Review for Dynasty Warriors 9. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 08/02/2018 The version for PC came out on 13/02/2018 The version for Xbox One came out on 13/02/2018
Dynasty Warriors 9, as already seen in the latest titles of the "parallel" saga Samurai Warriors, always registered Koei Tecmo, expands the concept of pure and simple musou which, for the uninitiated, is basically a very dynamic action genre, which confronts us with endless waves of more or less weak mobs and key characters of decidedly higher degree and difficulty, adding a strong free roaming component, crafting of weapons and other objects without disdaining also adding a hint of role-playing, which definitely does not hurt.
In addition to this, in Dynasty Warriors 9 we will be called to carry out a good number of secondary tasks and collateral activities, very useful for growing our characters and to break, or at least try to do so, an extremely frenetic type of gameplay, but which has a high risk of becoming monotonous after some time.
The plot resumes that of the old chapters of the saga, transporting us to the ancient China of the Three Kingdoms, at the time of the fall of the Han Dynasty. The game allows us to interpret a lot of different characters, about 50 even if not all immediately available, different both in terms of skills and effective "weight" in the story told. Story that will change according to the point of view of the hero that we will choose at that moment.
Once our first hero is selected, we will be immediately catapulted onto the battlefield, which is truly gigantic and fully explorable at will, whether on foot, horseback or swimming. In addition, we will also be able to quickly climb vertical structures (but not all) through a comfortable ninja style grapple. In addition to the main missions, as we have already said, in Dynasty Warriors 9 we will be able to dedicate ourselves to a good number of secondary missions and various collateral activities, including the noble art of hunting, which will provide us with the essential materials to craft objects of various kinds and improve our equipment and those of our allies.
The combat system is very intuitive and with a good range of usable special moves. Too bad that, given the hectic nature of this type of games, we will most likely end up spamming the usual two buttons and the usual special move, with all due respect to the variety of options.
By creating objects, killing enemies and, of course, continuing with the plot, we will receive experience points, which can be spent to improve the statistics of our character. One truly remarkable thing about Dynasty Warriors 9 is the extreme dynamism of the ensemble of events. Our actions on the battlefield really (and unpredictably) affect the overall course of the battle. Helping one ally rather than another, or getting lost in the exploration of a place, can lead to different and often unpredictable consequences. All this contributes to creating a good feeling for the player, who will practically never feel "harnessed" in his actions. Of course, however, you still have to pay a lot of attention, as some consequences can be truly disastrous!
On a technical level, unfortunately, however, they are not all roses. Although the appearance and animations of the characters are very well done, those of the surrounding environment often, too often, leave something to be desired. We tested the game on a Playstation4 Slim and, while there were no slowdowns or drops in frame rates, the environments (and even some mobs) suffered from an annoying pop-up effect, sometimes really exaggerated. More than once it has happened to walk or ride in an area apparently free from structures and, poof! Bumping into a signal tower literally popped out of nowhere. Same thing often happens with other objects and with the herds of animals that we will have to hunt. All quiet and, after two steps, you find yourself in the middle of a herd of deer!
Another non-optimal point is the calculation of some collisions. If during a battle, which as we have said is very frenetic and not very technical, it is not noticed at all, the problem arises when facing the exploratory phases. Sometimes you pass through a rock and sometimes you get stuck by some sort of invisible “pole” (wall was exaggerated). A ride in a bamboo grove was such a nightmare that dear old Witcher's Rutilia was regretted!
Overall Dynasty Warriors 9 is a very fun and complete game. The secondary activities and side missions give everything a certain variety, thus stemming the monotony that, otherwise, would soon have appeared. The gameplay is fast-paced and very satisfying (what a satisfaction to fly entire ranks of soldiers with your spear!) And the main story is also interesting and very well structured. The huge variety of characters is also a point definitely in favor of Dynasty Warriors 9. Too bad for some inaccuracies on the technical front, even rather annoying, which do not allow the title to become a real "must have" for everyone, making it suitable mainly for fans of the genre and the saga.
Dynasty Warriors 9 is available from February 13 for Playstation 4, Steam and Xbox One.
► Dynasty Warriors 9 is a Hack and Slash type game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 08/02/2018 The version for PC came out on 13/02/2018 The version for Xbox One came out on 13/02/2018
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