Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Reviews
Whether it is the overall appearance or featured gameplay or added content, it is still far from completing the mission of making Dynasty Warriors great again.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
This is the latest installment of the Empires series, which you get to enjoy both steel clashing action and the know-hows of managing an empire. You’re going to be part of the gigantic era of the historica three kingdoms of the east. The best thing is that you will now be playing as your own original hero and create your own history. One nitpick of the game would be the countless numbers of short and repetitive loading screens that may interrupt the flow of the excitement.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Although it had the longest development time compared to other Empire spin-offs, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires somehow feels like the one with lowest effort put in to be made. Its biggest problem is that on the strategic side there are now a bunch of titles that give a deeper experience to people looking for a Three Kingdoms era video game and sadly the action parts design is quite repetitive. The asking price also doesn’t seem fair considering what the final product actually offers.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a game that I found extremely fun at times, but monotonous at others. Strategic tasks become mundane and repetitive very quickly, but the combat involved in the actual battles helps make up for it... There is fun to be had, just don't expect a grand strategy experience with a deep story or overly involved decisions and mechanics.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires isn’t the best game in the series, but it’s a solid entry that gets most things basically right. While there are certainly plenty of points to pick at, I still enjoyed taking over the country.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires attempts to mix features introduced in Dynasty Warriors 9 with strategy elements but fails to do so due to a variety of issues, such as the low difficulty level, limited character creation options, and a generally unpolished experience. A better implementation of open-world mechanics would have done wonders to update the Empires' experience, but Omega Force decided to play it extremely safe, resulting in a game that only die-hard fans of the series will enjoy.
While the package is sadly extremely rough around the edges and isn't the current-gen leap it should be, Omega Force has delivered an enjoyable strategy game with high points that are worth wading through graphical glitches and technical shortcomings for.
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires doesn't do anything that previous games in the series haven't already done. A lack of variety and graphical issues that should not be present in 2022 hold this back from being a must buy, even for die-hard fans.
If Dynasty Warriors 9 was the volatile reboot the series desperately needed to endure, the Empires is proof the mixture isn't quite settled yet. What Empires adds in terms of being an engrossing strategy sim, it loses in paring back its open world warfare to something that feels far too much like the series back at its worst. Persevere with its shortcomings, though, and Empires can bring you riches.
Unfortunately, DW9E is clearly a title that's first and foremost aimed at fans, and to them, it just feels like a half-baked release. Koei should have used the one extra year for further polishing, so be ready for an avalanche of negative reviews when the game launches tomorrow.
Even for a series renowned for reusing material and rehashing a tired formula of mindless yet oddly satisfying gameplay, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a hollow package. If this is all the series has left to offer, it may be time to let the Three Kingdoms war themselves into oblivion. A bland, shallow title with little to offer even those who enjoy the repetition of Musou gameplay, Empires is as regurgitated as a game can be.
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a poor Switch port of a disappointing entry in the long-running spin-off series. This is a hugely downgraded version of the game, with seriously dialled-back visuals failing to put a stop to consistent frame rate issues during the heat of battle. With a lack of gameplay modes, zero multiplayer options, terrible AI and cosmetic customisation options gone AWOL at launch - Koei Tecmo choosing instead to go the DLC route - this is a truly lacklustre package, a bargain bin affair with a premium price tag, and a Dynasty Warriors game you can feel quite comfortable skipping entirely.
Over time you’ll notice little frustrations building up when playing DW9E. I think its focus on strategy and roleplaying is much more appealing to me this time around, even with some features being lost from prior Empires games (like quests and events from Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires). But despite some shortcomings, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires offers a unique strategy experience you’ll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
Even wandering your territory to build your relationships can be done entirely in menus, removing the need to engage with the openworld. Unfortunately you'll still need to take part in battles, which should not be a downside in a Warriors game. If you can laser focus on the strategy elements, and maybe favor diplomacy over direct conflict, there is a playable though still rough experience here. But if you're looking for satisfying Warriors combat, there are plenty of better options already on Switch.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires gives the player a wide and deeper range of possibilities than its predecessors to lead a successful campaign conquering third-century China. However, despite its deeper management and its simple (indeed solid) one-versus-thousands formula, it fails to complete develope its growth from the past, also struggling with a graphic engine still overwhelmed with fatigue and technical issues. Give it a try (even with the demo) and then decide.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empire is a strategic rather bland, with fights in musou style just passable. The result is still a decent game, though clearly aimed only at fans of the genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Dynasty Warriors Empires has always been for the die-hard fans. Those who enjoy the hack n' slash combat and love adding their own tactical twist. Those wanting to direct custom campaigns and create their own musou legend. Even if DW9 left a sour taste, there's some solace to be found here within its repurposed carcass, though redemption may still be lost.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires has some interesting strategy elements, but the combat is so far behind other recent Musou games.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires almost feels like Omega Force trying to apologize for the misstep that was Dynasty Warriors 9. Whilst, admittedly, very little has been done to move the Empires series forward, I think this is exactly what Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires needed to be; comfort food for fans of the franchise who may have been concerned about the trajectory the franchise was on, following the failed open-world experiment. By focusing on providing a familiar blend of strategy and impeccable combat, Omega Force has delivered an experience that feels like it has the interests of the fans at its core. Where Omega Force goes from here with both the mainline entries and subsequent Empires games remains to be seen, but for now, fans can at least enjoy this return to form.