A Japanese dev compared Koei Tecmo’s musou games to PowerWash Simulator, and it’s oddly accurate 

Games in the musou genre usually have you unleashing powerful attacks across sprawling battlefields, decimating hordes of enemies. The focus is on the hack-and-slash action, and they can be great for de-stressing or giving you that sense of being an unstoppable force. The thrill of mowing down enemies is… just like the refreshing satisfaction of blasting grime off a vehicle, apparently. An unusual comparison between musou games and PowerWash Simulator by Japanese indie developer and critic Renji Nikaido has already been liked over 1500 times, suggesting that it resonated with other musou lovers.. 

Post translation: The musou series is known for giving players the “exhilarating feeling of being a great warrior,” but I don’t think this thrill is actually about sweaty hands-on combat and taking down hordes of enemies with your strength. Rather, it’s closer to that feeling of satisfaction you get after washing a car in PowerWash Simulator. 

Nikaido goes on to muse that with musou games, it’s not the battle mechanics but the setting that enables players to immerse themselves into the fun role-play of obliterating hordes of enemies. In response, other users describe musou games as “lawn mowing but in a good way” and “like biting into a crispy wafer.” 

PowerWash Simulator
Vehicles are just one of the things that PowerWash Simulator lets you hose down.

The term “musou series” or “musou game” is often used to refer to games with the Japanese word musou (“unrivaled”) in the original Japanese title, which are developed by Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force division. Some of the most famous musou series are Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, and Warriors Orochi. Most of these games have well-known characters and/or rich settings to absorb the player (such as Dynasty Warriors’ historical Chinese setting based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms). However, the gameplay systems tend to be relatively uncomplicated. Although they might have light RPG elements like leveling up and stat-boosting, the focus is on the glorious feeling of slashing your way through enemies and unleashing over-the-top special attacks. 

Various anime and game series have entered into musou crossovers developed or co-developed by Omega Force- including One Piece Pirate Warriors 3, Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, Persona 5 Strikers, and even Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. However, if your fingers are tired from the button-mashing required to be an all-powerful warrior, you might be able to get a similar feeling of satisfaction from hosing down muddy vehicles in PowerWash Simulator. 

Verity Townsend
Verity Townsend

Automaton West Editor and translator. She has a soft spot for old-school Sierra adventure games and Final Fantasy VIII (yes, 8!). Can often be found hunting down weird forgotten games and finding out everything about them. Frequently muses about characters and lines from Metal Gear Solid and Disco Elysium. Aims to keep Automaton fresh and interesting with a wide variety of articles.

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