Summary
The hack-and-slashDynasty Warriorsseries has been running for over twenty years by this point, yet it is still one of the most popular and beloved games within its genre, a genre which it more or less created thanks to its innovative mechanics and battle system. Players will pick from a large roster of generals before taking to a massive battlefield where they must lead their armies into battle, completing objectives, acquiring items and weapons, and above all else, eliminating thousands of troops with gigantic attacks.
Besides the incrediblyfun and addictive gameplay loop, a lot of the games have also been enjoyed for their compelling stories, which give an insight into the history of China’s Three Kingdoms period. It’s inevitable that in a series with so many entries, at least a few of the games won’t stick the landing when it comes to their fun factor, but this luckily isn’t the case for most of theDynasty Warriorsgames as the majority of them are fantastic, with a handful even being considered iconic in the eyes of some fans. This topic will also include theEmpiresgames as they still play very similarly to the mainline titles, and for games with other versions, the highest-rated one will be counted here.
6Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends
Metacritic: 69
WhileDynasty Warriors 7was seen as a fairly lackluster entry in the series, the game that came after didn’t do too much to switch up the gameplay, but it did at least make a few much-needed improvements that made it far more enjoyable to play through. Not only did the game allow each character to have all three Musou attacks as opposed to just two, which was the case in the previous installment, butthe Skill systemalso granted a decent amount of player freedom to create their own builds for specific characters.
There are still, unfortunately, a lot of issues that drag it down, such as the rock-paper-scissors weapon system which seems very out of place in a giant hack-and-slash game such as this. There are also a few other small mechanics like the Switch Counter which may seem cool as an idea, but they just end up making the game far too easy. TheXtreme Legendseditiondoes at least add a lot more content to the game, with Lu Bu’s Musou mode being a standout, but it just doesn’t quite hold up as well as some of its peers.
5Dynasty Warriors 5
Metascore: 69
Rather than the Musou story mode being based on kingdoms inDynasty Warriors 5, it is instead character-based, which comes with its pros and cons. On the one hand, it encourages the player to experiment withall the warriors on offer, but considering each of them takes so long to complete, it can also become a bit tiresome after a while. There are still plenty of cutscenes that do a great job of touching upon the lore of this period, and the characters featured in the game.
By this point in the series, the core gameplay had also become extremely fast-paced with the enemies only getting weaker over time, something that admittedly makes the first few areas of this gamean absolute cakewalk, but it does at least pick up the challenge later on, especially with its Officer encounters. There are still a few smaller features that help the game stand out, such as the updated Bodyguard system, which was far more interesting to use, but the inconsistent difficulty does let the overall experience down a bit.
4Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires
Metascore: 71
This was the firstEmpiresgame to be released in the series, with thisspin-off titlethen being attached to every game that came after due to how successful it was. WhileDynasty Warriors 4: Empiresstill features the same addictive hack-and-slash core gameplay as the original game, there are also a few very light strategy elements that will take place in between battles with the player having to make tricky decisions and alliances to expand and improve their army.
While futureEmpiresgames would end up going a little overboard with the amount of tools they offered the player, this game is fairly stripped back in what it offers, but this only helps to make it much more accessible for newer players. The actual gameplay is also extremely polished this time around and features plenty of interesting battle scenarios to jump into, especially with theintense historical Event Battlesthat crop up from time to time. The strategy elements can make it feel just a little more long-winded than the originalDynasty Warriors 4due to how it breaks up the pacing, but there are still many players who love taking some time to organize their units before an intense battle commences.
3Dynasty Warriors 2
Metascore: 75
It’s hard to believe for anyone who hasn’t been following this series since the very beginning, but the firstDynasty Warriorswas a fighting game that wasn’t received very well upon its release, especially with the quality ofother games in the genreoutshining it at the time.Dynasty Warriors 2, on the other hand, ushered the game into the hack-and-slash action genre, but despite being the first game in the series to do this, it’s still a blast to play for hours on end, even today.
Since developers Omega Force didn’t yet have a good idea of how weak or strong to make the enemies, it results in the regular foot soldiers being incredibly tough inDynasty Warriors 2, which raises the skill ceiling quite drastically. If players are familiar with their character and can execute juggle combos and large sweep attacks at just the right time, they won’t have too hard of an experience, but the game encourages players to improve over time, which makes it easy to sink a ton of hours into it. Pair this withsome amazing mapsand a lengthy Musou mode, and it results in a fantastic game that only occasionally borders on feeling unfair in its difficulty.
2Dynasty Warriors 3
Metascore: 78
Dynasty Warriors 3can seem a little basic at first, especially when compared to modern hack-and-slash action games, but this is ultimately what makes it so enjoyable. The game iswell-known for being brutally difficult, with the player being forced to take on massive hordes of enemies who all have a decent amount of health each, but it’s just a tad more forgiving than its predecessor, which does make it a lot less intimidating.
There’s also an extremely wide variety of maps that all feel very distinct, and unlike a lot of future entries, they never feel too big, which can end up slowing the game down. Officer fights were also ramped up in this game to feel a lot more like boss battles, with the enemy being far more aggressive and healing multiple times throughout the fight, which made eventually defeating them so satisfying. The voice acting is admittedly pretty bad, but a lot of fans find that this only adds to the charm of the game. The tight controls and plethora of unique characters are also reasons whyDynasty Warriors 3is still so beloved among the fanbase even after all these years.
1Dynasty Warriors 4
Many fans considerDynasty Warriors 4to be the highest point of the series' history. While a lot of the later games began to geta little too convoluted in their mechanics, or would completely change core elements of the combat for no real reason,Dynasty Warriors 4feels like the culmination of everything it was building up to. The Musou Mode was now based on kingdoms rather than characters, providing a much more engaging story overall, and with the maps being a little smaller, it also ensured that a stage never outstayed its welcome.
The gameplay was much faster thanDynasty Warriors 3, which meant there was never any downtime or sluggish moments during a battle, something that could often be an issue in previous games, especially when having to deal with tough foot soldiers. The game also manages to perfectly balance its difficulty, with enemies overall being a lot weaker, but also still very aggressive and not quite as helpless as they are in the fifth game, which makes them much more manageable but still a decent challenge. This was also the first game to introduce the Duel system, where two officers could square off to either gain or lose Morale, providing another layer of strategy to the gameplay.Dynasty Warriors 4provides a fast, fun, and memorable experience for both veteran fans and newcomers alike.
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