Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.0.1 Update + All DLCs

A strategy-focused expansion, titled Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires, was released in December 2021 in Japan, and worldwide in February 2022 for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows.

GAMEPLAY

Dynasty Warriors 9 is an open-world hack-and-slash game played from a third-person perspective with stealth elements. The game revamps the gameplay of the series with the introduction of the open-world environment. A traversable map of China is implemented in which the player can freely roam on foot, horseback, or boat, the game focuses on liveable environments such as cities and towns as well as places where large battles take place. The characters’ move-set combinations are also revised.

The player can invade and infiltrate enemy fortifications with the utilization of a grappling hook. A day-night cycle and dynamic weather system are also featured in the game. Time and weather now change in real-time, and enemy vision is affected at night time or when it is raining. The map will advance in a time when main story missions are completed but are described as having a “high degree of difficulty” which can be lowered by completing associated side missions.

The player can customize and decorate hideouts with furniture bought from merchants. Certain items have different effects; for example, placing a gong in the house and interacting with it will allow the player to change the background music.

Teahouses found in the game can advance time and provide food that can be used to temporarily raise the stats of playable characters, such as raising their attack strength or increasing the height of their jump. The game also includes fishing, collecting resources to upgrade weapons and characters, camping, and other recreational events as well.

GAMEPLAY MECHANICS

The gameplay mechanics of Dynasty Warriors 9 are radically overhauled from its predecessors. Flow Attacks take the place of Normal Attacks from previous games, and in place of Charge Attacks are Trigger Attacks, which are performed by pressing the right trigger button and any face button. Trigger attacks allow the player to stun an opponent, knock down an opponent, or send them airborne; each player also has a unique fourth reactive attack, known as a Special Attack, that has a longer cooldown before they may be used.

Trigger Attacks may be followed up by a Flow Attack combo, which can, in turn, combo into another Trigger Attack. Additionally, the player has access to a Reactive Attack, used whenever the player presses the right button when prompted to do so; this attack allows the player to charge into enemies, counter enemy attacks, or finish off weakened enemies. Musou Attacks return from previous games, and their mechanics are identical to Dynasty Warriors series games before Dynasty Warriors 6. The player also has access to an airborne Musou Attack, which depletes only a small portion of the Musou gauge. New to Dynasty Warriors 9 is the Stamina Gauge, a gauge that gradually replenishes until full. The stamina gauge is depleted upon double jumping, wall jumping, or in other selectable circumstances.

Characters will automatically draw their weapons when close to an enemy, or put away their weapons when they are no longer near them; however, the player may manually draw or withdraw their weapon by pressing on the left analog stick. Some actions, such as initiating conversations in towns and villages, may only be done when their weapons are not drawn. When a character does not have their weapon drawn, the player may also crouch and sneak behind groups of enemies.

All characters also have access to a bow, which they may access by pressing down on the directional pad. The player may acquire different types of ammunition throughout the game, which may be selected by pressing left and right on the directional pad and fired by pressing the flow attack button. These come into play when sneaking into enemies, hunting wildlife, or initiating specialized attacks.

Horses return from previous games; the player may buy horses and ride them to level up their attributes. While on a horse, the player may have the horse automatically take them to the next recommended destination by pressing the left trigger button, or make their horse sprint by pressing the right shoulder button. Like characters, horses have their stamina gauge, which depletes when sprinting but replenishes when they are not.

All 83 characters from Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires returned. New characters also were introduced, one of whom made his first appearance in the spin-off Warriors All-Stars. Other than playable characters, there are four non-playable characters (NPCs) who have unique designs but wield generic weapons common to other NPCs.