Dynasty Warriors 9 Reviews
Dynasty Warriors 9 attempts to expand the scope of what a Dynasty Warriors game is with varying effects. The new open world helps to break up the monotony of just playing battles repeatedly, while introducing issues of its own. These are just growing pains though, and Dynasty Warriors fans will appreciate how Koei Tecmo have successfully reinvented their franchise and what the future holds.
So, an open world Dynasty Warriors. One certainly must commend Omega Force for constantly trying to innovate with their games rather than just churn out the exact same thing with marginally improved graphics with every installment. However, as the most recent in a long-running series, it begs the question: should you buy this one with all of it's faults or should you just stick with the last one, which sticks closer to the formula that made the games so beloved? Well, that depends on what you're looking for. The combat is a lot smoother than in the past games, and though the characters can be a tad one-note and the dialogue can be a tad wooden there is more of an effort to show rather than tell, and of course the graphics have vastly improved. At the same time, the pace of the game outside of the combat is a lot slower, the voice acting really could use improvement, and of course the change of genre leaves just the one game mode and no local multiplayer. It feels more like an adventure than a war, which I'm sure would excite some fans while disappointing others. However, I'm not here to review the entire franchise, I'm here to review this one game. So for a moment let's erase all comparisons to past games. How is Dynasty Warriors 9 as it's own singular entity? Well, it certainly has it's faults, but it's definitely a ton of fun if a tad easy for an open world RPG. The combat is smooth and satisfying, the farming and crafting aspects may not be electrifying but they aren't annoying, the map is pretty large, and even the story and dialogue has the camp and occasional hilarity of one of those foreign B-movies you find on netflix so you grab some friends and a pizza and have a jolly good time laughing it up at the unintentional hilarity. Even the stuff in here that could annoy some, like the homemaking and the gathering, isn't something the game forces you to do, so you can just ride around like the unstoppable war machine you are. While the game may be a tad lackluster as far as being an entry in this particular series goes, as a game in it's own right I think Dynasty Warriors 9 is definitely worth checking out when it goes on sale. It has some good aspects, has some hilariously bad aspects. I can recommend it, but 60 bucks is a bit steep for B-movie camp. Aside from that, I think it's definitely a game to check out.
Dynasty Warriors 9 suffers from a lot of issues, most stemming from the terribly implemented open-world. Assets are reused, it's buggy, repetitive, bloated, empty and bland. These shortcomings are made all the more painful by the obvious potential this game had, and how fun the base combat can be once players waded through all the other nonsense.
The game I played is an absolute technical disaster that barely runs. New elements haphazardly pop up with no consideration on how to fit them into the gameplay. Basics such as storytelling take a massive leap backward. Dynasty Warriors 9 isn't just bad. This is a Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 level series killer.
Dynasty Warriors 9 is a significant departure from past titles, but a poorly implemented open world leaves much to be desired.
There are lots of great Warriors games out there. Hell, Omega Force and Koei Tecmo gave us the fantastic Dragon Quest Warriors II and Fire Emblem Warriors in 2017! You can never go wrong with Samurai Warriors 4. Hyrule Warriors is so good, it is coming up on its third port! And there are times when I still swear Dynasty Warriors 4 is the best entry in this series. Dynasty Warriors 9 is not a good Warriors. It is not a good open world game. It is a broken, tedious mess. Fortunately, fans of the genre have plenty of older entries to enjoy. Maybe in a year or two, after Omega Force has more experience with open world installments, we will see the Warriors formula work with this genre.
Dynasty Warriors 9 is far from perfection. It has technical issues, its gameplay needs time to be appreciated and seems a bit lazy when he must do something different from action. But it's also powerful and passionate, strictly following Guanzhong's original Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Perhaps the limited open-world system will seem a missed occasion, but the advice we can give is to give it a chance, and to do it out of any preconception.
Review in Italian | Read full review
One can't help but feel that Dynasty Warriors 9 had a lot of potential. With more time in the oven it could have been a much better game than it's now.
Dynasty Warriors 9 attempts to revitalize the franchise with a fresh approach to its standard formula and kind of succeeds.
A bland hack 'n' slash with tonnes of content but painfully repetitive and simplistic gameplay that can't sustain itself
Koei wanted a brand-new look of Dynasty Warriors, so they decided to transform this game from an action game to an open world RPG. But this open world is like a rough stone, which has poor appearance and thoughtless design, with many boring side missions and too much time wasted on the way. The new combat system is fine, yet terrible graphics, tons of bugs, and low frame rates still ruined it, made this game a complete failure.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Despite my complaints, the game is still strangely addictive and a blast to play thanks to how smooth the combat feels. Exploration is fairly pointless, yet I found myself doing it for hours and being entertained. The story is a real highlight, seamlessly being able to go through each character's storyline. Dynasty Warriors 9 presents a lot of significant changes that almost make it feel like a spin-off, but I can appreciate what they tried to do and still had many hours of fun with this title. I'm actually excited to see what they do with the series next.
While not quite an unmitigated disaster, Dynasty Warriors 9 is pretty bad. Even if you can live with the subpar presentation, the game quickly gets boring due to a lack of important or interesting things that can be done in the world. The combat is fine, but with fewer opportunities to use it, the button-mashing joy inherent in the series is nowhere to be found. If the franchise continues down this open-world path, then it'll need some massive improvements — or else fans will start calling for a return to the old formula.
Sure, the hack 'n slash mechanics have been improved and remains the main pull of this new sequel. But it's simply not enough to convince non-fans to take Dynasty Warriors more seriously. The diehards will flock to it, of course. But they may even be disappointed with its lackluster quality as well.
Dynasty Warriors deserved better than this, and I hope Omega Force gets another shot to do this franchise justice, because this is not how the tales of the Three Kingdoms should end.
The PC version of Dynasty Warriors 9 is frustrating, more for its wasted potential than anything else. The game is difficult to control on PC, and that significantly hinders a lot of the fun, fast-paced combat, which is all-too scarce at times. Additionally, while the open-world approach is a great direction for the series, it doesn't capture the epic battles that the series is known for in the same way. Maps are either too crowded, or frightfully empty. It's nice to see Omega Force taking the series in a new direction, but this entry hasn't quite found its footing.
Dynasty Warriors 9 does take the series into new territory, but in doing so it breaks the tight-knit, smooth, action-packed gameplay that we've come to know and love.
Everything about this game seems completely rushed. To jump onto the open world bandwagon three or four years too late and still deliver such a pile of garbage isn't just embarrassing, it's insulting.
If you are a fan of Dynasty Warriors, there is some mindless fun to be had here, but the open-world design spreads the fun so thin that it is more tedious than exhilarating.
For long-time fans of the franchise, Dynasty Warriors 9 feels like it has its heart in the right place, but the implementation of the open world and MMO mechanics feels dated, creating a bland experience that does not do the colorful series justice.