this is a very good hybrid between hack-n-slash and RTS, held hostage by 100s of hours of progression hell button masher.
if you're looking for the latter, then i don't need to elaborate any further on recommending this.
however if you're curious whether dynasty warriors is a real video game and not just a baby sensory video for the yellow fevered, i promise you it is, and its a great one, and all you have to do to play it is download a 100% save file and play on the highest difficulty.
why cant you play on the highest difficulty from the start? stats are the answer, and the biggest flaw. it is effectively impossible to play higher difficulties initially because enemies become insane damage sponges, taking several minutes to kill just one officer. which forces you to grind for levels and weapons on the lower difficulties, where the enemies display their lobotomite behaviour that the series is often criticised for. gain too many numbers, and the game flips back to being thoughtless button mashing. good balance is fleeting.
so the solution here is to have all your characters at max level, and the game on the highest difficulty. that stabilises the stats, and reveals the games true balance. your equipped weapon, skills, and bodyguards then become the de-facto difficulty settings, and regardless of how you tweak it, the game will always be fair and engaging, and won't tip the delicate balance because of too many or few levels. this is the true game, with the true AI that actually puts up a fight, and its the carrot on the stick that the game would have you chasing otherwise. [i]you can still play through the campaigns in order, you won't be overpowered or miss out on anything[/i]. all you miss is progression through ambition mode, which is just randomly generated missions you grind.
with all that stripped away, whats the appeal of the game itself? you get a beat-em-up sort of combat system. no lock-on, rollspam or parry-slop here, you have attacks, a block button that lets you strafe (kinda like spikeout strafing, excellent 3d bmup), and jump that you use for aerial combos or general evasion. combat has a solid foundation of fundies, though not as good as a dedicated bmup, and a lot of the meter mechanics undermine it somewhat. there are weak soldiers that swarm you and are deadly in large groups, beefier officers with more involved movesets that you usually face in groups of 2-5, and the other playable characters which sort of act as bosses. the combat and enemy designs are solid but nothing remarkable on their own.
where it gets interesting is in the broadstrokes. each map is a large battlefield where the objective is usually to kill the enemy commander. however, when the game is balanced correctly, you can't just run across the map and nae-nae the boss, because there are literally hundreds of enemies defending key objectives and chokepoints, and trying to pass alone is like trying to swim through a sea of needles. you have to allow your allied characters and forces to gather, so that they can support you as you slowly push through the enemy lines, all the while they are calling reinforcements and trying to ♥♥♥♥ you over with various assaults and strategies that divert your offensive or require you to fall back to defend an objective. you are not a one-man army, you are one general IN an army, and its a very unique and immersive experience that makes each stage feel like a true battle, often taking 20+ minutes to clear. the game doesn't explain the macro side of things at all, so you'll likely have to look online to understand stuff like the morale system for example, but once you get a grip on how it wants you to play, its fun.
and an exceptional thing beyond the gameplay, and the appeal for even those who just think its a button masher, is the sheer amount of content, and the inherent richness of the literary and historical setting. you have 83 characters with completely unique movesets, and 6 campaigns comprising well over 100 stages without the dlc, which can also be played as the opposing faction effectively doubling them. and all of this ♥♥♥♥ is REAL. this HAPPENED in china, 1:1. and it will happen again when the mandate of heaven turns, and it will be us popping-in with spears in hand.
in the interim, this game is worth playing and analysing beyond being a stressball. i almost refunded the thing because it hides this fact so well, but with some persistence i found that there is indeed a good game here with challenge and depth. i hope this can convince the more discerning player to give this a fair shake, and perhaps make other players re-evaluate the virtues of this series.
