Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Reviews
Slightly more cerebral while also filled with the fast action that the series is known for, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires sits neatly as a midway point between the action of the "proper" Dynasty Warriors and the strategy of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. There probably isn't all that much of an audience for this, but for fans that were disappointed with the open world experiment of Dynasty Warriors 9, Empires here will be redemption, and for those who have never let their enthusiasm for the series be dampened, this is an excellent opportunity to marry Sun Shangxiang and make many beautiful babies... or perhaps to unite China. Whatever your preference is, really.
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.
In terms of the crazy and chaotic musou genre I'm still getting up to speed, but I'll admit that when the action gets into a groove I tend to find it to be a pretty good time...
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
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.
To wrap it up, I am disappointed with what should have only been DLC in my opinion. The lack of sustenance made it feel like the content that WAS on offer was a chore. Sadly because of this, I found little enjoyment after the tutorial stages, which in fairness were quite well done. The reputation of Dynasty Warriors 9 was left in tatters by gamers and press alike, and I was hoping Empires would be bold enough to pick up the pieces to make up for the main game’s misdeeds. I award Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires the Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is an excellent addition to the warriors series. The strategy aspect is fun to engage with and can get quite addicting as your game progresses. I found myself saying, “ok, just one more month of decisions to make; then I’ll save and quit.” only to do another round of strategic decisions. That same brand of fun and fast-paced Warriors combat kept things exciting during battles, and when you combine both gameplays, you can easily put away hours upon hours into it.
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.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is an improvement on the last Dynasty Warriors game, but that has more to do with my love of strategy and management than anything else. Given the divisive reception to the last mainline game, I understand why they moved away from the open world, but it does leave this entertaining game with oodles of potential in something of an identity crisis as well. What’s here is fun, and I am always up for some Three Kingdoms strategy and combat, but I can’t help but look forward to the next iteration that is built specifically with the PS5 hardware in mind.
Omega Force manages to combine the musou style of Dynasty Warriors with elements of tactical action and turn-based strategy in a very entertaining title, although with the usual problem of the series: it is repetitive.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires combines the musou action of Dynasty Warriors with turn-based resource management games, achieving a remarkable game that will meet our expectations if the original Dynasty Warriors 9 fell a tad short.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is somewhere between reenacting historically accurate events and pure fiction. The characters seem to have run straight out of legends but, according to tradition, really existed. The different scenarios that you can re-enact also have their basis in Chinese history. It is amazing how well the strategy and action work together and influence each other.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
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
I had a lot of hopes in Dinasty Warriors 9 Empires, in fact, seeing that the game received a great patch day 1, I decided to delay the release of this analysis to give it another chance to see if it improved the poor technical section of the title, but I was wrong. Dinasty Warriors 9 Empires is a game that Musou fans will enjoy without a doubt, and the added touch of strategy suits it really well, giving the game much more variety and depth than simply killing thousands of enemies.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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.
I can honestly say that I enjoy Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires more than Dynasty Warriors 9. You may attribute this to the sorry state of the latter when it first launched. Although, I must affirm that I am a big fan of the simulation genre and empire management. The fact that battles affect the grand campaign, and vice versa, makes all the interactions in this installment meaningful. To what extent is up to you. Sadly, apart from a decent graphical upgrade, there’s not enough here to call it a fully realized sequel. The franchise is competing against itself. Unless the updated hack-and-slash gameplay and expanded character roster are enough to tie you over, consider this empire incomplete.
Despite some good decisions in its unique elements, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a game quite limited by its basic structure, which becomes repetitive very quickly. It's easy to have fun with it, but there are better options available within the franchise.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The newest entry brings traditional gameplay with usual strategy elements, but the welcome additions are better graphics and faster loadings on next-gen consoles.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
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.