Dynasty Warriors 9 Reviews
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
Dynasty Warriors 9 is nothing more than an okay Warriors game, mixed with a vast, empty, boring open world. Anyone not wishing to hunt, fish or collect pointless materials will most likely be disappointed by the latest entry in the series.
Even with open world gameplay which is a nice addition to the series, Dynasty Warriors 9 is still far from what it wants to be. Positive changes are there, but they are not enough to convince new players. However, fans of the series will have a great time playing it.
Review in Persian | Read full review
A bland hack 'n' slash with tonnes of content but painfully repetitive and simplistic gameplay that can't sustain itself
It’s a damn shame Monster Hunter: World is doing so well because, I believe, Dynasty Warriors 9 would otherwise be a worthy recipient of that mainstream boost early calendar releases - and often slightly more obscure titles - receive. Perhaps if Dynasty Warriors 10 gives us some shared world, multiplayer coop action…
Dynasty Warriors 9 stands tall in the series' library, only being let down by relatively minor issues that will hopefully be fixed in subsequent instalments.
There is a game based on this same part of history that you can buy that lets you move around a big map, fighting enemies, building armies and doing everything that Dynasty Warriors 9 tries to do but better. It was called ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII’ and it came out two years ago and was made by the same company. Do yourself a favour and buy that instead.
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 combat remains exhilarating and fun in a way that will feel familiar to veterans of the series, Dynasty Warriors 9 isn't just one versus a thousand anymore. We're part of a war that unfolds all around us, with plenty of allies in need of help and enemies begging for a healthy beating. It's a bold step in the right direction, and while Omega Force may have overextended in certain aspects, the fun outweighs the jank and the experience remains one that I am eager to return to and to see improved and further evolved in Dynasty Warriors 10 or Samurai Warriors 5.
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.
Koei Tecmo and Omega Force can neither be faulted for their resolve, nor their aspirations. The franchise has always had its cult audience but the Musou style has rarely broken into the mainstream outside of the big licenced spin-offs, like Hyrule Warriors[i]. [i]Dynasty Warriors 9 feels like an attempt to remedy that. Open World games are this generation's go-to genre and transforming the Story of Three Kingdoms has actually worked in many regards, but this feels like an early and flawed attempt at that bigger picture. Where it works best is in its classic elements, but the open world needs a lot of work. Perhaps by the time Dynasty Warriors 10 they will have learned from their mistakes.
Dynasty Warriors 9 has finally entered the next generation of gaming, bringing the series' tried and true 1-versus-1,000 fights into a massive open world while sticking true to its roots, for better or for worse.
Dynasty Warriors has been on a steady run since it fumbled with the divisive Dynasty Warriors 6, and now it's in danger of fumbling all over again. Dynasty Warriors 9 goes open world and the result is a game of extreme ups and downs. For every gloriously huge battle there's a boring stint of traversal across a dreadfully barren map. For every interesting story moment or interaction, there's a horribly ugly graphical glitch. Factor in an unconvincing combat system overhaul, and you've got a Dynasty Warriors title that may disappoint even the most dedicated of fans. There's still some good historical hack and slash fun to be had here, but we expected much more from the return of this flagship series.
Dynasty Warriors offers a plethora of playable characters, large-scale battles, and a feeling of godhood as you smash through scores of enemies with a single thing. What more could you ask for from a Warriors game?
The developers finally took a step forward with Dynasty Warriors 9 and its open world nature. This allowed them to refresh game mechanics, stalled since the time of PlayStation 2. Unfortunately, weak graphics and bugs spoil the overall impression of an interesting project.
Review in Russian | Read full review
The transition to an open world has not been easy, quite rough in fact. Still, Dynasty Warriors 9's many changes to the musou formula hold great promise for the future. This is the rebirth the series needed, regardless of its issues.
The hack-and-slash moment-to-moment action works in its favor even when transitioning to a new style of play, but Dynasty Warriors 9, like some of its predecessors, is clunky and unwieldy; hampered by the aforementioned bugs and performance problems. If you're into the idea of playing an open world game where its arcadey elements are entwined with therapeutic but sometimes dry exploration, maybe give it a shot.
Dynasty Warriors 9 attempts to revitalize the franchise with a fresh approach to its standard formula and kind of succeeds.
Sadly, this isn't the breakthrough fans were expecting. Omega Force took a pretty big risk with Dynasty Warriors 9, and while its open world integration can be seen as a small triumph, this newest entry is marred by its heavily outdated approach to combat design.