Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Review 2022. The Dynasty Warriors franchise appears unstoppable, with each mainstream edition introducing new heroes and gameplay features. The spin-off Empires series, on the other hand, does not always seem to receive the same level of attention. While Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is an excellent cause to return to ancient China and wring out even more heroic fighting encounters, it isn’t exactly as good as you might think.
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Create your own tale.
Musou games give players power by putting them in the shoes of famous heroes and pitting them against tens of thousands of foes. In a jungle expedition, you chop your way through inferior soldiers like overgrowth in search of famous warriors from opposite kingdoms who will fight fairly. Overcoming unfathomable obstacles and emerging victorious is a fantastic feeling, but it’s tempered by the monotony of the fights you fight against what seem to be the same old foes.
In Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires, players can choose from a variety of scenarios to start their campaign. These possibilities are based on historical events and determine which kingdoms begin with which lands. There’s also a chaotic free-for-all campaign, but the range of options available ensures that even on your tenth game, things remain fascinating.
After you’ve chosen a scenario, you’ll need to choose a ruler, the character you’ll be playing as for the duration of your campaign. You can even construct your own unique hero and save it to use in future playthroughs. The customising options are great, and there’s plenty of room to save dozens of projects.
There isn’t much of a storey to speak about outside of the scenario and hero you choose. You choose which regions to attack, which friends to recruit, how battles are fought, and more. While there are a few cutscenes for particular encounters, the game mostly relies on you to create your own narrative. You may invade a region because it is nearby or because you dislike the leader and his or her reputation. This isn’t a deal breaker and fits in nicely with the Empires formula.
Siege after siege
Battles in Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires are unlike anything most Musou fans have seen before. Rather than large-scale fights across gorgeous landscape, they focus on fortress sieges. You must conquer siege towers to keep the enemy from killing you or capturing your castle when defending. When attacking, you must utilise siege towers and rams to demolish a castle’s defences, defeat the territory’s leader, and take control of a new region.
Before you begin a battle, you can check your chances of winning. Even though the odds are stacked against you, if you’re clever, secret plans and abilities can help you change the tide. You can choose generals and direct them where to place themselves during the planning stage before each fight.
All of your activities, whether diplomatic, peaceful, or hostile, help you earn secret plans. A strategy could be as easy as acquiring some much-needed reinforcements in battle, but in order to succeed, you must achieve a specified aim. These aren’t usually particularly challenging, requiring you to capture specific regions or protect messengers within a set amount of time, but they can make or break your game. More troops equals more fodder to keep the enemy at bay while you take out their siege towers.
The layout of castles, as well as where opponents and allies establish strongholds or bases, add to the Musou battle style. It’s never boring to watch your hero storm a base or a siege tower fortress and slaughter every soldier in sight. Signature moves and special abilities remain in the game, although they play a less role than schemes or hidden plans that summon wind and lightning to help you.
Manage every element of your campaign
The biggest distinction between the mainline Dynasty Warrior series and the Empires spin-offs is that the latter has a tactical aspect. Following your scenario selection, it’s up to you to rule your empire and conquer China as you see fit. You choose which areas to attack, appoint generals, and even take a walk with your allies every now and again. But it isn’t all about the conflict.
Managing your assets is an important component of operating your kingdom. You must determine what you will focus on each month based on the needs of your kingdom. For example, to make the most out of a territory, you could train more soldiers, develop farmland to obtain more rations, raise cash for a future conflict, and even loot and burn it.
This is the majority of what you’ll be doing in between encounters, but don’t mistake it for a break from combat. Instead, the kingdom management aspect of the game makes it feel more like Total War: Shogun, since it forces you to make wise decisions based on your resources. If you conquer territory without considering the opposing army, for example, you may find yourself in a conflict when defending a new zone.
It’s important to strike a balance between steadily capturing more of the map and controlling the territory you already hold. While forming alliances and negotiating with generals on the open world map may appear to be a nuisance, the breathing room is a welcome relief after a long siege. Outside of battle, your activities will have an impact on who approaches you to form an alliance. While it may not last long, demonstrating your ability to collaborate with others is beneficial in the long run.
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Stuck to its roots
Hardcore Musou action is at the heart of every Dynasty Warriors game. This series is notorious for pitting you against thousands of opponents and seeing your lone hero emerge victorious, and that element is still there in combat. Unfortunately, Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires limits conflicts to castle sieges, so you’ll only get a peek of the fractious Musou combat in the centre of a stronghold. The screen fills with bodies as you slice your way through everyone in your way to take down the enemy’s leader alone against thousands of their warriors. However, because this occurs at the end of a siege, you never receive a full dose of Musou action like you would. Most of the regular Dynasty Warriors bouts.
The Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires music is appropriately massive. During fight, a mix of classical music, metal, and rock songs play in the background. When you’re in your war room or conversing with generals, though. Everything is lot more nuanced and reminiscent of ancient China. This isn’t much different from previous games, but it still manages to emphasise the magnitude of your actions. You could also listen to a podcast and rest certain that you aren’t missing anything.
The aesthetics are the game’s Achilles’ Heel. We’re not sure if it’s because it’s based on Dynasty Warriors 9, which came out in 2018. Because there’s just too much content to push the graphics any farther. On PS5, we didn’t lose any frames, but the surroundings, as well as the inferior infantry, constantly seemed blocky. Generals and named characters have distinct looks. But outside of the moments when they’re shown in the heat of battle or during a cutscene. The quality of their character models has deteriorated significantly.
Verdict
While Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires didn’t blow us away by offering something. New with the franchise, Musou games have never been about that. The game gives you more of what you want: massive fights. Which you may rack up thousands of kills on a daily basis. Witness epic rivalries between great leaders emerge and die in front of your eyes. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Dynasty Warriors game, this will be right up your alley. But lovers of historical strategy games will also appreciate how simple it is to get into.
