Another year, another Dynasty Warriors game has been released to the masses. This time we are given Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires, which adds a strategic element to the long-running hack and slash series. As time goes by, we continue to see the same formula used; so is this strategy focused title enough to warrant a purchase?

Gameplay

In Empires, the main objective is to control Ancient China by defeating other factions looking to do the same. Unlike previous games, this time around you have the ability to either pick from a massive selection of possible soldiers or create your very own. The ‘create a hero’ options are quite good with a lot of different possible outcomes to how they look. If you would rather go out and fight with a pre-made character, you can easily grab a character and go.

There are three different character types. If you create a custom hero, you will more than likely begin as a Vagrant. You are a ‘work for hire’, but that quickly shifts to one of the other two main classes. Officers are soldiers who are in charge of assignments given to them by Rulers. Rulers, which are the real focus of the Empires, are the ones trying to conquer China. As a Ruler, your goal is to lead your group into battle and defeat others in order to control the land.

Being a Ruler feels a lot like playing the board game Risk. You have a map where you start off and you need to move your way through different Provinces defeating enemy factions. You will need to recruit and train your own soldiers in order to succeed and it will be a long and daunting process to do so.

Also included in Empires Mode are Cards that you collect. These status cards can assist you in battle. They include the ability to move faster on the battle field, strengthen your numbers or even give you special characters. You are restricted with how many you can use, so choosing the right one to use in battle is key. While being a Ruler might seem cool in principal, it is extremely repetitive. The battles you take part in are the same every time. You pick your squad, head out into battle and try to wipe out the opposition. Your faction controls a small portion of the map and must make its way to enemy sections to gain control.

The size of your squad can vary depending on how you want to attempt the mission. Main enemy soldiers appear after a short while and are necessary to defeat in order to win the mission and control the province. Battles themselves are usually straight-forward. You will always select a Province you wish to invade, head to the battle prep screen to see the environment and proceed to battle. You always control one character while the rest are controlled by the computer. There is never a solid game-plan set-up. What you need to do is simply start moving to the enemy’s area and begin wiping them off the map.

This process is done for every map. Thankfully the battlegrounds are different but the way in which you wish to succeed is always the same. Another problem with Empire Mode is that the enemy Warriors re-spawn after a short period of time. You will have killed a foe only for them to come back to do battle yet again 5 minutes later.

Empire mode certainly does have its good and bad points. However, the joys of battling and the light strategic elements of how to approach a battle are overshadowed by the repetitive nature, weak team-mate AI and awkward re-spawning of foes. Most will enjoy the first few battles but as you experience the same thing over and over again, the likelihood of wanting to progress in the game will wane.

Graphics and Sound

The visuals for Empires are really disappointing any way you look at them. The game suffers from a lot of repetition on the maps and some really short draw distance. Not only will enemies pop up in front of you, but so will trees, mountains and other objects. It can be really bad when you’re running towards an empty area only to have a Castle appear out of nowhere.

Even the sound does not hold up that well. Both the odd choice in music and the laughable voice-acting do little to make this game any better. You do have to give some credit for at least offering so many different voice options, but not a single one that I heard during my playing felt like it belonged in the game.

The pre-battle cut-scenes feel really disjointed and the dialogue spoken during battles also feels out of place. As for the music, the choice of not keeping it traditional and offering odd synthetic rifts just displaces you from the game’s setting. A game like this doesn’t need J-Techno tunes, as a more traditional or percussion-focused score would give you the true feeling of actually battling it out in the time period.

Value

Those looking for a long experience will definitely have one playing through Empires. With the ability to play as any one of more than 50 characters and plenty of customizable options, you can try your hand at battle in a number of different ways. There are plenty of things to unlock so those looking for a prolonged experience will want to go back to collect everything available. Also, if you have a friend nearby to play with, they can join you with some split-screen co-operative action.

Conclusion

If there was a series that could really use a reboot, reinvention or a break Dynasty Warriors should be it. The series has been doing the same thing over and over again for so long and it’s not doing enough to entice new players to the series. Long time fans will still come back, but neglecting the possibility of bringing in new players to the game is what really hurts the series from being successful. I really hope that the guys at Koei take a break from the Dynasty Warriors series for a bit, because this re-doing the same thing over and over again has to stop.