Dynasty Warriors 9
Dynasty Warriors 9 is a hack-and-slash video game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo. It was released in February 2018 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It received generally negative reviews from critics. 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 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