Dynasty Warriors 9 looks to bring massive changes to the tried-and-tested series.
There are several series which have become notorious for reinventing themselves with every iteration: Final Fantasy, Civilization, and -to an extent- SimCity. Many others, Dynasty Warriors included, are instead known for slowly edging new features in through extra modes or slight revisions as time goes on.
The recently announced Dynasty Warriors 9 changes that. For a start the game is open-world, a strange change to a game which always had large maps. What this means though is that large hills, and extensive fort-networks will no longer ferry players down 3/4 main routes as combat takes place. This has been achieved in two ways, (1) much larger maps, and further spread objectives (think Bladestorm), and (2) though new traversal and environment interaction options.
The latter is very interesting! The press release read – ” Players will be able to fully utilize their surroundings for the first time in the Warriors franchise with the ability to climb buildings and mountains, wield grappling hooks to traverse walls, and make use of objects like oil barrels in battle.” — Inferring that there will be major overhauls to the siege and fort-capturing systems – imagine leading a small group of your bodyguards through a fort after you’ve grappled over a sidewall; as the battle for the courtyard takes a turn for the worst the main body of your allies swarm through the main gates.
Obviously we’ll have to see how the grappling/scaling mechanics are implemented, but it’s certainly a massive step for the series.
Combat is also undergoing some changes with the new State Combo System. It gives the players three different attack sets which change the way combat plays out – possibly replacing the rock-paper-scissors weapon system of previous games with one based off player input, as with changing between weapons in those games.
On the subject of the combat system, the press release said the following: “This new system allows players to perform 3 different attack styles – Trigger Attacks, Flow Attacks and Finish Attacks – each dealing progressively more damage. Trigger Attacks allow players to create the start of an explosive combo, leading to Flow Attacks, which adapt to the enemy’s current state. Successful combos allow for a Finish Attack to be performed, delivering a final blow that eradicates any foes caught in its path. These new enhancements aim to create a thrilling and fluid experience unlike any previous entry in the franchise.”
Dynasty Warriors 9 has not had a targeted release date announced yet, or platforms.
