While Omega Force’s long-running Warriors franchise features core gameplay that can be remarkably repetitive, what many people either fail to understand or simply choose not to acknowledge is within that repetition also lies plenty of complexity as well. Play almost any Warriors game on a difficulty level of normal or higher and what is seemingly little more than a 3D iteration of the classic beat ‘em up formula writ very large will soon reveal a more strategic and intelligent side to go along with all the button mashing. Players might be seemingly unstoppable juggernauts of death and destruction (and even that aspect of the game becomes less automatic on hard or higher, where even a decent grouping of mooks can take down an unwary player on their own) but they still often simply cannot win battles entirely by fast fingers alone. One needs to pay attention to the state of their allies, the amount of time left in an engagement, and the ebb and flow of the larger battlefield or else risk losing without the enemy even needing to personally touch them.

So, the idea of taking the already naturally strategic individual battles of a Warriors game and marrying it to a framework that ask players to engage in even deeper strategic thinking in terms of the overall meta-game is a solid enough one in theory. This is a thought that clearly Omega Force and Tecmo Koei share, since they have done exactly that with both their Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series under the subtitle Empires ever since 2003’s Dynasty Warriors 4. Now the latest entry in this sub-series, Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires, has arrived and the question remains: Is this nominally stand-alone product strong enough to conquer player wallets or is just another failed would-be emperor waiting to be forgotten about?

Before I dig deeper into my opinions of DW7E, let me lay out the basics for those not familiar with the Empires sub-series. Ever since Dynasty Warriors 4, the Empires games have always arrived as the third and final iteration of a mainline Warriors (i.e. Dynasty or Samurai) title. These games almost always strip out the various different modes normally present in a Warriors game in favor of single mode titled “Empire.” This mode gives players a number of scenarios that generally try to loosely recreate events from ‘history’ though in practice these really amount to little more than as an excuse to change up the number of kingdoms present and the make-up of the armies and territories within them. The ultimate goal of any given scenario is always the same: to end up the leader of all the available territories through diplomacy and victory in battle. Keep in mind that the heart of the game does ultimately remain the signature massive battles of thousands, so the former option tends to only be so effective in the greater scheme of things.

However, winning a game of Empires requires even more strategic thinking than even a standard Warriors game, where the speed of one’s fingers matters most. To begin with, which character a player enters into a scenario as can have a big effect on the actual experience present in the game. Characters fall into one of three categories (ruler, subordinate, and free officer/vagabond unit) with the specific category often varying depending on the scenario in question being played. Whatever the role a player may find themselves in, some things remain the same. The most important of these is the turn-based simulation aspect of Empires that serves as the sub-series’ overriding connective tissue. This aspect of the game has players tackle scenarios that play out across many years further divided into the standard twelve months. Each month players can either make one of a large number of non-combat choices (such as training their soldiers, raising new revenue by taxing the people of a region, researching new weapons, or more) or engage in a number of variations of battle.

He flies through the air with the greatest of ease….

The full availability of these given choices depends largely on a player’s current role within the scenario. Both rulers and subordinates face war councils that are held every six months and determine the policies that will drive their kingdom for the next half a year. These can range from building up resources to trying to create alliances with other kingdoms to outright attempts of conquest of other nearby territories and/or kingdoms. If in the role of a ruler or strategist of a kingdom, then players will naturally have a free hand to make these decisions as they prefer. However, subordinates can only make suggestions that may or may not be followed by their kingdom’s leader and instead their main choices lie in following the will of their ruler. They do this by both helping build up the kingdom through various individual monthly choices and by completing one of generally three missions handed out each time a war council is held. Meanwhile, free officers can more or less move about and do as they like and generally focus on building up their personal fame and influence. Eventually they can chose to either become a subordinate of a desired kingdom or even found their own by gathering other free officers and/or subordinates to their banner.

If it sounds like a lot to take in, that is because it is, and I have yet to even touch upon such aspects of the game like stratagems (special strategies and abilities that players can equip) or fame (which comes in six flavors such as evil, kind, and brave and which helps unlock new stratagems and can influence how easily a player can get promoted to more influential and powerful roles). DW7 Empires is a fairly dense game–especially in comparison to other Warriors titles–and while that will please longtime players of the sub-series it also makes the title remarkably inaccessible to newcomers. This is a game that desperately needed a tutorial scenario to help guide first-time players through all the intricacies present in the game. This is especially vital since the bare bones tutorial menu that is included instead often fails to address such basic information as how diplomacy fully works or even how to win the game. Empires does have a more detailed manual for those looking for more details, but since the game is digital-only in North America actually using said manual while playing the game can be cumbersome at best.

Can you lead your kingdom to conquest over all of China?

Further hurting the game’s mass appeal is just how bare the overall experience is. Story in the game is almost non-existent save for a miniscule number of mostly nonsensical cutscenes that will only trigger when players take on the role of a specific character within a specific scenario. Titles such as Warriors Orochi 3 and One Piece: Pirate Warriors have demonstrated that Omega Force can indeed tell (or retell as the case may be) a decent story when the mood strikes them. Even the previous two incarnations of Dynasty Warriors 7 have shown great improvement in this area in terms of the mainline Warriors titles and its makes this poor effort all the more inexcusable. The game also presents the various non-battle choices available to players via dry menus and brief text-boxes with zero flair–visual or otherwise. This in turn strips any potential for the simulation side of the game to be more engaging and immersive. Combine all of this with visuals and audio (including the lack of an English language voice track for those who prefer such an option) that consist entirely of assets being reused from the previously released versions of DW7 and what is left is a game that seems tailor made to milk more money from the hardcore Warriors fan-base while also all but actively pushing away any potential newcomers.

This is a real shame, because once one looks past these (not inconsiderable) flaws what is left is a fun and highly enjoyable twist on the classic Warriors formula. Hopefully, I have already established how battles in Warriors games can be more strategic than many choose to credit and Empires 7 takes that aspect and builds upon it brilliantly. This is a game that will truly punish those who do not pay attention to details during battle even on the easier difficulty settings and aspects like the number of troops in one’s force and going into battle with a plan in mind can make all the difference. That is because combat has been tweaked to make capturing bases and establishing supply lines have a kind of value that simply is rarely seen in more vanilla Warriors titles and the extra layers of mechanics help to reduce the monotony that can settle in at times in even the best games in the series.

The character creations tools this time are more robust than ever.

Battles in Empires come in two major flavors: skirmishes and larger scale defense/conquest engagements. The former tend to have very specific objectives (such as using a piece of siege weaponry or rescuing allied officers) and almost always feature a time limit of no greater than ten minutes which can lead to some much harried last minute wins or losses. The defense/conquest battles meanwhile are generally larger and longer affairs and require players to balance taking enemy bases to cut their supply lines with defending the same that already belong them. These encounters are where troop makeup and stratagems really come into play, since base conquering involves slaying a set number of troops (usually between 150 and 400) within the base itself and a lack of available troops can in turn make holding onto bases difficult in the face of a heavy enemy assault. Furthermore, generally the way to win these battles is to make enemy commanders appear on the field so they can be defeated or open up an opponent’s headquarters for conquest by smashing enough supplies lines and bases. This all adds up to a wonderfully chaotic affair that can really give players the feel they are not only taking part in massive battles but determining their outcome as well.

Overall, what I found in Dynasty Warrior 7: Empires was a uniquely engaging variation on an otherwise familiar, yet still beloved formula. In terms of actual gameplay, the title works fine but where problems arise is in the stripped down nature of everything else. No real options beyond Empire Mode (the game features no Skirmish Mode and even online play is limited) combined with its lack of accessibility and polish leaves it a game unlikely to appeal to any but the most ardent of Warriors fan. The gameplay present in Empires in its current form might have worked as one mode among many in a larger Warriors title or even as a budget priced twenty dollar release (be it standalone or DLC add-on) but at its current price of fifty dollars it is hard to escape the feeling that Tecmo Koei is taking advantage of the series hardcore buyer base.

Never make fun of the fat guy wielding the comically over-sized weapon with ease. It won’t end well.

Also, while I know that some feel that the Empires titles are a great choice for those new or inexperienced with the Warriors series, I could not disagree more vehemently with this idea. Between its slow pacing (even short play-throughs will take at least a couple of hours to complete) and obtuse learning curve, Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires is the last game to cut one’s teeth on in terms of the Warriors franchise as a whole and that is not even taking into account its current fairly outrageous pricing. Newcomers to the series would be far better served by instead starting with either Warriors Orochi 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors, or even the original Dynasty Warriors 7. All of these titles have better stories, more features, and even in some cases dramatically lower prices and they will serve newcomers far better as entries into a series that is admittedly not for everyone. As for Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires, while the content present in the game can be an enjoyable change of pace from the series norm, there is simply not enough to the larger game as a whole to make it a worthwhile purchase at its current pricing to any but the most extreme lover of the Warriors franchise.

A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes and played for about 20 hours. This version of the title is exclusive to the PS3.

Also, feel free to follow the reviewer on Twitter @bigred_13 please if you feel so inclined.

Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires Review

By Shaun K.

Is DW7 Empires enough to conquer player wallets or is it just another failed would-be emperor waiting to be forgotten about?