Dynasty Warriors Formula Provides Big-Time Action

I had long been curious about the Dynasty Warriors series. In the past, I never gave the games much thought because my interest was always in other games. My gaming past typically consisted of focusing on just a few genres that brought me consistent enjoyment. They were sports, RPGs, shooters, and fighters. Those four genres dominated my game choices and preferences until I started to expand my gaming horizons over the past few years. So while Dynasty Warriors may be old news to many gamers, it represents breaking new ground for me. And I’m having a grand ol’ time.

My familiarity with Koei Tecmo (formerly just Koei when I was younger) goes back to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The strategy games were great for a thinking man’s game, but I found myself craving the action that would have been part of the story. Little did I know that Koei, along with its in-house developer, Omega Force, would eventually come up with a hack-and-slash concept that would highlight the battles of the time period the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series took place. But Dynasty Warriors wasn’t on my radar so as Koei was publishing game after game, I didn’t even notice. Today, not only do they have multiple series with the signature gameplay, but they have also collaborated with other developers to bring the hack-and-slash style to life in other gaming franchises that had never experienced it before.

When I first saw Persona 5 Strikers, I was fully persuaded it was a game that I needed to own. While the Japanese role-playing battle style of Persona 5 Royal was terrific in offering a variety of ways to dispose of your enemies, it still had to wait-and-a-select-an-option feel. If you didn’t press a button, the battle menu would stay on the screen and all the characters would just stand in place. Sometimes, I want to feel like I’m in the midst of a battle. That is why Persona 5 Strikers initially appealed to me. I could move about the screen and pull off moves in an action game sort of way. Koei Tecmo is to thank for this because without their collaboration and without creating the Dynasty Warriors style, a game like Persona 5 Strikers would not exist today. And without Persona 5 Strikers, I would not have been curious enough to look up what Dynasty Warriors was all about.

CDKeys.com had Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Complete Edition on sale for under $20. It was the best price I had seen for the game anywhere. I picked that particular title because when I researched Dynasty Warriors, users were consistently recommending it. In short, I was not disappointed. The gameplay is easy to pick up on and soon I was sending hordes of enemies flying with my combo attacks. I know for some gamers who have played the series over the years, by now the action may feel repetitive. But for a newbie like myself, it was spectacular. This is the type of game I play when I just want to take on a whole bunch of enemies at once and just have a field day. Sometimes, those are the most satisfying games to play.

I will make my next statement without hesitation. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is the best Zelda game that I’ve played. This in no way diminishes the excellence of Zelda games from the original NES game hrough The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I have always dreamed of a Zelda game that was more action-based with Link and Zelda just giving their opposition all they could handle and more. With the Hyrule Warriors series, I received my wish. Yet I prefer the Breath of the Wild art style compared to the original Hyrule Warriors. Like Persona 5 Strikers, I appreciate how Age of Calamity implemented the nuances of Breath of the Wild so that it feels like the two games are connected in the same universe. Just like the Persona abilities are mixed into the Dynasty Warriors style in Persona 5 Strikers, the same is true in Age of Calamity with the Sheikah Slate.

If Koei Tecmo keeps these wonderful collaborations going, then I will continue to give my support. I also want to give a special mention to another Koei Tecmo game, Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom. if you are familiar with the anime, you will appreciate zipping across the city with the omnidirectional mobility gear in this game and using the weapons from the series to take down the Titans. This game is based on the anime’s first season. Attack on Titan 2 covers the second season.

As you have probably perceived from reading this post, I’m a fan of Koei Tecmo’s work with the Dynasty Warriors series and how it has merged successfully with other brands. All of the games that I’ve mentioned in this post are ones I highly recommend, particularly if you’re into the hack-and-slash experience the games provide. I was playing Age of Calamity the other day and didn’t want to stop because I was having a blast. These are the types of games that will have me happily grinding for hours.

-TVGA
admin@videogamersadvocate.com

4 Comments on “Dynasty Warriors Formula Provides Big-Time Action”

1. Big fan of Dynasty Warriors, looking forward to the next gen edition coming to PS5. I’ll have to try out some of these others you mention in the meantime!

   Reply

   • Thanks for your response. Do you have a favorite Dynasty Warriors game? I know they’ve made a lot of them over the years.

     Reply

     • DW8 for me, it seemed like a much smoother play than any other and the story was nice 🙂

     • Yeah, when I was searching online on which one to try, DW8 was the one I found to be the most recommended.

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