Warriors: Abyss Reviews

Through victory and defeat, traverse the merciless trials of hell. PC version reviewed. Review copy provided by Koei Tecmo for testing purposes.

Ruling Hell is a grueling job and the transition can be rough when a new successor takes the reigns. Hell isn't just where the worst of humanity goes, but is also home to countless powerful demons, and they're not the type to sit back content in their positions. When Enma rose to being Hell's new ruler, it didn't take long for them to be deposed, with Gouma stealing the throne for himself. With the last of their power, Enma summons a champion from the mortal plane to engage in battle on their behalf, who in turn commands a small army of heroes to carve a path through the souls of the dead on the way to depose the usurper.

Koei Tecmo’s latest offering, WARRIORS: Abyss, represents an ambitious attempt to breathe new life into the long-running Warriors franchise by incorporating roguelite elements into its traditional hack-and-slash formula. Our review of WARRIORS: Abyss examines how successfully these disparate gameplay styles merge, exploring the game’s combat mechanics, character customization options, visual presentation, and overall gameplay loop. While the game introduces some compelling innovations, it...

You know, I am starting to get a bit fed up with roguelikes nowadays. It feels like one is released every other day, rarely featuring a single gameplay or design element that makes it stand out. I’m trying to say that not every roguelike released in the market is going to be the next Balatro. But an actual roguelike Musou made by Omega Force and Koei Tecmo? Warriors: Abyss is the kind of game in which I had never thought of existing prior to its announcement… but dammit, it just works inc...

Warriors Abyss has its heart in the right place and some interesting ideas, but its particular blend of musou and roguelike doesn’t feel like it’s fully realized. A novel blueprint for something down the line, but as-is, it’s hard to justify for anyone but the biggest fans of the Warriors series.

Warriors: Abyss is a fantastic roguelike that takes the Dynasty Warriors gameplay and injects roguelike elements successfully. It is also great on the Steam Deck!

Warriors: Abyss may stumble in its open-ended, cookie-cutter story and cut-and-paste boss battles, but the replayability that comes from its combat and the customization of its multitude of characters and builds helped keep me slashing through thousands of enemies for dozens of hours of roguelite runs.

Warriors: Abyss is far from perfect, but I can't pretend I didn't have a blast unleashing flashy attacks and dodging the enemy onslaught.

Something of a lovechild between Hades and Dynasty Warriors, Warriors: Abyss is fun while it lasts but doesn't have the staying power of the best roguelikes. Still, with over 100 characters to play as and some neat ideas up its sleeve, it's well worth a try, particularly if you're a Warriors or a roguelike fan. Even better if you're both.

Like it or not, 2025 looks to be the year of the Warriors franchise. Already getting fed well with Dynasty Warriors: Origins last month, Warriors: Abyss, a roguelike spin on the long-running Musou genre, shadow dropped earlier this month. Featuring fast-paced combat battles against hundreds upon thousands of enemy soldiers, its new genre stint is thoroughly enjoyable, even if it’s a bit boilerplate.

Warriors Abyss is an amazing ride with tons of replayability. It has satisfying and addicting combat with tons of enemies to try new characters’ movesets on. The camera and all the effects can go crazy on you at times, but overall it’s a solid grab at only $25.

Earlier this year, Koei and developer Omega Force achieved a landmark success with their reboot of the long-running Dynasty Warriors franchise. As we concluded in our Dynasty Warriors: Origins review, there’s no going back for the series now that it has established a strong new gameplay formula – then along comes Warriors: Abyss.

Koei Tecmo has come screaming into 2025 with all kinds of wins, from bringing the hype back to Ninja Gaiden to successfully shifting gears in Dynasty Warriors. Even Atelier is growing in leaps and bounds. Somehow there’s room for more, as we saw during the February 2025 State of Play. A whole new Warriors game shadow-dropped, and it’s another intriguing experiment: a roguelike! Not just any roguelike, but one that goes out of its way to invoke Hades, one of the most tremendous of its kind in contemporary history. Generally I buy what Omega Force sells, but I wasn’t feeling Warriors: Abyss when I first saw it during the showcase. After playing it… well, I’m still not really feeling it. But I kind of am? Buckle up folks, it’s a weird one.

Truthfully, Warriors: Abyss feels like Koei Tecmo tried to cook up its own budget Hades from the leftovers of last night's Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. That's not to say it fails to sate the appetite, though. Despite being a bit rough around the edges, Abyss is a solid and successfully addictive foray into the roguelike genre, and the series' signature hack-and-slash ingredients blend right in.

Warriors: Abyss is an addictive roguelite that successfully blends elements from acclaimed titles, carving out its own place in the genre. Combat is a thrill. Taking on hundreds at a time with an array of huge, diverse attacks leads to a compelling system that can quickly get its hooks in you. However, fights can get a little messy in the latter stages of the game removing some of the deliberate actions which take place in the earlier portions. Despite its dated visuals, this roguelite remains a fun and engaging experience.

Warriors: Abyss is an excellent mash-up of a roguelite structure with the core gameplay of the Dynasty Warriors franchise. There is plenty of content to unlock, and the level of variety in creating builds for each run is incredible. Just be ready to skip through a lot of poor dialogue.

Warriors: Abyss is a decent low-budget spinoff in the long-running hack ‘n’ slash series, but isn't particularly inspiring. There’s tons of replayability, loads of unlockables, and a thrilling combat system that help to keep this one interesting for a while, but its paper-thin plot, repetitive gameplay, and poor visuals very much hold it back from being anything exceptional. We’d give this one a modest recommendation to fans of either roguelites, Musou games, or both, but with the caveat that you may want to wait to pick this one up on a deep sale sometime later on.

Warriors: Abyss is Omega Force's attempt at breaking into the rougelite genre. There is some fun to be had, but ultimately, the game lacks potential in a lot of cases. With poor boss battles and limited gameplay features, you're better off spending your time elsewhere unless you are a die-hard fan of Warriors.

Warriors: Abyss can provide a fun experience for the Warriors die-hards, but could be skipped by everyone else.

WARRIORS: Abyss is a positive step for the series with its exciting plot, intricate tactics, and fast-paced action. It is a visually stunning and deeply engaging action game with strategic depth, but rewarding for those who master its combat.

“Why you can trust Digital Trends – We have a 20-year history of testing, reviewing, and rating products, services and apps to help you make a sound buying decision. Find out more about how we test and score products.“