Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

Dynasty Warriors Next Review for PS Vita

Dynasty Warriors Next Review for PS Vita

Building A Dynasty

Though the market’s appreciation for large-scale, hack-and-slash combat has waned in the years since Dynasty Warriors 2 showed that it was possible, you would be hard-pressed to find a console that hasn’t had at least some iteration of the franchise. In the case of the PlayStation Vita, it’s available at launch.

Dynasty Warriors Next has a name that implies it will be an innovative experience. This is misleading. Strikeforce was innovative, with its over-the-top production and anime-esque power-ups for the game’s already heavily dramatized warriors. That said, don’t hold the title against Dynasty Warriors Next, as it has a lot to offer even for those who might feel burnt out on the hack-and-slash genre.

Dynasty Warriors Next Screenshot

Visually, Dynasty Warriors Next is an attractive title. It has sharp, detailed textures and compelling, distinct character designs. The environments aren’t anything spectacular, but they get the job done, providing a sense of place with hills and tall fortress walls. Everything animates smoothly and gracefully, with a consistent and high frame rate, regardless of the absurd number of enemies onscreen.

It also sounds like one would expect, with the constant battle cries of friend and foe alike, promises of revenge from defeated generals, and the earth-shaking clamor of Musou abilities rending the ground—and the enemies upon it—asunder. The music is the series’ typical rock soundtrack, with the occasional dramatic piece where appropriate. Of particular note, however, are the voices, which generally seem to be of high quality; earlier Dynasty Warriors games were known for their terrible voice acting. Here, it sounds particularly good when it accompanies the well-composed CG cutscenes that pepper the campaign.

Ah, the campaign. The core of the Dynasty Warriors experience is the tale of the kingdoms Wu, Shu, and Wei, the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” Those who’ve played a Dynasty Warriors title before are likely familiar with the story, and Dynasty Warriors Next takes no chances. Its campaign mode puts the player in control of the appropriate kingdom for each section as they work their way through Chinese historical fiction, beginning with the Yellow Turban Rebellion and proceeding on linearly. In addition to the story as presented by talking heads between missions and in CG cutscenes between chapters, the game contains a tremendous encyclopedia, with information on events and officers ranging from the major to the minor, going so far as to include a complete timeline of events from the births of major players in the Three Kingdoms era to the eventual fall of all three.

Dynasty Warriors Next Screenshot

As for play, well, it’s a Dynasty Warriors game, and it’s not using the Dynasty Warriors 6 engine. Light attacks can be chained together in a character’s basic combo, which can be interrupted with a heavy strike, the effect of which changes depending on which hit in the chain it is. Special attacks return, of course, but now come in three varieties: Musou, Speed Musou, and Direct Break. Regular Musou is what one would expect, requiring players to press and hold the circle button when the Musou bar is full to unleash a powerful attack. Speed Musou is activated by touching both the right and left sides of the screen at once, and uses either a touch mechanic (front or back) or a motion command to power it up or use it effectively once initiated. When one’s health is low (indicated by veiny red segments at the edges of the screen, health now recharging automatically outside of battle), these become True Musou attacks. Direct Break is a powerful attack activated by touching the center of the screen when the Break gauge (separate from the Musou gauge) is full. It’s useful for claiming bases.

Bases are typically captured by damaging enemies within it until a number at the top of the screen has been whittled down to zero, at which point control passes over and the benefits of that location change sides. Different bases have different benefits, from increasing one’s army’s attack strength to fortifying one’s main base against attack. Some launch artillery attacks at distant enemies. Others are even capable of shielding adjacent bases from capture. Direct Breaks are important here, because they can capture a base in a single shot, and in doing so fortify that base against recapture.

Dynasty Warriors Next Screenshot

Both Campaign Mode and the game’s other single-player mode (not counting a smattering of touch and motion-based minigames), Conquest Mode, play out from an overarching map of China, from which players select a target territory and attempt to capture it through battle. Conquest Mode adds a twist by assigning territories values, one territory requiring a higher value than its adjacent target to attempt capture. These values can be upgraded over time. In this mode, rather than having one’s army and playable general selected by the computer, players can select a kingdom to control and others against which to compete. Though the game comes with only a one-on-one mode unlocked and only a few generals per kingdom, Conquest can be expanded by gaining experience in Campaign Mode and leveling up, which also introduces more items to the character creation tool.

There’s also a form of online integration. Players who keep the game connected are able to compete against other players in Conquest Mode, where attacking a territory governed by another player will send a challenge his/her way. The player with the higher score after both have played the mission is declared the winner. Online connectivity in campaign mode is tied to duels, which result from a “challenge” by another player. The actual gameplay for these is pulled from the new touchscreen mechanics Dynasty Warriors Next tries to introduce.

Dynasty Warriors Next Screenshot

These touchscreen minigames are the weakest additions to Dynasty Warriors Next. While running along between bases, sometimes you’ll be ambushed by enemy forces. You’ll have to swipe at their projectiles on the screen or tap all of the charging spearmen before they reach you. Something like that. It’s quick and usually painless, but also fairly pointless. Duels occur when a player is challenged by an enemy general on the field and are slightly more involved, drawing on Infinity Blade for their mechanics. Swipe at the screen to swing and hold a spot to guard break, following prompts to parry enemy blows and win weapon clashes. When the enemy’s health is mostly depleted, rub the screen like Lady MacBeth until you win. They’re too simple to be fun, and sometimes frustrating because inputs feel nebulous. The map is a better use of the touchscreen, now allowing players to direct their subordinates to attack or defend bases, adding an element of delegation to the strategy in the Dynasty Warriors Formula.

There’s multiplayer through Coalition Mode, but it’s disappointingly ad-hoc only. Further, weapons and items don’t really carry over to this mode, as they’re chosen for you at the beginning of battle. Character creation is quick and easy, with enough variety to make a distinct looking general, but nowhere near as complex as in games like SoulCalibur V.

Dynasty Warriors Next is a very good Dynasty Warriors entry, if a somewhat traditional one. Its Vita-specific additions are somewhat lacking, and the core action will get repetitive over time, but it makes for a killer diversion and provides a wholly satisfying, console-quality Dynasty Warriors experience for the player on the go. If that’s what you want, this game will not disappoint.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.7 Graphics
Bright, crisp, and clear, with good textures. Nothing stunning about the environments, but the characters and scale are the foci anyway. 3.8 Control
Generally intuitive, responsive and great, but the touchscreen stuff is just unnecessary. 3.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
It’s a Dynasty Warriors game and it sounds like one. Nothing new here, though the voices are fairly good this time out. 4.0 Play Value
This is a tough one, because those who enjoy these games will find a lot to come back to. Even though it gets repetitive in long stretches, it’s absolutely the type of game you could return to once and again. 3.6 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Fight your way through a myriad of enemies using revolutionary, intuitive controls.
  • Compete against data downloaded from other players and compare your results online.
  • Eye-popping graphics, a roster of 65 original heroes, customizable characters in Edit Mode, and much more.
  • Cooperative play with up to three friends via ad hoc mode.

  • To top