For instance, you can try to rise up and claim a province all by yourself, but it's more than likely that the ruling lord will squash your uprising with ease – after all, he'll have a far bigger army, and his trusted retainers will probably be of a higher level.Īs such, you'll find yourself carefully building up your forces before you try anything drastic. Combat's much the same as it was in Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition, as you switch armaments with a tap of R1 in order to keep up a combo count and exploit an opposing officer's weakness although, in Empires, each battle's difficulty is determined by a number of factors, including troop numbers, individual officer levels, and the territory itself. However, primarily being an action title, statistics and weapon upgrades don't count for everything, especially if you're playing on one of the harder difficulty settings. All in all, as far as personal involvement in an Empires game goes, role-playing enthusiasts will love these new additions. When you're done, you'll even have the option of saving your custom character's history, which creates their own unique timeline based on key choices from across your playthrough. These cinematics add some personality to your hero, or indeed, villain, and fans will definitely get a kick out of seeing their own original characters share screen time with some of Asia's most legendary warriors. Whether you decide to conquer China as a high ranking officer or as a ruler, though, your tale will always be punctuated by some thoughtful little cutscenes throughout. And if you really want a hefty dose of negative karma, you can always join up with a ruler, diligently work your way through the ranks, and then perform a military coup, stealing their lands and taking their throne. By attempting more morally questionable quests, or choosing to spread nasty rumours among the people, you'll start to gain a bad reputation, and in turn, you'll be able to recruit similarly despicable personalities to your cause. You certainly don't have to be a good guy, though – it's perfectly possible to betray and backstab almost everyone that you meet. You can even end up marrying or swearing an oath of brotherhood with an ally if you're chummy enough, and in turn, the relationship system instils a real sense of belonging, especially if you're playing as a custom made character. And if they're not currently bound to a faction, they might ask to join your vagabond unit instead, offering their skills to use however you see fit. If you tackle a mission that sees you protect a particular officer from an ambush, for example, that warrior may track you down afterwards, and ask that you join their lord's forces. Every time that you share a battlefield with someone – friend or foe – you'll start to build a relationship with them, which is gauged by a simple friendship rank system. Again, the amount of options available to you right from the start can be overbearing as you decide what course of action would benefit you best, but it won't be long until you're forging your character's own unique legacy.Īs mentioned, the release can be impressively dynamic. You can take on bite-sized quests to raise some money or find allies, or you can introduce yourself to the local warlord and become a lieutenant in their forces.
Unless you choose to be a character who's already the leader of an army, or one of their officers, you'll begin your adventure as a travelling ruffian who's out to make a name for themselves. When you're not slaughtering enemies, your current role determines how proceedings play out.
In between bouts of combat, it's up to you how to spend your time, as the months and years trudge along via an in-game calendar. Presented with a map that's made up of numerous provinces, the goal of the game is to conquer it piece by piece, dipping into Dynasty Warriors' hack and slash gameplay when it's time to jump onto the battlefield. This is mostly because it can be incredibly dynamic, as warlords clash with one another in the hope of uniting China under their banner. If you find Koei's flagship franchise to be a bit repetitive, we dare say that Empires may be a decent alternative. Stick with it long enough, though, and you'll uncover a rich and rewarding take on the Dynasty Warriors formula. The title does its best to ease you into things by having little tutorial messages pop up now and then, but it'll still prove to be overwhelming for newcomers. However, if you're unfamiliar with the spin-off series, there's no doubt that the text-heavy screens and menus that exist outside of battle will appear daunting.