- Publisher: Koei Tecmo Games
- Release Date: Feb 15, 2022
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Feb 14, 2022Slightly more cerebral while also filled with the fast action that the series is known for, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires sits neatly as a midway point between the action of the "proper" Dynasty Warriors and the strategy of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. There probably isn't all that much of an audience for this, but for fans that were disappointed with the open world experiment of Dynasty Warriors 9, Empires here will be redemption, and for those who have never let their enthusiasm for the series be dampened, this is an excellent opportunity to marry Sun Shangxiang and make many beautiful babies... or perhaps to unite China. Whatever your preference is, really.
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Feb 14, 2022At the end of the day, Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a bit of a letdown for those who expected the same great gameplay they’ve been provided with in DW8 Empires. In many regards, the game feels like a step backward from its predecessor, and this is why so many fans are disappointed. On the other hand, it’s still an exciting release for an average player. The combat system is nice, though it takes time to get used to it, and the more time you spend on the little things, such as friendship with officers, finding a sword sibling, and things like that, the better the whole experience is getting.
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Feb 20, 2022But as a case study in how well musou action and turn-based strategy can work together, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires delivers. It’s the best parts of Koei Tecmo’s grand strategy games and the energetic, strategic combat of Dynasty Warriors, rolled together in a way that elevates both sides of the calculation. That’s long been the case for the Empires line, but building off the strong foundation of Dynasty Warriors 9, this one does it better than most.
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Feb 14, 2022By focusing on providing a familiar blend of strategy and impeccable combat, Omega Force has delivered an experience that feels like it has the interests of the fans at its core. Where Omega Force goes from here with both the mainline entries and subsequent Empires games remains to be seen, but for now, fans can at least enjoy this return to form.
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Feb 14, 2022Omega Force manages to combine the musou style of Dynasty Warriors with elements of tactical action and turn-based strategy in a very entertaining title, although somewhat repetitive.
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Mar 14, 2022Empires combines deep strategy with fast action in the best musou style we know so well from Omega Force. The new way you're charging the castle and try to break or hold the defense is refreshing while the interconnectivity between strategy and action is well executed.
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May 7, 2022Despite some good decisions in its unique elements, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a game quite limited by its basic structure, which becomes repetitive very quickly. It's easy to have fun with it, but there are better options available within the franchise.
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Mar 15, 2022The newest entry brings traditional gameplay with usual strategy elements, but the welcome additions are better graphics and faster loadings on next-gen consoles.
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Feb 14, 2022If Dynasty Warriors 9 was the volatile reboot the series desperately needed to endure, the Empires is proof the mixture isn’t quite settled yet. What Empires adds in terms of being an engrossing strategy sim, it loses in paring back its open world warfare to something that feels far too much like the series back at its worst. Persevere with its shortcomings, though, and Empires can bring you riches.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a great representation of the Empires series with a few modern elements to entice seasoned players. Its strategic systems are addicting, with combat being delightfully simple, instilling the gratifying sense of mayhem the franchise is known for. It’s a moderately enjoyable time-sink, yet it lacks an identity that can make it difficult to recommend to casual series fans who want more out of their experience. At the very least, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires isn’t an erroneous existence like the original Dynasty Warriors 9 since it provides genuine entertainment, even if not sincerely lasting.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9 Empire is a strategic rather bland, with fights in musou style just passable. The result is still a decent game, though clearly aimed only at fans of the genre.
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Feb 15, 2022Although there are some improvements over Dynasty Warriors 9, the cut content and some new features feeling a bit lacking make this Empires fall short compared to the previous two.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires doesn’t do anything that previous games in the series haven’t already done. A lack of variety and graphical issues that should not be present in 2022 hold this back from being a must buy, even for die-hard fans.
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Mar 31, 2022Alas, 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.
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Feb 17, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is tailor-made for super fans of the franchise. While players may feel like a lackey at the start of any new Conquest campaign run-through, rising up the ranks and having the Prime Minister agree with your suggestions can feel rewarding. If you enjoy making decisions about whether to increase ration development or to collect tribute on a monthly basis, or politicking in general whereby interacting with important people gets your heart racing, then by all means check out Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires. The rest of us will get by on regular Dynasty Warriors 9 just fine.
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Feb 16, 2022In 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.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty 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.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9 Empire mixes and matches most of the features from the previous games, improves the officers editor but fails to bring something really new to old and next-gen platforms.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty Warriors Empires has always been for the die-hard fans. Those who enjoy the hack n’ slash combat and love adding their own tactical twist. Those wanting to direct custom campaigns and create their own musou legend. Even if DW9 left a sour taste, there’s some solace to be found here within its repurposed carcass, though redemption may still be lost.
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Feb 18, 2022As 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.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires has some interesting strategy elements, but the combat is so far behind other recent Musou games.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires should’ve been a DLC expansion to the base game and not a full-priced standalone release with how little it offers to musou fans right now. It also doesn’t help that the PS5 version has a lot of annoying screen tearing during gameplay.
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Feb 28, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires does not give us faith that the series can be saved. Put simply, it might be best to put this series out to pasture and focus on other Warriors entries.
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Feb 18, 2022Dynasty 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.
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Feb 17, 2022It's hard to get excited for Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires, which has been built on a game that already looked very ugly and had an off-topic open world four years ago. If Omega Force has done well to drop the open world concept to return to a more classic structure, we note however that little has really changed and it's still boring playing this new game.
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Feb 15, 2022Dynasty 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.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty 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 map design.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires tests even the most die-hard fans of the Musou genre with an even more limited and repetitive experience than usual, which suffers from the same problems as always and adds new ones to them.
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Feb 14, 2022The gameplay of this new installment, like others in the franchise, is fun, thanks in part to its engaging theme. The fact is, however, that the execution leaves quite a bit to be desired. For example, the graphics are from 10 years back, the performance is a disaster and the addition of political elements does not really work. Ignore it.
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Feb 17, 2022Even if you love this series with your whole heart, we still recommend you to skip Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires. The game simply doesn't worth it, even with a price cut.
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Feb 14, 2022Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a niche version of an already divisive game and provides very little innovation to the musou formula. It honestly feels like a half-baked game, as if developer Koei Temco felt the need to keep the Empires spinoff line of games going simply because it has done it in the past. There are better musou games out there and better strategy games out there, and I honestly can't recommend this game to fans of either type of game. Ultimately, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires won't hold your interest for any extended period of time unless you're already a fan of the franchise.
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Feb 14, 2022It’s repetitive and ugly, but the combat is a moreish delight.
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Feb 14, 2022Even for a series renowned for reusing material and rehashing a tired formula of mindless yet oddly satisfying gameplay, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a hollow package. If this is all the series has left to offer, it may be time to let the Three Kingdoms war themselves into oblivion. A bland, shallow title with little to offer even those who enjoy the repetition of Musou gameplay, Empires is as regurgitated as a game can be.
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| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
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Feb 21, 2022Another mix of musou hack’n slash action and strategy courtesy of Omega Force. Not the best in its genre, but a good one.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 415 out of 541
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Mixed: 2 out of 541
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Negative: 124 out of 541
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Feb 16, 2022
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Jun 7, 2022Having played this game for a few months, I must say that I'm very impressed and hoping for more games like this
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Apr 18, 2022Both the action and strategy elements are superb, this is the game of the year for 2022 so far.