At its core, Empires is almost identical to Dynasty Warriors 6. Players select a character and have to defeat enemies by unleashing combo moves. Combos typically consist of madly tapping away at the Normal and Power attack buttons, but you’re also able to block and counter enemy attacks, as well as perform dodge rolls. The series’ trademark Musou attack can be unleashed after filling the Musou meter, and is perfect for finishing off an enemy or clearing the immediate area around you.
While the hack and slash gameplay is still a dominant feature, Empires does a few things differently from the original release. Firstly, instead of focusing on individual character stories, the game looks at different scenarios from the Three Kingdoms era of China. Ultimately, all scenarios involve you assuming the role of a Ruler or Officer who works towards unifying China. Rulers have direct control over which territories they invade, and can activate Strategy and Council cards to give their army an edge. For example, some cards will increase the attack strength of all allied officers, while others will prevent enemy invasions for one month. In contrast, Officers must choose to serve under a Ruler and carry out missions. Missions can range from escorting a group of villagers to a check point, to defeating an enemy officer within a time limit. By successfully completing missions you’ll form friendships with other characters and rise through the ranks of the army, eventually gaining the ability to suggest different policies and orders during council meetings. The gameplay doesn’t change too much based on the Ruler / Officer system, but there are enough differences to keep things interesting and encourage multiple play-throughs.
Meng Huo returns, proving he spent his time at the gym rather than eating snacks.
Strategy also plays a minor role on the battlefield. Instead of mindlessly hacking away at enemies, players must now take bases into consideration. Bases are linked together by supply lines, so the idea is both sides fight for control over territory. Supply bases will influence enemy morale, while Watchtowers and Armory bases will give surrounding bases fire support if attacked by enemies. In addition to conquering bases, depending on your role and relationships with other characters, you’ll be able to issue orders to individual officers. This means you have more control over how the AI works, and it saves you the hassle of constantly moving back and forth to maintain territorial control. These are all basic fundamentals but they go a long way in bringing more to the experience, thereby making the game appealing for a broader audience.
A major criticism of Dynasty Warriors 6 was many characters featured cloned movesets. Koei actually addressed this issue in the PS2 version (only released in Japan and America) and gave several characters new weapons. These changes have been implemented in Empires, along with a handful of new levels and the return of the Nanman leader Meng Huo. While they’re not exactly major additions, it’s nice to see Koei did take that extra step to ensure returning fans had a little more incentive.
Aside from the main game there’s heaps of unlockable content in the form of wallpapers and voice tracks. If that doesn’t take your fancy, then you can create custom characters. There aren’t too many customising options at your disposal - just basic clothing, facial, body proportion and colour modifiers - but it’s a neat little feature that will certainly have its admirers.
Swing batter, batter, batter, batter...
Despite all these good points, ultimately Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires doesn’t improve on the series. Most of these elements have already been implemented in previous Empires expansions, and in many ways the title is actually lighter on strategic elements. If we take a look at Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires and Samurai Warriors 2: Empires, players had to position their officers in specific territories of the world map. If they left a territory unguarded, then that meant it was easy pickings for an enemy. In Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires, this aspect has been cast aside. If an enemy attacks your territory, you can instantly send your army to protect it. On the one hand it makes the game more accessible, but on the other it takes away from the authenticity of the experience. Of course, the major drawback is that the game is very repetitive. The strategy elements mix things up a little, but when it comes down to it you’re still mindlessly tapping away at those controller buttons and killing the same generic enemies over and over again.
Like its predecessors, the game’s appeal definitely doesn’t come from its visuals. Environments are bland and unappealing, and due to sheer number of enemies appearing on screen at once, you can expect some really poor draw distances. When attacking bases for example, we found that as enemies swarmed around us many of them would simply turn invisible then reappear again. It gets particularly annoying when you’re looking for enemy officers or lieutenants, as they’ll pop-in/out quite often in the thick of battle. Also, there’s a really weird death animation when you kill tigers and wolves. Instead of dropping to the ground, they slide back and ricochet off objects like a pinball. In the sound department, you’ve got a number of Japanese rock tunes which you’ll either love or hate, accompanied by average-at-best voice acting.
It’s difficult to recommend Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires. While the strategic elements bring a lot to the experience, the repetitive hack and slash gameplay will still turn away many players. If you played the original release and enjoyed it then chances are you’ll love Empires, but for everyone else who has never seen the appeal of the series, you need not apply.
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