Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Reviews
Sometimes it feels like those who enjoy Musou games have very little options nowadays and this is a huge letdown. One negative that I forgot to mention was that this game, that at times can feel unfinished, has a Season Pass of content you can get. I feel like this is a little uncalled for since it is a game so far detached from itself that it should fix itself first and then worry about the extras later.
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.
In numerous ways, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a clear improvement over its ill-received predecessor. Thanks to its shoddy presentation and numerous other issues, however, it’s still far away from being a must-have. All too often you feel like you’re just going through the motions between battles, going on strolls or enacting policies just to meet objectives without any real thought being put into it. And while the combat is somewhat fun, boring map design lets it down. This is one just for ardent fans, then.
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is not for all tastes and can't entertain everyone.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Alas, there's nothing to recommend Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires. DW9 is probably one of the lower points of the franchise, and what Empires does to improve on it is fairly minimal. There's absolutely no reason to buy it over the bucketload of better Warriors titles available on the PS5. Even if you're looking for something in the same setting, there are plenty of other Dynasty Warriors options. The most positive thing I can say is that it's a better game than the original, but it's an easy one to skip with so many other titles available.
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 remains a title aimed only at those who want to participate in the chaotic combats that are a hallmark of the musou genre, and despite having this element, it's not as satisfying as its original version. The excessive repetitiveness and with little varied objectives in the combats, and the excess of information and situations that must be managed by the player are points that leave the general experience quite dull and uninteresting after a few hours.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
After a few evenings spent with Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires, there is no other way to approach this production than to try to erase the stain on the honor of Omega Force after the unsuccessful "nine" from a few years ago.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires struggles to find fresh footing or take advantage of the latest consoles’ abilities but still delivers solid combat and great kingdom building mechanics.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires has some interesting strategy elements, but the combat is so far behind other recent Musou games.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a title that, if taken in small doses, is absolutely capable of pampering and entertaining admirers of the saga and the strategic drift undertaken by the Empires strand.
Review in Italian | Read full review
As a Dynasty Warriors 9 spin-off, Empires falls behind the market in terms of both visuals and gameplay standards, and even though many of its gameplay mechanisms show huge potential, the final package fails to impress as it feels rushed and unpolished, leaving its ties to Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel the only upside for the fans to cling to.
Review in Persian | Read full review
DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 Empires presented a gameplay that did not differ much from the previous games with simple additions here and there and many characters, but its technical issues kill the enjoyment of the game instantly
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is often fun, but it's no better than its predecessors - and, in some ways, it's worse.
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a definite improvement on its predecessor - but that's not saying much. The return of set maps and straightforward objectives is welcome, and in typical Empires fashion, there's so much potential for interesting player-driven storylines. There is an addictive hack-and-slash loop at work here, and it's tempered by some decent tactical tweaks. But to fully enjoy it, you've got to wade through a mire of shockingly ugly visuals and boring battlefield design.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is the depressing follow up to the most disappointing entry in the whole Koei Tecmo hack'n'slash series. The strategic aspect that allegeldy distinguishes it from the predecessor is barely there while the action mechanics are basically the same, with castle sieges being the only real new offer of the whole package. Some clever ideas are noticeable, but most of them are reused from previous iterations. What Omega Force packed in the game at launch is not enough to build an entire experience on repetition.
Review in Italian | Read full review
As such, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires does feel like a step towards righting the problems with the original game. It still suffers from the structural issues that held back Dynasty Warriors 9, and fans of more straightforward musou titles have a wealth of other games on offer such as Samurai Warriors 5, but those who prefer the tactical edge of Empires will at least find some enjoyment here.
It lacks purposeful content and engaging mechanics, with many aspects of its core-elements feeling like an afterthought. Its fluid and fast-paced combat is an enjoyable experience stuck in a visual and mechanically dull game, which leaves more to be desired.