Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires 2021

Digitally DownloadedMatt SainsburyFeb 20225/5 stars

Slightly more cerebral while also filled with the fast action that the series is known for, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires sits neatly as a midway point between the action of the "proper" Dynasty Warriors and the strategy of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. There probably isn't all that much of an audience for this, but for fans that were disappointed with the open world experiment of Dynasty Warriors 9, Empires here will be redemption, and for those who have never let their enthusiasm for the series be dampened, this is an excellent opportunity to marry Sun Shangxiang and make many beautiful babies... or perhaps to unite China. Whatever your preference is, really.

SoftpediaBogdan PopaFeb 20229/10

Unfortunately, DW9E is clearly a title that's first and foremost aimed at fans, and to them, it just feels like a half-baked release. Koei should have used the one extra year for further polishing, so be ready for an avalanche of negative reviews when the game launches tomorrow.

Nindie SpotlightJustin NationFeb 20228.8/10

In terms of the crazy and chaotic musou genre I'm still getting up to speed, but I'll admit that when the action gets into a groove I tend to find it to be a pretty good time...

Nintendo LifePJ O'ReillyFeb 20224/10

Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a poor Switch port of a disappointing entry in the long-running spin-off series. This is a hugely downgraded version of the game, with seriously dialled-back visuals failing to put a stop to consistent frame rate issues during the heat of battle. With a lack of gameplay modes, zero multiplayer options, terrible AI and cosmetic customisation options gone AWOL at launch - Koei Tecmo choosing instead to go the DLC route - this is a truly lacklustre package, a bargain bin affair with a premium price tag, and a Dynasty Warriors game you can feel quite comfortable skipping entirely.

GameSkinnyAshley ShankleFeb 20224/10

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires can't make up for the shortcomings baked into the Dynasty Warriors 9 framework.