Written by Alexander O. Cuaycong and Anthony L. Cuaycong
Title: Dynasty Warriors 9
Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: KOEI Tecmo
Price: $59.99
Genre: Action, Adventure
Also Available On: XB1, Steam
Originally starting out as a 2D fighter in the vein of Tekken and Soul Caliber, the Dynasty Warriors series changed course and shifted to a hack-and-slash style of action in Dynasty Warriors 2. Since then, it has stuck to what it’s best known for through its myriad spin-offs, sequels, and expansions. In some ways, Dynasty Warriors 9 keeps this up with its design, retaining a distinct brand of combat mechanics and gameplay that's just as prominent as before. In others, it strays from the beaten path.
DW9 has you taking control of one of many iconic generals during China’s Three Kingdoms era, and going about reliving their tales through the many battles they participate in. Cleave your way through thousands — yes, thousands — of enemies, all the while ensuring that allied bases stay secure, that enemy bases fall, and that the enemy commander is soundly defeated in battle.
It's a tried-and-tested formula, one that the Dynasty Warriors series has clung to all these years, and DW9 doesn't change it, with the same musou combo strings still available, but simply presented in a different form. Where it does change, however, is in its new selling point: an open-world system. Taking a few pointers from Romance of the Three Kingdoms 13, its strategic cousin, the map has widened from that of an enclosed battlefield to that which encompasses the entirety of China. You can have your chosen character roam freely, take side quests, purchase and craft new armor, weapons, and items, hunt animals, and even buy furniture to create your own little player home.
Needless to say, it's a bold step in a new direction. The same step, however, puts DW9 at a very awkward position. While the action segments are undoubtedly fun, the open-world segments are anything but. If anything, they feel more like generic add-ons that were thrown in to pad content. From lookout towers that reveal surroundings, to the fairly generic and basic crafting system, to even the pseudo-random "radiant" quests that have you traipsing the width and length of China, the additions feel more like references to better games than anything else. You have been there and done that, and in much better capacity than what DW9 allows.
While it can be amusing to go hunting or fishing with your renowned general, and to put the story of the Three Kingdoms on the backburner as you search for another bandit camp to overrun, the open world still feels so empty. And, in the final analysis, there's very little reason to veer from DW9’s main purpose when it ultimately boils down to the same repetitive grind and ending.
Certainly, it doesn’t help that DW9 has uneven balancing; with the world being so open, even the combat starts to suffer as you fight through the same flat plains or the same generic forests, making the terrain feel barren, empty, and lifeless. There is also questionable programming; God forbid an enemy spawns in the mountains or by a river where combat is all but impossible. And your frustration mounts because it happens a bit too frequently for comfort.
To longtime followers of the DW series, frame drops and performance issues are nothing new. That said, DW9 seems to suffer from these more severely. It runs smoothest when your character is staring at the floor, but lags when you have to engage in battles of an epic scale or — gasp! — even when you’re traveling through cities or countrysides.
Make no mistake; DW9 delivers fun, and in spades. Underneath its flawed ideas is a good core design that shines. Battles remain compelling, and, admittedly, the open world proves to be a nice-enough distraction after you’ve beaten the hundredth or so officer and his army. But treating the latter as integral to DW9 given its seemingly unfinished mechanics hurts more than helps. The result is a tug-of-war that exposes the game as confused at best. What does it really want to be? And why didn’t Koei Tecmo just concentrate its resources on making one or the other stand out instead of presenting both half-baked?
Overall, DW9 boasts of a proven pedigree and holds grand ambitions, but is greatly held back by performance and delivery issues. It doesn't add much to its fighting formulas, and what it does provide to the mix just makes it worse. It's still a wonder to take in at its best, but its lack of focus spoils your enjoyment; it tries to do too much and excels at few. No doubt, fans of the series can squeeze hours upon hours of gameplay out of it, but it fails in achieving its ultimate objective. It sets out to be better than its ancestry, only to be schooled by the same the end.
THE GOOD
THE BAD
Originally starting out as a 2D fighter in the vein of Tekken and Soul Caliber, the Dynasty Warriors series changed course and shifted to a hack-and-slash style of action in Dynasty Warriors 2. Since then, it has stuck to what it’s best known for through its myriad spin-offs, sequels, and expansions. In some ways, Dynasty Warriors 9 keeps this up with its design, retaining a distinct brand of combat mechanics and gameplay that's just as prominent as before. In others, it strays from the beaten path.
DW9 has you taking control of one of many iconic generals during China’s Three Kingdoms era, and going about reliving their tales through the many battles they participate in. Cleave your way through thousands — yes, thousands — of enemies, all the while ensuring that allied bases stay secure, that enemy bases fall, and that the enemy commander is soundly defeated in battle.
It's a tried-and-tested formula, one that the Dynasty Warriors series has clung to all these years, and DW9 doesn't change it, with the same musou combo strings still available, but simply presented in a different form. Where it does change, however, is in its new selling point: an open-world system. Taking a few pointers from Romance of the Three Kingdoms 13, its strategic cousin, the map has widened from that of an enclosed battlefield to that which encompasses the entirety of China. You can have your chosen character roam freely, take side quests, purchase and craft new armor, weapons, and items, hunt animals, and even buy furniture to create your own little player home.
Needless to say, it's a bold step in a new direction. The same step, however, puts DW9 at a very awkward position. While the action segments are undoubtedly fun, the open-world segments are anything but. If anything, they feel more like generic add-ons that were thrown in to pad content. From lookout towers that reveal surroundings, to the fairly generic and basic crafting system, to even the pseudo-random "radiant" quests that have you traipsing the width and length of China, the additions feel more like references to better games than anything else. You have been there and done that, and in much better capacity than what DW9 allows.
While it can be amusing to go hunting or fishing with your renowned general, and to put the story of the Three Kingdoms on the backburner as you search for another bandit camp to overrun, the open world still feels so empty. And, in the final analysis, there's very little reason to veer from DW9’s main purpose when it ultimately boils down to the same repetitive grind and ending.
Certainly, it doesn’t help that DW9 has uneven balancing; with the world being so open, even the combat starts to suffer as you fight through the same flat plains or the same generic forests, making the terrain feel barren, empty, and lifeless. There is also questionable programming; God forbid an enemy spawns in the mountains or by a river where combat is all but impossible. And your frustration mounts because it happens a bit too frequently for comfort.
To longtime followers of the DW series, frame drops and performance issues are nothing new. That said, DW9 seems to suffer from these more severely. It runs smoothest when your character is staring at the floor, but lags when you have to engage in battles of an epic scale or — gasp! — even when you’re traveling through cities or countrysides.
Make no mistake; DW9 delivers fun, and in spades. Underneath its flawed ideas is a good core design that shines. Battles remain compelling, and, admittedly, the open world proves to be a nice-enough distraction after you’ve beaten the hundredth or so officer and his army. But treating the latter as integral to DW9 given its seemingly unfinished mechanics hurts more than helps. The result is a tug-of-war that exposes the game as confused at best. What does it really want to be? And why didn’t Koei Tecmo just concentrate its resources on making one or the other stand out instead of presenting both half-baked?
Overall, DW9 boasts of a proven pedigree and holds grand ambitions, but is greatly held back by performance and delivery issues. It doesn't add much to its fighting formulas, and what it does provide to the mix just makes it worse. It's still a wonder to take in at its best, but its lack of focus spoils your enjoyment; it tries to do too much and excels at few. No doubt, fans of the series can squeeze hours upon hours of gameplay out of it, but it fails in achieving its ultimate objective. It sets out to be better than its ancestry, only to be schooled by the same the end.
THE GOOD
- Entertaining and engrossing combat system
- Surprisingly expansive map with plenty of side activities on tap
- Large character roster with a wide variety of missions, side quests, and campaigns to choose from
THE BAD
- Performance issues, with frequent framerate dips
- Map is mostly empty, and most side quests are repetitive in nature
- Generic open world
RATING: 7/10
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