Dynasty Warriors 9 Review

Dynasty Warriors 9

Release: January 1, 1970
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Developer: Omega Force
Genre: Action, Adventure, Articles, Role-playing
PEGI: T
Comments:

 

Comment

The Dynasty Warriors franchise has a huge following, and although I haven’t bee playing the series for long – was drawn in during the Zelda remix days when Hyrule Warriors was released – I’ve come to enjoy the one-vs-hundreds model that the game seems to make work so well. In previous iterations of the franchise, players would prep for their battles and then jump in for an overview menu, dealing with each fight one at a time. In Dynasty Warriors 9, however, things get spun around, and you instead explore a vast open world. Does it work? Let’s take a look!

Outside of the massive battles, it appears as if most of what is given to players in Dynasty Warriors 9 is a step away from what the franchise has done to date. While I personally liked it, others on our staff were not as enthused, which I think will ultimately define this title. It will be loved by some, and hated by others. With this gameplay change, there really is no 100% win for the developers.

While many gaming websites have dismissed Dynasty Warriors 9 as a complete disastrous, I definitely don’t see it that way. The basic Dynasty Warriors formula is still there, and should be fun for long time fans of the game. The open world elements – which aren’t even all necessary as you can fast travel to all the battlefields – are done well enough that they aren’t a distraction, and don’t feel completely useless either. While traveling form A to B, you can get side tracked by other missions, defend one of your many fronts, or do some savaging for resources.

Dynasty Warriors 9, although it has problems, is a great entry point for those unfamiliar with Dynasty Warriors. Combat has been altered to be a bit more user friendly in my opinion, providing players with the opportunity to unleash normal attacks, and numerous special attacks, all mapped to the right trigger and face buttons. It’s an easy system to understand and master, which allows players to focus on Dynasty Warriors 9’s other feature.

Listen, we all understand that this is a new step for both Koie Tecmo and Omega Force, so there is bound to be some growing pains. As both are companies with limited knowledge in creating open world games, there were going to be some things that flat out don’t work. And to be honest, the game is riddled with those small, minor issues that can plague the experience after the while. Many will quit on this game long before the credits roll, but for those that push through, there is still something fun and exciting here. Sometimes collecting resources isn’t as much fun as it should be – more of a chore in fact – and there is a fair amount of graphical hitches and overused assets as you travel across the open, sometimes bare, world.

There is tons of great things to do in Dynasty Warriors 9, including side quests, battling large armies, and unlocking new heroes that you can send time upgrading and leveling up. In terms of content, Dynasty Warriors 9 does not disappoint, and during my numerous hours with the game, I never had a problem finding something to do. The story, although great for those with a long history of playing these games, was a secondary thing that pushed me through the experience. I was more excited about defending all my battle fronts, pushing out from my first encampment, and making sure I was steadily unlocking and leveling up the many characters I could play as.

While there are a ton of characters to find and unlock, they all play relatively the same, which is great for new players, but again, probably a disappointment for long time fans. I prefer the accessibility of having each character play relatively the same, rather then the stress of attempting to figure out which fighter is best, for which situation.

Ultimately, you’ll love or hate Dynasty Warriors 9. I enjoyed my time with the game despite all the faults, but many won’t. For this reason, I think Dynasty Warriors 9 deserves a respectable 7/10!