Rockstar's Forgotten 2005 Action Game Remains One of its Best

The Warriors is a 1979 film adaptation of a 1965 crime novel that eventually became a cult classic. The film is decidedly gritty: shot on 35mm film, its blacks are crushed and oppressive, its atmosphere often unnerving. This in turn is balanced by an absurdist plot and crazy characters that helped to cement The Warriorsreputation as a hidden gem in the years since its launch. It takes place in an alternate version of New York City, where gang activity has reached an all-time high. Individual gangs have effectively established de facto governments throughout the city, all at constant war with the police. The film revolves around the eponymous Warriors gang, who are accused of murdering Cyrus, the leader of the most powerful gang in the city, while he is in the middle of brokering peace between the various factions. The story continues to follow the Warriors as they make a daring escape back to their home turf of Coney Island, facing off against deadly rival gangs along the way.

Rockstar's The Warriors is a perfect companion to the film

It's quite fitting that Rockstar – especially the 2005 Rockstar – adapted The Warriors. The game was preceded by the various prominent works from the developer, with GTA: San Andreas and Manhunt is perhaps the closest parallel to Warrior Film. It is easy to argue that these games were, at least in part, inspired by the frantic and amoral tone of The Warriorsparticularly in their portrayal of gang activity and violent crime.

Rockstars The Warriors however, is not really an adaptation in the traditional sense. Although it has a strong overlap with the film in parts, at least half of the story is original content. The game starts with the murder of Cyrus, just like the movie, but then turns back the clock a few months and provides hours of backstories on several protagonists before the movie's inciting incident. It's hard to overstate how valuable this creative decision was, as it allowed Rockstar to further flesh out these iconic characters years after they debuted on the big screen. In this way, The Warriors is not just an adaptation of the cult classic, but an extension of it, which provides an enriching, canonical narrative context.

But eventually, The Warriors falls in step with the film, and Rockstar flexes its writing and production muscles to faithfully recreate a number of iconic scenes, including:

• Kelly's famous “Warriors, come out to play” taunt

• Cyrus's opening “Can You Dig It?” speech

• The honey trap “I like it rough” for Ajax from Mercedes

The Warriors is a classic but bombastic Old-School 3D Beat-Em-Up

Unsurprisingly, the mainstay of the game The Warriors which crumbles most when held up to modern scrutiny. Still, its melee sandbox is fun and expressive, filled with expressive combos and over-the-top animations. The majority of the campaign revolves around massive brawls, often involving a dozen or more enemies, which gives it a unique sense of chaos when paired with its third-person perspective.

The Warriors however, has a surprisingly large variation as well. Between each mission, players return to the gang's Coney Island base, where they can train to raise stats or participate in several mini-games such as Wheels of Steel (a wheelchair race) and Survival (an endless brawl mode). Notably, many of these minigames support multiplayer for up to two players.

The campaign itself is also rich in content, especially compared to other 3D brawlers of the era. First, the game provides incredible environmental diversity: The Warriors' level design covers greasy bodegas, run-down parks and networks of neon-laden, claustrophobic streets. Mechanically, each gang member has a unique fighting style, and the missions themselves will often involve non-combat objectives, such as spraying graffiti tags or escaping hordes of bloodthirsty enemies.

Why the Warriors' interpretation of New York is still special

Most gamers know that New York City is an almost ubiquitous setting for video games, having been the backdrop for a number of well-received and influential games, with prominent examples including:

• Marvel's Spider-Man
• Grand Theft Auto 4
• True Crime: New York City
• Max Payne

Although it is not an open world Spider-Man or GTA 4, The Warriors manages to present its version of The Big Apple with much more momentum and impact. This is because each level in the game is isolated and designed more like a setpiece than just an interchangeable part of a larger map. In another game, NYC staples like subway bathrooms, Chinatown, and graffiti-filled alleys are just small parts of a larger whole. IN The Warriorsthese New York staples are characters in their own right, designed around specific gameplay and narrative backdrops.

It is important to point that out The Warriors presents an extremely fictionalized and stylized version of New York, even more so than anything resembling heavy-noir Max Payne. Of course, the gangs in real New York don't have much power or freedom, and virtually every city street isn't a breeding ground for unabashed violent crime (despite what some might think). The Warriors presents a hellish version of the city, its very real crime problem turned up to eleven, resulting in pure anarchy and destruction. Rockstar's take on the film upholds and underscores this fictional idea of ​​New York, and in doing so offers one of the most surprising and refreshing New York environments in gaming history.

System

Released

October 17, 2005

ESRB

M // Blood, intense violence, sexual themes, strong language, use of drugs and alcohol

Developer

Rockstar Toronto, Rockstar Leeds

Engine

RenderWare

Multiplayer

Local multiplayer