Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires

About

"Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires" is a new release of the "Empires" series, combining one-versus-thousand action with country conquering simulation. Experience castle sieges for exciting combat and command your armies freely in an ever-changing environment. The politics system allows for officer interactions and character growth to strengthen the country, with players able to choose from various lifestyles such as Rulers, Generals, and Unaffiliated officers.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

54%

Audience ScoreBased on 476 reviews

gameplay22 positive mentions

optimization8 negative mentions

Improved combat mechanics and faster-paced battles compared to previous titles.
Character customization offers more depth in facial features and hairstyles, though limited in outfits.
The new secret plans system adds strategic elements to battles, making them more dynamic.

Significant reduction in character customization options, especially in outfits and armor compared to previous games.
The open world feels empty and lacks meaningful activities, making exploration pointless.
Every battle is a siege, leading to repetitive gameplay without the variety of previous Empires titles.

gameplay
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
62%
15%
The gameplay of the latest installment has received mixed reviews, with some praising the blend of real-time combat and strategic elements, while others criticize the repetitive nature and lack of depth in mechanics. Players appreciate the castle siege feature and the core empire mechanics, but many feel that the game suffers from a steep learning curve, poor sandbox elements, and a lack of meaningful customization options. Overall, while the combat system is noted for its fluidity, many reviewers express disappointment in the game's execution compared to previous titles in the series.
- “The blend of real-time combat and strategic gameplay offers a rewarding experience, whether you’re leading armies or forging alliances.”
- “But the gameplay and empire loop is fun; I personally prefer it to every previous empires game (except for 5e).”
- “The only thing this game has going for it is the castle siege mechanic that adds some dynamic to the battle instead of just scaling walls with a grappling hook from the beginning.”
- “However, the sandbox gameplay is frustratingly poor, and the graphics leave much to be desired.”
- “I absolutely hate the fighting mechanics in DW9 and Empires.”
- “This series already suffers from repetitive gameplay, so stripping it down even further like this does not make for that engaging an experience.”
story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
76%
10%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of a traditional narrative and meaningful quests. Instead of engaging storylines, players find themselves in repetitive missions with minimal character development and interactions, leading to a sense of emptiness in the gameplay experience. While some appreciate the strategic elements and secret plans during battles, the overall consensus is that the game falls short in delivering a compelling story compared to previous titles in the series.
- “I like the secret plans in the game, since it gives a mission objective for nearly every battle and gives you the ability to thwart your opponent's plans as well.”
- “The political and challenge of missions is quite varied.”
- “The story, interactions, and cutscenes also have mixed qualities.”
- “As always, since it's empires, it's not story-driven so you won't learn the story of the three kingdoms from it; play the base game instead.”
- “The lack of quests in the campaign like we had in 8 is sad.”
graphics
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
70%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the character designs and certain visual enhancements, while others criticize the overall quality as subpar and reminiscent of older titles. Many players note issues such as low texture quality, poor optimization, and graphical glitches, suggesting that while there are improvements, the game still falls short of expectations for a modern release. Overall, the consensus indicates that the graphics are decent but not groundbreaking, and players recommend waiting for a sale before purchasing.
- “Top notch graphics and music, with hundreds of amazing characters and addictive gameplay put it a sure win for the GOTY awards this year.”
- “Graphics and customization are big upgrades though.”
- “The graphics are more polished than before.”
- “The graphics are lacking, the characters are stiff, and it was definitely not worth the 30 bucks I used to buy this game.”
- “The graphics of the game are not pretty.”
- “Soldiers randomly wander around doing nothing, there are weird graphical issues in battles where soldiers in the distance run like a slideshow, the graphics are all blurry on the terrain (like anti-aliasing wasn't used or any edge smoothing).”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
24%
14%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its fantastic soundtrack that continues the Dynasty Warriors franchise's tradition of high-quality music. Players appreciate the ability to change soundtracks mid-battle and highlight the soundtrack's energetic and engaging nature, often describing it as a standout feature that enhances the overall gaming experience. Despite some criticisms of gameplay mechanics, the music remains a consistent highlight, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Fantastic soundtrack; Dynasty Warriors has some of the best video game soundtracks, and this keeps that trend.”
- “For real, the soundtrack just keeps slamming. I recommend immediately going to your hideout after you get the music player furniture and setting the war room to random so you can hear it all. It really has no place being so amazing!”
- “Beautiful characters, exciting combat, and stunning music made this game the best game this year by far.”
- “So the steep learning curve, lack of tutorials, annoying gameplay, and irritating music means this is a trash game in my opinion.”
- “Soundtrack: it's alright.”
- “10) re-uses a lot of assets, music, weapons & movesets.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
31%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players noting poor performance, particularly in cutscenes that are locked at 30 fps and suffer from frame pacing issues. While some improvements have been made compared to previous titles, such as better graphical options, the game still feels like a console port with subpar textures and animations, leading to a choppy experience even on high-end machines. Many reviewers express disappointment in the lack of content and features, deeming the overall optimization inadequate for a game of its price.
- “You can also set the enemy count to max since I find that it doesn't affect performance too much.”
- “Better optimization compared to DW9 due to limited space.”
- “They at least gave us a bunch of graphical options to change this time, but additional optimization would have been nice.”
- “For some reason, cutscenes are locked at 30 fps and feel very choppy (probably frame pacing problems), so looking at low-res assets with such bad performance isn't enjoyable at all.”
- “The empires series are a lot of fun to play, still don't understand why they ruined it with terrible optimization and a limited amount of features.”
- “Wrap this all together in a pop-in heavy unoptimized, poorly textured, badly animated mess and you're chugging along at sub 60 fps on all but the highest-end machines.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can quickly become tedious due to repetitive battles, limited content, and a lack of meaningful quests. Players express frustration with the necessity of farming for resources and leveling up, which often feels unfulfilling and luck-based. While some enjoy the grind, many find it detracts from the overall experience, making the gameplay feel monotonous.
- “You can farm for cash, but the campaign is not long enough to justify farming.”
- “Battles are way too repetitive and tedious.”
- “Early game is frustrating; Koei has removed the mini-questing that was in previous games, leaving players to farm off mobs that drop minimal rewards.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The game's stability is notably inconsistent, with players reporting significant bugs such as AI issues, delayed asset loading, and character glitches. While some users find the game enjoyable when running on capable hardware, many express frustration over the numerous technical problems and the underutilization of the open world, suggesting that it may be best to wait for patches or discounts before purchasing.
- “All in all, the game runs great if you have the hardware to run it, and it's a lot of fun.”
- “AI can be incredibly buggy, with generals just getting stuck in place and dying.”
- “The new engine is buggy as hell, with assets loading in well after scenes or battles start and sometimes not loading in at all.”
- “As a long-time fan of the DW series, this game is like a better version of 9, but there are still some glitches, and I hope they will patch them up in future updates.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of outdated jokes and unintentional comedy, with some players finding amusement in the game's poor translations and limited customization options. While some aspects are still considered funny, like the absurdity of certain features, overall, the humor feels out of touch and lacks the freshness expected in modern gaming.
- “That sounds hilarious, sign me up!”
- “Some of the translations are pretty funny though.”
- “They have hilariously little armor parts (less than 20 helmets and 13 armor pieces lmao) and completely butchered body edit; it's as if edit mode was never finished before they decided to ship it.”
- “But here in 2022, this is such an outdated and out-of-touch game that it's not funny.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, with players expressing disappointment over the reliance on microtransactions and a perceived lack of effort in game development elements like character customization and user interface. Overall, the monetization approach has detracted from the gaming experience, leading to negative sentiments among fans.
- “Koei, please become more in touch with your fan base and move away from penny-pinching monetization.”
- “Add-ons - 3/10, as has been the case for the past few games, Dynasty Warriors Empires has microtransactions.”
- “Koei, please become more in touch with your fan base and excuse the game from penny-pinching monetization.”
- “I can honestly say this was just a cash grab due to the lack of effort put into character customization, UI, the menus, voices, etc.”
- “This game was a cash grab; there is no easy way to put it. If anyone has played the original Empire games, they would know that this is an abomination.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is praised for its advanced character design and customization options, allowing players to create highly detailed and personalized characters. However, some users express frustration over additional costs for extra customization parts, despite the impressive features like realistic hair physics. Overall, the character design is considered a strong point of the game.
- “The character designer is really good; you can create basically any face for your custom character, and the hair has fully programmed jiggle physics, so it flows in the wind.”
- “Character design is a great advancement in the right direction, allowing for a high level of customization.”
- “The graphics are impressive, with reasonably detailed characters and excellent character design.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's large cast of characters enhances its replayability, though the absence of scenario editing is seen as a limitation. While some players find the lack of customization options frustrating, others appreciate the numerous collectibles in Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires, contributing to its overall replay value.
- “The large cast of characters offers quite a bit of replayability, although the lack of a Jin scenario is a bit annoying.”
- “The large cast of characters offers quite a bit of replayability, albeit the lack of a Jin scenario is a bit annoying.”
- “I can live without banner, horse, and soldier customization, but the absence of scenario editing highly limits replayability.”
- “Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires has loads of replay value with a lot of collectibles to find.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is described as somewhat heartbreaking, though the reviewer ultimately cannot recommend it. The focus on gameplay mechanics, such as the infinite combo system, detracts from the emotional experience, suggesting a disconnect between the game's emotional narrative and its combat mechanics.