Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have a strong thing going with theirDynasty Warriorscrossover games. Their two main titles, 2014’sHyrule Warriorsand 2017’sFire Emblem Warriors, are great love letters that cleverly mix the hack-and-slash gameplay ofDynasty Warriorswith mechanics unique to each respective Nintendo franchise. With the announcement ofHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a prequel toBreath of the Wild, it’s clear that relationship is not going to end anytime soon.
There are a number of other franchises that could get theWarriorstreatment. The inherent themes of combat and war inThe Legend of ZeldaandFire Emblemmake them prime candidates for the large-scale battles seen inDynasty Warriorsgames, but one of Nintendo’s biggest assets is its storied history and roster of characters. This kind of deal may also be a boon for other series, asKoei Tecmo staff helped makeFire Emblem: Three Houseswhile working onFire Emblem Warriors.
RELATED:Age of Calamity Could Finally Make the Original Hyrule Warriors Canon
Super Mario
Perhaps the only franchise higher in Nintendo’s pantheon thenThe Legend of ZeldaisSuper Mario. The series' 35th anniversary this year has come with a number of games includingSuper Mario 3D All-Stars,Paper Mario: The Origami King, and moreannounced during a recent Nintendo Direct.
Fitting Mario characters into the mold of army-destroying super soldiers sounds like a stretch, but characters like Agitha fromTwilight Princessappearing inHyrule Warriorsshows how many possibilities there are if designers get creative pulling from varied source materials. Princess Peach could pull the Vibe Scepter fromSuper Princess Peach, Yoshi could mix egg moves and transformations fromYoshi’s Island, or Princess Rosalina could pull celestial bodies from the sky. If theXCom-styledMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battlebecame a massive third-party hit, “Super Mario Warriors” could too.
Pokemon
Pokemonis the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, and its colorful creatures have been slotted into nearly all conceivable genres. There are puzzle games likePokemon TrozeiorPokemon Puzzle League; multiplePokemon Pinballgames; narrative adventures likeDetective Pikachu; and even a tactical RPG inPokemon Conquestthat crosses over withNobunaga’s Ambition. The franchise even has a MOBA in development calledPokemon UNITE, so why not extend it into the world of hack-and-slash games utilizing different elemental abilities.
RELATED:5 Pokemon That Need To Be In Pokemon UNITE (& 5 That Shouldn’t)
A hypothetical “Pokemon Warriors” could take two routes with its characters. Players may be a custom trainer as in Niantic’s AR mobile gamePokemon GOwho sends out six Pokemon to battle, or they could command a pre-selected set of trainers from different games as in DeNA’sPokemon Masters. Both ideas have different merits depending on the audience Game Freak and Koei Tecmo would attempt to reach, but the latter risks falling into similar trappings asFire Emblem Warriorswhere one or two games from the franchise are more heavily represented given an ocean of choices.
Super Smash Bros.
Recreating the magic that isSuper Smash Bros.in a hack-and-slash series forDynasty Warriorsis perhaps a pipe dream, especially taking third-party fighters into account. However, if the idea were restricted to major Nintendo franchises like in the Nintendo 64 original orSuper Smash Bros. Melee, there is a lot of potential for unique moves to master.
Imagine Link with his tools fromHyrule Warriorsand Marth with his fleet footwork fromFire Emblem Warriorsmixed with hypotheticalfighters like Mario, Samus Aran, or Fox McCloudthat all have referential abilities. That’s not to mention the lore elements that could be drawn fromSmash Bros.itself, such as bosses like Master Hand, Tabuu, or Galeem presiding over armies of Subspace Emissary enemies. Though the baseDynasty Warriorsformula is relatively niche, it’s hard to deny how awe-inspiring aSmash Bros.-themed iteration could be in the right hands.
