and PS2 renditions of Berserk? Get Band of the Hawk. Seeing the story continue past the Golden Age is enough for an enthusiast to buy in. Otherwise, wait for the price to match what’s being offered.

Berserk: Band of the Hawk is a pretty good fit for the Dynasty Warriors formula. It keeps up the story's tension with a dramatic mission structure, and doesn't shy away from the source material's mature themes.

I enjoyed my time with Berserk and the end game content offers hours and hours of replayability for fans who just can't get enough. The gameplay would definitely stand toe-to-toe with other licensed musou games like One Piece: Pirate Warriors and Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, but maybe this game could have strayed further away from the typical musou formula like what fans saw with Attack on Titan. Instead, it seems Omega Force played it a little too safe.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk doesn't capitalize on the Dynasty Warriors formula as well as it could have, but its incredibly dark and engaging narrative makes it a unique experience. Dynasty Warriors fans will likely be satisfied with what it has to offer in the gameplay department, but if you're tired of that particular brand of hack 'n' slash then this will do little to change your mind.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk doesn't do much special compared to other Warriors games, but it's a fun romp for fans of the series or Koei Tecmo's Warriors titles.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is mindlessly repetitive, but its combat is still somehow addictive enough to be an enjoyable action game with a dark-fantasy story that stays true to its source, most suitable for fans of Berserk. It even left me craving to try out new characters in Endless Abyss Mode. But it desperately needs more challenge and variety to carry it through its campaign, especially considering you can’t bring a friend with you.

With a horrifically conflicting relationship between mechanics and narrative, Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is a great example of two great tastes that don't taste great together.

The only reason you should be picking this game up is if you are a huge hack-and-slash fan, a big fan of Musou games like Dynasty Warriors, or a Berserk fan. If you aren't any of those, then you should skip this game.

An astonishingly shallow and repetitive game even by Dynasty Warriors standards, and one that’s unlike to satisfy even the most hardcore fan.