Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires, Review

Believe it or not, the Dynasty Warriors games famed for their massive battles where you carve your way through quite literally thousands of enemy troops as your chosen hero actually have their roots in the Romance of the Three Kingdom’ series, some of the most intimidatingly deep strategy games ever.

The Empires spin-offs mix a bit of this strategy into the tried-and-tested format. Instead of simply hacking through Chinese historical battles, this time you have a bit of a stake in what goes on behind the scenes. Your chosen general can cut about the country as a mercenary vagabond, making money by  allying with various leaders, fighting their battles or betraying them as you see fit. 

Or, you can raise a flag all of your own and start building an army while trying to convince China’s greatest warriors to join your cause. of course, the battles all take place in classic Dynasty Warriors style with you fighting hundreds and hundreds of enemy soldiers. always a pleasure.

New to this iteration, you can now create your own general from scratch to fight against and alongside the massive cast of historical figures. There’s also a couple of new weapons, both of which further stretch the already at-breaking-point historical accuracy of the whole affair. There’s the Formation Rod, which enables you place markers on the map which create zones you can fill with magical explosions. also, there’s the Revolving Crossbow, which is a feudal-era Gatling gun.

The core of it might be the traditional Dynasty Warriors thing and you’ll likely know if you’re a fan of that by now, but the more strategic leanings of this release with Empire mode letting you shape history as you see fit offer a different take on our favourite historical kill-’em-up.

8/10