Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires

MonsterVineSpencer Legacy

Visually, Empires looks crisp and runs well enough. I didn’t have any issues with performance when the screen was filled to the brim with soldiers and explosions. The voice acting is over-the-top with enthusiasm and it fits perfectly with the bombastic insanity unfolding on screen. The music is just as energetic, and it gets you in the mood to conquer.

COGConnectedMario Brash

70/100

Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is part of an endless release cycle. As far back as Dynasty Warriors 4, Koei Tecmo has followed one mainline installment with a strategically oriented spin-off. The “Empires” name represents a branching lineage where players participate in the empire-building aspect of the three kingdoms romance. In many cases, it’s hard to discern which genre is better, the linear character progression or the branching kingdoms. Usually, it falls on the choice with more content.

Impulse GamerAbdul Saad

Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is the latest installment in Koei Tecmo's long-running Dynasty Warriors series. After the travesty that was the original Dynasty

Worth PlayingChris "Atom" DeAngelus

6/10

Combining the 1 vs. 1,000 action of Dynasty Warriors with the addition of strategic elements, including unit command, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires sets players on a quest to conquer ancient China by both sword and strategy.

The OuterHavenScott Adams

Dynasty Warriors 9 was released in 2018 with a large number of negative reviews. It was the team's first take on an open-world Dynasty Warriors game. Though it did not do as well as they would have liked, Omega Force should be commended that they are still trying to innovate…

Capsule ComputersTravis Bruno

6/10

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires struggles to find fresh footing or take advantage of the latest consoles’ abilities but still delivers solid combat and great kingdom building mechanics.

Playstation LifestylePaulmichael Contreras

6/10

Read our Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires PS5 review to see if the long-running tactical action franchise has made a decent transition to the latest generation!

GameSpewRichard Seagrave

6/10

In numerous ways, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a clear improvement over its ill-received predecessor. Thanks to its shoddy presentation and numerous other issues, however, it’s still far away from being a must-have. All too often you feel like you’re just going through the motions between battles, going on strolls or enacting policies just to meet objectives without any real thought being put into it. And while the combat is somewhat fun, boring map design lets it down. This is one just for ardent fans, then.

Toms GuideJustin Koreis

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is often fun, but it's no better than its predecessors — and, in some ways, it's worse.

Gamers HeroesJohnny Hurricane

50/100

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires does not give us faith that the series can be saved. Put simply, it might be best to put this series out to pasture and focus on other Warriors entries.

Game SkinnyAshley Shankle

4/10

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires can't make up for the shortcomings baked into the Dynasty Warriors 9 framework.

Lords of GamingChris Jones

Unscored

Through an indefinite delay, and multiple criticisms of previous installments Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires was eventually released. The game received a mixed reception from critics. Despite being enjoyable, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires was a lukewarm experience.