Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires

History repeats itself again in tactical hack 'n' slash.
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Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a historic fantasy action game available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows based PCs. The game's a follow-up to Dynasty Warriors 9, combining the hack 'n' slash gameplay of that title with the strategic and tactical elements present in other Empires games. Violence is a core part of the gameplay, with players fighting overwhelming numbers of soldiers and more powerful commanders in fast-paced combat. While there's lots of violence, there's little to no bloodshed present. Some female characters are presented in a sexualized manner, wearing outfits that spotlight their cleavage and other assets.
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What’s It About?
Expanding on the popular Dynasty Warriors franchise, DYNASTY WARRIORS 9 EMPIRES takes the hack 'n' slash action of Dynasty Warriors and combines it with the military tactics and political intrigue of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. Players will take to the battlefield as any of the 94 Musou officers from the Dynasty Warriors 9 roster, as well as 700 different common officers. You'll fight your way through the enemy forces before laying siege to their castle fortresses. You can play through the characters' stories or make your own destiny in the game's Edit Mode, creating your own custom officers to add to the dynamic. You'll also choose your political role, commanding respect and brokering political deals as a Ruler or managing your faithful soldiers on the frontlines as a General. Will you bring all of China together under your lasting dynasty? Or will you be just a footnote in history? Draw your blade and let fate decide.
Is It Any Good?
For the past twenty-five years, Koei Tecmo has been bringing gamers the history of ancient China's Romance of the Three Kingdoms era by way of hack 'n' slash action. And outside of the main titles, there have been numerous spin-offs, expansions, offshoots, and the like of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, with the most common being the more tactically driven Empires series. Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is just the latest chapter in this long running saga, breaking up the fast paced action of Dynasty Warriors 9 with a slog of micromanagement, political diplomacy, and other strategy-based elements. While some of this works to add an extra layer to the tried and true Warriors formula, the overabundance of options coupled with the repetition of content tends to weigh down the overall experience.
Although Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is almost bursting at the seams with content, it's hard not to feel like that content is a bit stale. Aside from the fact that most of the material is recycled from Dynasty Warriors 9, it doesn't help that there are only so many ways to retell the same story with the same framework from the same page in history. The new Castle Sieges don't feel like they add too much to the gameplay outside of creating bottlenecks in the action, and the expanded Politics system feels shoehorned in. None of this makes the game unplayable and there's still fun to be had if you dig around. It's just hard to ignore the sense of déjà vu of playing yet another formulaic chapter, especially when coupled with the awkward flow of the gameplay that the tactical elements bring to the mix.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires affected by the over-the-top combat How can over-the-top amounts of violence potentially affect younger audiences? Does the amount of violence in a game have a greater impact than a graphic presentation of violence?
What are some ways that games use history to as a narrative device? What are some examples of great games that use a historic backdrop?
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Koei Tecmo
- Release date: February 15, 2022
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Adventures, History
- ESRB rating: T for Alcohol Reference, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Last updated: February 14, 2022
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