Developer: Koei Tecmo Games
Publisher: Koei Tecmo Games
Platform: Switch, PC
Tested on: Switch
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition – Review
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition does sound like a mouthful and one you can’t properly chew. The eighth installment in the series is already four years old, and even with a ninth installment available, Koei Tecmo opted to release their older, more tweaked version of the series on Nintendo’s platform, rather than to keep the series up to date on all consoles. Nonetheless, we could mope and whine about it all we want, we were actually pleasantly surprised with the promised content and the many DLC options included in the title, which would truly indicate a ‘definitive edition’ of this title. Once again we were ready to dive into Chinese history to kick some dynasty butt.
Story
The game offers a lot of different storylines to plow through, ranging from actual historical events, to nonsensical ones where all the factions are working together for the greater good. Overall, the story mode is the one to play when you want to get some factual material, but the other modes will offer a slimmer and more ‘free’ storyline where it’s simply all about conquering the land with your favorite character(s). If you’re looking to get a lot of ‘special’ story value outside of the main story, then you’ll be disappointed. If you have been following the series for a long time, you pretty much know what you can expect and you’ll still like it all the same.
Graphics
We know the Switch isn’t a powerhouse when it comes to its graphical capabilities, but it can still fend for itself with many of its latest releases. Dynasty Warriors 8 however looks a bit dated, especially during its in-game cutscenes. The graphical prowess actually feels somewhere stuck in-between the PlayStation 2 and 3 era, making some character models extremely ugly, as well as some environments ridiculously empty. Nonetheless, during the actual battles, things look good enough, albeit dated, to properly enjoy what is going on. There are still a lot of characters present on your screen at all times, but only a minimum compared to when we took a closer look at the PS4 version of Warriors Orochi 4.
Sound
The sound design is quite spiffy, as the music is very upbeat and gets you in the mood to squash the hordes of enemies thrown at you. The voice acting is decent, and the sound effects have remained unchanged over the course of the years, meaning you’ll hear many familiar sounds. The overall sound design is decent, but it will not blow you away any time soon.
Gameplay
Just like the other games in the series, DW8 is a hack and slash Musou game, where you’ll simply be killing as many enemies as possible, all while defeating special characters and capturing bases for you to progress. In every mode the goal will remain the same, but some modes force you to choose a character from a specific kingdom, while other allow you to choose freely, and there’s also a mode in which you’ll have to build up your own base by winning a lot of battles. Overall, while the many items in this game remain the same, there are enough subtle differences to make sure the fun never gets old.
The game’s mechanics feel like many other games in the series, but again we have noticed that some items in this one feel a bit dated. Many things feel somewhat slow in the game, there is no function to actually lock on enemy commanders, which makes aiming somewhat tedious, and there isn’t truly that much to do inside the levels apart from hitting small mobs to oblivion.
This version of the game has loads and loads of DLC content in it, making it that much more fun than it would make as a release of the base game with no extras. You’ll be able to dress up your warriors with tons of costumes, even allowing you to change the base troops of your side, as well as those of the enemy. Other than that, there are a lot of DLC battles available, and you’ll also have access to many flashy looking DLC weapons. The latter is fun to experiment with, as all characters are free to use every weapon type, which means that you can opt for the character you like the most, and give him the weapon set you think is coolest. While the above might not always be extremely positive, the many DLC options do make the price tag of the game somewhat more justified, even for a ported 2013 release.
Conclusion
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition is one of those games that arrives very late at the party. With Dynasty Warriors 9 out, it’s quite odd that the developers wanted the eighth installment on the Nintendo Switch, rather than update their latest iteration and make it a worthy title for Nintendo’s latest hybrid console. Nonetheless, while the graphics may be a bit dodgy at times and the gameplay a bit dated compared to more recent games such as Warriors Orochi 4, it’s fun to have a decent Dynasty Warriors title on the Switch with loads and loads of content.
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