How could they REMOVE multiplayer?
AFTER the resounding success of Dynasty Warriors 8, its hard to see how the developers could possibly drop the ball when their studio is furnished with one of the most successful hack and slash formulas of all time, and a rabid fanbase that is perfectly happy with iterative updates to boot. But alas, drop the ball they did and Dynasty Warriors 9 hits the shelves as a perfect example of attempting to modernise and make relevant a tried-and-tested formula having the opposite effect entirely.
Within the context of the current gaming climate, “modernise” seems so be synonymous with ‘open world’ and this is the unfortunate pitfall that Omega Force have stumbeld upon in their bid to reinvigorate the now-ancient Dynasty Warriors brand. The partitioned mission structure of previous games in the series has now been done away with in favour of a huge and thoroughly lifeless open world, dotted with uninteresting points of ‘interest’ and unengaging activities. What must have been going through the heads of the development team when they decided on this format is anyone’s guess but I, for one, would gladly take back loading screens in place of galloping on my steed through the most simultaneously vast and dull landscape ever conceived in a high-profile open-world game.
One saving grace for Dynasty Warriors 9 is that the combat itself is as exhilerating as ever. While the core fighting mechanics still boil down to what is essentially educated button mashing, this doesn’t detract from the joy of effortlessly levelling battlefields with tornadoes or raining ice and fire upon your enemies with a single flourise of your finger.
The most inexcusable of crimes commited by Dynasty Warriors 9, however, is the complete removal of any and all multiplayer options from the game. For a great number of people, the local co-op was the main pull factor for the Dynasty Warrior’s series and it is very difficult to deduce the thought process of the developer’s in gutting this key component from the series.
Dynasty Warriors 9 feels like no steps forward and a hundred steps back in almost every way for the series – sure there is still some enjoyment to be had from the game but in the context of the series as a whole it feels like an incredible let-down.