Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires review

Write your own adaptation of late Han-era history with Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires. Like previous Empires titles, storytelling takes a backbeat to sovereignty, as you forge your own unification tale. But if you’re expecting flawlessness, this account might lean toward tragedy. 

Omega Force’s Dynasty Warriors franchise has a history that echoes the richness of its source material. Each of the mainline entries and offshoots draw from Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms. A 14^th century novel which blends historical and fictional elements, the 120-chapter epic offers a fascinating and opulent account of the unification of China’s expansive landmass. Across a quarter of a century, each Dynasty Warriors title has highlighted different aspects of the seminal text.

Although Dynasty Warriors 9’s decision to adapt the mechanics of musou to an open world was noble, the execution proved lackluster. Sure, there was a buildup of tension as you approached a giant fortress on a hilltop. Curiosities might have been piqued when you discovered an isolated outpost or village. One of the game’s best traits were its moments of quiet tranquility. Surrounded by nature, you could imagine Cao Cao devising his plan for seizing control of the northern plains.

But with feeble AI on the game’s highest difficulty setting, a lackluster stealth mechanic, and visual performance that was a significant step back for the series, autonomy arrived with some serious drawbacks. Four years later, the game has been given a comprehensive reworking and augmentation, with Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires delivering Omega Force’s customary blend of action and strategy. While there are plenty of improvements and additions, there are also some qualities poised to provoke dedicated musou maniacs.

Start at the Top, or Make Your Way There

Venture into Empires and you’ll soon discover that the developers expect strategic experience. Although three succinct tutorials offer some coaching for the battlefield action, they offer little insight into the plotting of reunification. Instead, Omega Force wants you to delve right into one of eight campaigns and learn while you’re on the job. Across Conquest Mode, seven campaigns are rooted in historical events, while “A Gathering of Heroes” unites every officer regardless of era. Altogether, there are 90+ officers in the game, so there’s a decent amount of variation extended in each context.

Your level of aspiration determines your role and what kinds of elements you have influence over. So, while rulers have complete control over their kingdom, generals obey the orders handed down to them. Select an unaffiliated character and you can choose your associations freely, vowing allegiance to any ruler who demonstrates interest. Pleasingly, you’re seldom stuck in the hierarchy, and might be able to move up if you make prudent decisions. Play your cards right and you can even become a mighty Emperor.

“No Fighting in The War Room”

Time is measured in monthly increments, with the war council meeting twice a year. For the former, rulers dictate policy, making some of the less prestigious appointments ideal for newcomers. Either way, you’ll be making key domestic decisions, ensuring there’s enough resources and recruitment to keep your armies strong, as well as engaging in diplomacy or clandestine efforts to exert influence in neighboring territories. Like any respectable simulation, your actions have a myriad of repercussions, and learning the principals of governance remains as enjoyable as ever. Naturally, as the size of your kingdom grows, so do the number of dangers, so there’s an abundance of variability. A substantial portion of your efforts will go into the recruitment and maintenance of officers. While building alliances can be rewarding, the game’s decision to use the expansive spaces of Dynasty Warriors 9 is puzzling; moving between officers can take a few moments of actual time or if you prefer to teleport there, you’ll face loading times. Oddly, even material collection is missing.

But there are also two important things to know. First, The Empires spin-off games are rooted in volatility. Therefore, there’s little in the way of pre-scripted storytelling. That’s fine if you’re familiar with Three Kingdoms characters and mirrors the capriciousness of the original text. But if you’re not, many of the underdog victories or improbable unions won’t have much impact. Secondly, campaigns can turn into wars of attrition a bit too often. When the marauders arrive, you will have exhausted enough resources to make the annexation of other territories rather tough.

We’re Under Siege, My Liege

Pleasingly, the game competently straddles the space between the complexity of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games and the frantic showdowns of the mainline Dynasty Warriors games. There’s a satisfying amount of sophistication, frequently burdening players with multiple, simultaneous issues. But its far more accessible than most spreadsheet simulations, with the lure of mounting or defending an invasion never far off.

When you do advance to the battlefield, Empires’ biggest changes become evident. Dynasty Warriors 9’s mammoth maps have been scaled down to siege-based encounters. Before the battle commences, both you and your opponent will set up ‘secret plans’. When certain conditions are met, these provide you with battlefield-wide boosts that can turn the tide of battle, such as healing or elemental-based attacks. Similarly, officers have their own special abilities, updating stratagems. These are triggered with the directional pad, with aptitudes recharging as you take down opponents.

With an emphasis on siege battles, you’ll find plenty of period-authentic hardware around each battleground. Instead of taking over contested zones, it feels rewarding to capture and repropose weaponry. Once you gain entry, success involving fighting your way to the castle’s commander, and putting them down. Naturally, the situation is reversed when you’re tasked with defending your fortress.

Notably, you’ll be sticking with a single character for extended durations, permitting mastery of each distinct moveset. Should you decide to retire you character, you can relinquish command to an heir, and it’s entertaining to see if offspring can live up to their predecessor. Undoubtedly, one of the best traits of the Empires series is witnessing unlikely legacies, which can feel a bit like fanfic. if you’re hoping to create your own officer the game disappoints, with much of the of the create-a-character content locked behind a paywall.

Conclusion

On PC, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires makes a solid showing. With an RTX 2070 Super, framerates were study, and the action fit consistently lithe. The one oddity was the game’s prerendered cinematics, which were plagued with artifacts and inferior to the in-game cutscenes.

Veering from the predetermined stories of the main series, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires lets you reunify on your own terms. You can be a scoundrel, ordering the execution of officers who refuse to join your ranks. Or you can attempt to become the quintessential diplomat, gaining strength with discretion as well as the intermittent demonstration of latent might. The autonomy is invigorating, even if the action if rooted in familiarly.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires was played on PC
with review code provided by the publisher.