I’m a huge fan of the Dynasty Warriors games. KOEI and developer Omega Force have taken Chinese history and fused it with “hack ‘n slash combat” to create a wholly satisfying game experience, even if they keep retelling the same historical story over and over for over eight versions.
But even after eight core titles in the franchise, and that doesn’t even count the various other musou games like Samurai Warriors, Hyrule Warriors, and the rest (there are many), Dynasty Warriors started it all, and is still one of the best that KOEI Tecmo can offer.
In Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires, the “Empires” sub-genre has been added to 2013’s DW8 and last year’s Dynasty Warriors 8 Legends Extreme Complete. Empires takes everything great about Dynasty Warriors and adds a RISK-like, full-scale conquest mode. Sure, players still go out into rather large maps and fight a ridiculous number of enemies, but now there is a purpose. The battles aren’t set up solely to revisit ancient Chinese history, now you get to try and rule the Three Kingdoms yourself. Yellow Turbans be damned.
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires is told in monthly increments, with each month representing a your “turn” to do an action. Players can choose to battle, invade, go on quests, or simply opt for political maneuvering to try to befriend other officers for alliances, attend or host social events, and/or negotiate back room dealings. Conscripting troops and farming for materials and money are also available, and once the “turn” is finished, the next month rolls around to do it all over again.
The goal of this month-to-month, and then year-to-year upkeep step to build your empire (hence the title), to forge alliances, with sworn brotherhoods and even marriage (with eventual children to carry on your name and title!) and take over all of China. The game gives you 50 years (or 600 months) to do this, but if you get wiped out entirely, you have to start all over. It takes the best of the Dynasty Warriors franchise and adds so much more depth and strategy.
And there is still combat. Lots of it, actually. And it’s the same tried and true combat that has defined the franchise from the beginning. Expect plenty of square and triangle button mashing as you make your way through the kingdoms. If a player is bloodthirsty and wants to fight each month to win with an iron fist, they can. Others can opt for diplomacy. The choices and options on how to take over China are vast, and that is what makes Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires so unique, and so damn fun. I love a good strategy game, and I love musou games. DW8E is the perfect marriage of all of that, and I’ve found myself saying “just one more month” when I should have been doing something else. That draw to keep playing is real, and a hallmark to this great game.
As with other Dynasty Warriors games, the number of officers to choose from is ridiculous. There are over 80 known historical figures to play as, including long-time favorites like Cao Cao, Liu Bing, and Lu Bu, and there is a new character for this game, Xun Yu, but then KOEI Tecmo went and added a player creator option, so created figures can now vie for the rule of China. And the player creator is actually pretty stout, with tons of options for hair, face, body, moves and armor in various combinations.
Most of the options are tied to historical China, so don’t expect laser swords and holo-armor options (unless added later as DLC). The number of weapons to find and equip is astronomical, and some of them are so incredibly powerful — especially the EX weapons — that winning battles and ruling the three kingdoms could be a snap…in the right hands.
Characters and weapons level up as the game progresses and new moves and skills — both combat and diplomacy — are unlocked over time, giving players something to grind for. After all, a ruler must be strong and wise, and even the greatest historical officer starts out as a novice.
Players can even create custom scenarios, choosing maps, weapons, and objectives. And then use classic or created characters to play these levels with couch co-op or online. Online play is an option for every mode, and battles for the Three Kingdoms take a completely different turn when competing with other live humans from around the world. But even with the additional modes, the bread and butter of DW8E is in the “Empires” campaign mode, and it is deep enough to satisfy even the hungriest conqueror.
If there is one downside to DW8E, is in the repetition of battles. Like any good strategy game, players can often find themselves battling over and over for the same plot of land. While it helps that XP is earned and each battle, won or lost, adds experience, it’s hard to move forward when you are constantly “running in place.” The best way to solve that is bide your time and make yourself stronger so when you take a region, others will be less apt to challenge you and if they do, you are prepared enough to make them pay. After all, as the saying goes, in the game of thrones, you win or you die.
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires is the perfect marriage of strategy and “hack ‘n slash” musou, giving players from both disciplines plenty to do and even more to love. KOEI Tecmo has taken the already-superior Dynasty Warriors 8 game and breathed new life into it with the Empires mode. Fans that are unsure if they want to once again tackle the same stretch of Chinese history can be assured that history can be rewritten, and China is ripe to be ruled by a powerful and just leader. The question is, is that leader you?
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires is available now in both physical and digital versions for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. This review is based off a copy of the game provided by KOEI Tecmo and played on the PS4.
