Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires brings more tactical Musou action, but fails to innovate

The Dynasty Warriors franchise seems unstoppable, bringing more heroes and gameplay mechanics to each mainline entry. Notwithstanding, the spin-off Empires serial doesn't e'er seem to get the aforementioned level of attending. While Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a fantastic reason to return and squeeze even more heroic combat experiences out of ancient China, information technology isn't quite every bit impressive as you lot might expect.

Make your own story

dynasty-warriors-9-empires-policies-explained — Screenshot by Gamepur

Musou games empower players by putting them in the shoes of legendary heroes and pitting them against thousands of enemies. You slash your mode through lesser soldiers like overgrowth in a jungle expedition to find legendary warriors from opposing kingdoms that offer something close to a off-white fight. Overcoming insurmountable odds and emerging victorious feels incredible, merely information technology'southward lessened by the repetitive nature of the battles you fight against what feels like the same old enemies.

In Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires, players tin can pick from several scenarios that grade the basis for their campaign. These scenarios are based on famous events and determine which territories certain kingdoms start with. There's also a costless-for-all entrada that's absolute anarchy, but the selection on offer provides enough variety that y'all can keep things interesting even on your tenth playthrough.

In one case you've picked a scenario, you need to pick a ruler, the hero yous'll be playing as throughout your campaign. You can also create a custom hero and upload them then you can use them in subsequent playthroughs. The depth of the customization is fantastic and there's plenty infinite to relieve dozens of creations.

Outside of the scenario and hero you pick, there'southward petty story to speak of. You select the regions to invade, the allies you desire, define how battles play out, and more. While you will come across a few cutscenes for specific interactions, the game largely leaves you to build your own story. You lot might invade a region because information technology's close, or considering you don't like the leader and their reputation. This isn't a deal-breaker at all and fits the Empires formula well.

Siege afterward siege

siege-after-siege-dynasty-warriors-9-empires — Screenshot by Gamepur

Battles in Dynasty Warriors nine: Empires play out very differently from what most Musou fans expect. They revolve effectually castle sieges rather than big-scale battles across beautiful countryside. When defending, yous need to capture siege towers and preclude the enemy from killing you or capturing your castle. When attacking, you lot must use siege towers and rams to destroy a castle's defense, defeat the territory'south leader, and gain a new region for yourself.

You can see the odds of victory earlier y'all enter a battle. Fifty-fifty if they're stacked against you, secret plans and abilities can aid you plough the tide if you're smart. The planning stage before each battle allows you to select generals and tell them where to position themselves.

You lot gain secret plans through all your actions, whether diplomatic, peaceful, or hostile. A plan may exist something every bit simple as gaining some much-needed reinforcements in battle, but to pull it off, you need to see a specific goal. These aren't generally too hard, tasking you lot with capturing certain areas or defending messengers within a time limit, merely they play a big function in deciding whether you win or lose. More troops mean more fodder to go on the enemy at bay while you destroy their siege towers.

The layout of castles and where enemies and allies course strongholds or bases heighten the Musou fashion combat. Seeing your hero hop into a base or siege tower stronghold and annihilating every soldier continuing never gets old. Signature moves and special abilities are all all the same function of the game, but they play a lesser part compared to strategies or surreptitious plans that summon wind and lightning to aid yous.

Manage every element of your campaign

what-does-each-policy-mean-in-dynasty-warriors-9-empires — Screenshot by Gamepur

The main deviation betwixt the mainline Dynasty Warrior serial and the Empires spin-offs is the tactical element the latter brings to the table. Later choosing your scenario, you're left to manage your kingdom and conquer China as you see fit. You pick which territories to invade, assign generals, and even get out for a little stroll with your allies now and then. It's not all war talk though.

A central part of running your kingdom is managing your assets. You lot need to decide what you lot're going to focus on each calendar month based on your kingdom's needs. For example, you could train more soldiers, cultivate agriculture to gain more rations, enhance funds for a time to come battle, and even pillage and burn territories to become the most out of them.

This is the majority of what yous'll exist doing between battles, but don't think combat takes a backseat. Instead, this kingdom management element makes the game experience more alike to Total War: Shogun, requiring y'all to brand smart decisions based on your resources. If y'all conquer territory without thinking virtually the ground forces on the other side, for case, you might end upward losing a fight when yous demand to defend a new region.

At that place'due south a balance to be constitute between steadily conquering more of the map and managing the territories you lot have. Forging alliances and interacting with generals on the open world map might experience like a chore, but the animate space is a welcome change after an intense siege. Your deportment outside of battle will also influence who comes to you to forge an alliance. While information technology might non last long, showing you tin work with others helps in the long run.

Stuck to its roots

At the cadre of every Dynasty Warriors game is hardcore Musou action. Pitting yous against thousands of enemies and seeing your alone hero come up out on top is what this serial is known for, and that chemical element is still present in battles. Unfortunately, Dynasty Warriors nine: Empires restricts battles to castle sieges, significant that the just fourth dimension you get a glimpse of that fractic Musou combat is at the heart of a stronghold. When yous rush alee to take down the enemy's leader alone confronting thousands of their soldiers, the screen fills with bodies as you slash your way through everyone in your style. But this moment always comes at the end of a siege, meaning you never quite get a total dose of that Musou activity equally you would in well-nigh battles of the mainline Dynasty Warriors series.

The soundtrack for Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is understandably epic. A combination of classical music, metal, and stone anthems blare abroad in the groundwork during battle. Everything is far more than subtle and reminiscent of ancient Cathay while you're in your war room or chatting with generals though. This doesn't differ much from past games but all the same manages to hammer home the scale of your actions. Yous could also stick on a podcast and be safe in the knowledge that you're non missing annihilation.

The visuals are what let this game downward. We're not certain if it'southward because it's based on Dynasty Warriors ix, which was released in 2022, or that at that place'south simply so much content that the graphics couldn't exist pushed any further. We didn't lose any frames on PS5 but the environment ever looked blocky, every bit did the lesser soldiers. Generals and named characters each accept a singled-out look, simply the quality of their character models dropped considerably outside out the moments they're revealed in the oestrus of boxing or a cutscene.

Verdict

While Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires didn't blow united states of america away by doing something fresh with the franchise, that's never been the point with Musou titles. The game gives you more of what yous desire: colossal battles in which you regularly rack up thousands of kills and encounter epic rivalries between neat leaders emerge and die earlier your optics. If you've always enjoyed a Dynasty Warriors game, then this will definitely exist for y'all, but whatsoever fans of historical strategy games volition as well find it incredibly piece of cake to become into.

+	Amazing Musou activity
+	Tactical and strategic elements provide a nice change of stride
+	You create your own story
–	Additional scenarios would increase the game's longevity by a long way
–	Visuals don't stand upwards against other games released today