Latest Reviews of Koei Tecmo Games
Review Wild Hearts (Xbox) - Koei Tecmo & EA's Monster Hunter-Like Arrives On Xbox Game Pass
How does it hold up?
Update (Thu 9th Nov, 2023): With Wild Hearts arriving on Xbox Game Pass as part of EA Play today, we thought we'd re-share this review from earlier in the year so you can get an idea of what it's like, and whether it's worth a download. Keep in mind the game has also received multiple patches since release, as documented on the...
The sweet elixir of death
As much as we absolutely adore Team Ninja's PC and PlayStation-exclusive Nioh series, it often felt as though it bogged itself down a little bit too much with the depth of its combat mechanics and a certain heavy-handedness when it came to the importance of stamina with regards to every single action you took in battle...
Review Project Zero: Maiden Of Black Water - Plenty Of Flaws, But Still Provides Effective Chills
Don't Look Now
The fifth entry in Koei Tecmo's long-running Fatal Frame franchise, Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water was originally released on WiiU back in 2014 and is, for our money, the weakest link in the series. This is a game that surrounds its signature ghost-snapping action with janky traversal mechanics and a wooden cast of characters...
Review Bladestorm: Nightmare (Xbox One)
Nightmare is right
When Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War was released on the Xbox 360 back in 2008, it was a game that pretty much passed everyone by. Those who did play it tend to remember it with fondness, even though it was far from perfect. A genuinely inventive game that saw players leading battalions of troops across France while racking up...
Latest Koei Tecmo Articles
News These Nine Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (November 2-14)
The latest official roundup of new titles
Microsoft has announced the first batch of Xbox Game Pass titles for November 2023! This list includes previously announced additions such as Like a Dragon Gaiden and Football Manager 2024 alongside surprise launches like Spirittea. Oh, and don't forget,
News Xbox Game Pass Almost Quadruples Player Numbers For Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
The team has hit a massive milestone
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has been one of the biggest Xbox Game Pass launches of the year so far, with millions of fans going hands on with Koei Tecmo's excellent soulslike in recent weeks. Well, the team has just provided some updated numbers that show how much of an impact Xbox's subscription service has had...
News Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Update 1.04 Now Live On Xbox, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Including some new features
Xbox Game Pass hit Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has received a few noteworthy patches since its launch earlier this month, and now update 1.04 has landed on Xbox - including on Game Pass of course. This patch makes some major changes to Team Ninja's slasher, including some AI adjustments, combat changes and more. We'll drop...
News Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Looks Shockingly Low-Res On Xbox One S
It's a stable 30FPS though!
With the advent of new consoles, us gaming enthusiasts of the world often quickly forget older technology (before inevitably getting nostalgic about it years down the line). The base Xbox One is definitely in the 'forgotten' territory of its life right now — for us at least — but sometimes we're reminded that new...
Poll What Do You Think Of 'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty' On Xbox Game Pass?
Have you beaten the first boss yet?
Team Ninja's latest soulslike Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has been up on Xbox Game Pass since late last week, meaning you've had the weekend to try it out now - if you're at all inclined! Here at Pure Xbox HQ we've been playing the game a little longer than that, and we very much enjoyed our time with the game for...
News Two More Games Are Now Available With Xbox Game Pass (March 2-3)
The library grows
Xbox Game Pass in March 2023 is just getting started, with a couple more titles arriving right at the beginning of the month. Codemasters' latest F1 game was added to the service yesterday afternoon via EA Play, whilst Team Ninja's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is now in the library as well! Here's a bit more about what to expect from...
News Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Launch Trailer Is Here Ahead Of Xbox Game Pass Release
Just one week to go!
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is certainly one of the biggest Xbox Game Pass additions announced for March so far, and its release is so close now! Team Ninja's upcoming slasher hits the library on March 3rd, with a free gameplay demo out now ahead of launch. Of course, your
Poll What Do You Think Of EA's Wild Hearts So Far?
Have you played the Game Pass trial? What do you think?
EA and Koei Tecmo have been working away on their Monster Hunter competitor for some time now, and the result of that labour — in the form of Wild Hearts — is now out in the... wild. Anyway, enough of our silly puns, we'd like to know how you've been getting on with the game so far. In our...
News Wild Hearts 'Welcome To Minato' Story Trailer Arrives, Xbox Game Pass Trial Begins Today
Wild thing
EA's Monster Hunter competitor Wild Hearts begins rolling out on all platforms this week, starting with the early access trial which goes live today, February 13th. Ahead of the game's global rollout, the dev team has dropped a brand new story trailer to add some context to all of your upcoming monster hunting adventures. Koei Tecmo...
News Xbox Game Pass RPG Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Gets Free 'Final Demo' This Month
And progress carries over!
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty dev Team Ninja has announced that a second free demo will launch for the title later this month, shortly before its Xbox Game Pass launch. This follow-up will focus on two early stages that didn't feature in last year's Xbox demo. 'Chapter 1: Village of Calamity' and 'Chapter 2: Two Chivalrous He
News Xbox Game Pass Adventure 'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty' Continues To Impress In Latest Preview
10-minutes of brand new footage!
It looks like we're going to see plenty of Team Ninja's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty this month! The upcoming Game Pass slasher is part of 'IGN First' for the month of January, and the outlet is kicking things off with 10-minutes of fresh gameplay. The environments here look rather gorgeous, with the game leaning heavily...
News Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Dev Reveals 'Electrifying' Trailer Ahead Of Xbox Game Pass Launch
It's looking pretty epic!
Team Ninja's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has impressed us so far in its early pre-release footage - and the dev has now dropped a brand-new gameplay trailer ahead of its Xbox Game Pass launch next March. You can feast your eyes on a couple more minutes of fast and frantic gameplay here - we're just about catching our breath...
News Fatal Frame: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse Heads To Xbox Next March
Project Zero
Koei Tecmo has announced the release date for its upcoming Fatal Frame remaster, and it's not far off folks! Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse hits Xbox platforms on March 9th, 2023, with both an Xbox One and a Series X|S version in the works. Here in the UK (and Europe), the series is instead titled 'Project Zero', so we'll be...
News Electronic Arts And Koei Tecmo Are Working On A Monster Hunter Rival
"The next great hunting game"
The Monster Hunter series has become an absolute goldmine for Capcom over the years, with each game normally shifting millions of units around the globe. It's got plenty of other companies thinking about how they could join the hunt, and with this in mind, EA and Koei Tecmo are teaming up in a new partnership to make...
News Fatal Frame: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse Spooks Its Way Onto Xbox In 2023
Rogetsu's gonna get you
Creepy camera obscura classic, Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, is headed to the West for the very first time in a remastered version that's set to hit Xbox consoles in early 2023. This seriously spooky horror game was only released on the Wii in Japan back in 2008, although we did eventually manage to play it via...
News Atelier Dev Open To Xbox Releases, If There's 'Enough Requests From Fans'
"We may be able to make that a reality"
One Japanese RPG series that's not yet graced the Xbox platform is Atelier by Gust and Koei Tecmo. That could all change in the future though, if there's enough demand. Speaking to the website The Mako Reactor (thanks, @HazzadorGamin) about the upcoming release Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mys
News Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Gets Free Demo For Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One
Tutorial and Edit modes featured
If you've been eagerly awaiting Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires and its return to a smaller-stage format, there's now a free demo out for the upcoming release! The demo, which is live now across Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, features two of the game's modes. The tutorial is here, which contains a Castle Siege, along with...
News Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water Will Include A Free Xbox Series X And Series S Upgrade
Enhancing the terror for next-gen
With Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (or as it'll be known in Europe, Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water) finally making its way to Xbox this October, many players are excited to jump into the iconic horror game. As an added bonus, Xbox Series X and Series S owners will get an enhanced version of the game when...
News Woah, Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water Is Coming To Xbox This Year
Spooky stuff
This is perhaps one of more shocking moments of E3 - the Fatal Frame series is making its way back onto Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S later this year. The classic horror series hasn't been on Xbox since the 2004 release, Fatal Frame II: Director's Cut, but now its returning with Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, which was originally...
News Dead Or Alive Series Director Parts Ways With Koei Tecmo
"I worked on Dead or Alive for 16 years"
Yohei Shimbori, who has worked on the Dead or Alive series since 2004, has left Koei Tecmo after 16 years. Shimbori announced news of his departure in a tweet, which when translated explains that as of today he has officially left the company. He managed to work on ten games in the series over the 16 years...
News Ninja Gaiden Collection Contains Sigma Games As 'Only Fragments' Remain Of Other Titles
"We couldn’t salvage them"
Ninja Gaiden Master Collection is set to arrive later this year, but does not include Ninja Gaiden Black or Ninja Gaiden II - definitely a bit of a disappointment for some fans - and now we know the reason why. As it stands, the collection comes bundled with Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3:...
News Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Will No Longer Release Early 2021
“We apologize for the delay”
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires will no longer be releasing in the early half of this year, Omega Force has announced. The news was announced in a Twitter post, in which a new date was not confirmed. It was said “the team is still working hard on delivering the best game possible”, but wanted to let fans know “the...
News Samurai Warriors 5 Brings The Fight To Xbox One This July
15 years since the last entry came to Xbox
Update (Thu 25th Feb, 2021 20:00 GMT): We've got a date! Koei Tecmo has revealed that the North America and Europe release of Samurai Warriors 5 will arrive on July 27th on Xbox One. Mark it in your calendar! SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 marks a fresh, re-imagining of the franchise, including an all-new storyline,...
News Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection Slashes Onto Xbox This June
Get ready to die all over again
Koei Tecmo has revealed Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection will be arriving onto Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S through backwards compatibility on June 10th. The collection will bring together three classic games from the series, including Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge...
News These Nine Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (November 2-14)
The latest official roundup of new titles
Microsoft has announced the first batch of Xbox Game Pass titles for November 2023! This list includes previously announced additions such as Like a Dragon Gaiden and Football Manager 2024 alongside surprise launches like Spirittea. Oh, and don't forget,
News Xbox Game Pass Almost Quadruples Player Numbers For Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
The team has hit a massive milestone
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has been one of the biggest Xbox Game Pass launches of the year so far, with millions of fans going hands on with Koei Tecmo's excellent soulslike in recent weeks. Well, the team has just provided some updated numbers that show how much of an impact Xbox's subscription service has had...
News Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Update 1.04 Now Live On Xbox, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Including some new features
Xbox Game Pass hit Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has received a few noteworthy patches since its launch earlier this month, and now update 1.04 has landed on Xbox - including on Game Pass of course. This patch makes some major changes to Team Ninja's slasher, including some AI adjustments, combat changes and more. We'll drop...
News Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Looks Shockingly Low-Res On Xbox One S
It's a stable 30FPS though!
With the advent of new consoles, us gaming enthusiasts of the world often quickly forget older technology (before inevitably getting nostalgic about it years down the line). The base Xbox One is definitely in the 'forgotten' territory of its life right now — for us at least — but sometimes we're reminded that new...
Poll What Do You Think Of 'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty' On Xbox Game Pass?
Have you beaten the first boss yet?
Team Ninja's latest soulslike Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has been up on Xbox Game Pass since late last week, meaning you've had the weekend to try it out now - if you're at all inclined! Here at Pure Xbox HQ we've been playing the game a little longer than that, and we very much enjoyed our time with the game for...
News Two More Games Are Now Available With Xbox Game Pass (March 2-3)
The library grows
Xbox Game Pass in March 2023 is just getting started, with a couple more titles arriving right at the beginning of the month. Codemasters' latest F1 game was added to the service yesterday afternoon via EA Play, whilst Team Ninja's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is now in the library as well! Here's a bit more about what to expect from...
News Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Launch Trailer Is Here Ahead Of Xbox Game Pass Release
Just one week to go!
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is certainly one of the biggest Xbox Game Pass additions announced for March so far, and its release is so close now! Team Ninja's upcoming slasher hits the library on March 3rd, with a free gameplay demo out now ahead of launch. Of course, your
Poll What Do You Think Of EA's Wild Hearts So Far?
Have you played the Game Pass trial? What do you think?
EA and Koei Tecmo have been working away on their Monster Hunter competitor for some time now, and the result of that labour — in the form of Wild Hearts — is now out in the... wild. Anyway, enough of our silly puns, we'd like to know how you've been getting on with the game so far. In our...
News Wild Hearts 'Welcome To Minato' Story Trailer Arrives, Xbox Game Pass Trial Begins Today
Wild thing
EA's Monster Hunter competitor Wild Hearts begins rolling out on all platforms this week, starting with the early access trial which goes live today, February 13th. Ahead of the game's global rollout, the dev team has dropped a brand new story trailer to add some context to all of your upcoming monster hunting adventures. Koei Tecmo...
News Xbox Game Pass RPG Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Gets Free 'Final Demo' This Month
And progress carries over!
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty dev Team Ninja has announced that a second free demo will launch for the title later this month, shortly before its Xbox Game Pass launch. This follow-up will focus on two early stages that didn't feature in last year's Xbox demo. 'Chapter 1: Village of Calamity' and 'Chapter 2: Two Chivalrous He
News Xbox Game Pass Adventure 'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty' Continues To Impress In Latest Preview
10-minutes of brand new footage!
It looks like we're going to see plenty of Team Ninja's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty this month! The upcoming Game Pass slasher is part of 'IGN First' for the month of January, and the outlet is kicking things off with 10-minutes of fresh gameplay. The environments here look rather gorgeous, with the game leaning heavily...
News Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Dev Reveals 'Electrifying' Trailer Ahead Of Xbox Game Pass Launch
It's looking pretty epic!
Team Ninja's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has impressed us so far in its early pre-release footage - and the dev has now dropped a brand-new gameplay trailer ahead of its Xbox Game Pass launch next March. You can feast your eyes on a couple more minutes of fast and frantic gameplay here - we're just about catching our breath...
News Fatal Frame: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse Heads To Xbox Next March
Project Zero
Koei Tecmo has announced the release date for its upcoming Fatal Frame remaster, and it's not far off folks! Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse hits Xbox platforms on March 9th, 2023, with both an Xbox One and a Series X|S version in the works. Here in the UK (and Europe), the series is instead titled 'Project Zero', so we'll be...
News Electronic Arts And Koei Tecmo Are Working On A Monster Hunter Rival
"The next great hunting game"
The Monster Hunter series has become an absolute goldmine for Capcom over the years, with each game normally shifting millions of units around the globe. It's got plenty of other companies thinking about how they could join the hunt, and with this in mind, EA and Koei Tecmo are teaming up in a new partnership to make...
News Fatal Frame: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse Spooks Its Way Onto Xbox In 2023
Rogetsu's gonna get you
Creepy camera obscura classic, Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, is headed to the West for the very first time in a remastered version that's set to hit Xbox consoles in early 2023. This seriously spooky horror game was only released on the Wii in Japan back in 2008, although we did eventually manage to play it via...
News Atelier Dev Open To Xbox Releases, If There's 'Enough Requests From Fans'
"We may be able to make that a reality"
One Japanese RPG series that's not yet graced the Xbox platform is Atelier by Gust and Koei Tecmo. That could all change in the future though, if there's enough demand. Speaking to the website The Mako Reactor (thanks, @HazzadorGamin) about the upcoming release Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mys
News Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Gets Free Demo For Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One
Tutorial and Edit modes featured
If you've been eagerly awaiting Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires and its return to a smaller-stage format, there's now a free demo out for the upcoming release! The demo, which is live now across Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, features two of the game's modes. The tutorial is here, which contains a Castle Siege, along with...
News Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water Will Include A Free Xbox Series X And Series S Upgrade
Enhancing the terror for next-gen
With Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (or as it'll be known in Europe, Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water) finally making its way to Xbox this October, many players are excited to jump into the iconic horror game. As an added bonus, Xbox Series X and Series S owners will get an enhanced version of the game when...
News Woah, Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water Is Coming To Xbox This Year
Spooky stuff
This is perhaps one of more shocking moments of E3 - the Fatal Frame series is making its way back onto Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S later this year. The classic horror series hasn't been on Xbox since the 2004 release, Fatal Frame II: Director's Cut, but now its returning with Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, which was originally...
News Dead Or Alive Series Director Parts Ways With Koei Tecmo
"I worked on Dead or Alive for 16 years"
Yohei Shimbori, who has worked on the Dead or Alive series since 2004, has left Koei Tecmo after 16 years. Shimbori announced news of his departure in a tweet, which when translated explains that as of today he has officially left the company. He managed to work on ten games in the series over the 16 years...
News Ninja Gaiden Collection Contains Sigma Games As 'Only Fragments' Remain Of Other Titles
"We couldn’t salvage them"
Ninja Gaiden Master Collection is set to arrive later this year, but does not include Ninja Gaiden Black or Ninja Gaiden II - definitely a bit of a disappointment for some fans - and now we know the reason why. As it stands, the collection comes bundled with Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3:...
News Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Will No Longer Release Early 2021
“We apologize for the delay”
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires will no longer be releasing in the early half of this year, Omega Force has announced. The news was announced in a Twitter post, in which a new date was not confirmed. It was said “the team is still working hard on delivering the best game possible”, but wanted to let fans know “the...
News Samurai Warriors 5 Brings The Fight To Xbox One This July
15 years since the last entry came to Xbox
Update (Thu 25th Feb, 2021 20:00 GMT): We've got a date! Koei Tecmo has revealed that the North America and Europe release of Samurai Warriors 5 will arrive on July 27th on Xbox One. Mark it in your calendar! SAMURAI WARRIORS 5 marks a fresh, re-imagining of the franchise, including an all-new storyline,...
News Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection Slashes Onto Xbox This June
Get ready to die all over again
Koei Tecmo has revealed Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection will be arriving onto Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S through backwards compatibility on June 10th. The collection will bring together three classic games from the series, including Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge...