Underplayed Gems

Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires (2004)

Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires cover
Developer
Omega Force
Publisher
Koei
Platforms
PlayStation 2
Genres
Tactical, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
Rating
3.5 of 5, 9 player ratings
Where to get it
Website

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How it feels

A slow-burn conquest loop where you build a dynasty turn by turn, then personally charge onto the battlefield to carve through hundreds of enemies yourself.

strategicrepetitiveempoweringmethodicallarge-scaleaction-heavyhistorically flavoredcampaign-driven

About

Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires is a strategy-oriented variant of Dynasty Warriors 4, mixing it with gameplay similar to Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The heart of the game, campaign mode, begins by choosing any of 24 regions and 42 rulers (custom characters can be created). Beginning with a small kingdom, the ultimate goal is the conquering of all others. Each turn, the player is given a choice from 4 different governing options (brought to your attention by your generals) followed by a single decision of action. These actions typically include the invasion or defense of a specific province or the option to aid an allied empire with those same actions.

Screenshots

Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires screenshot 1Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires screenshot 2Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires screenshot 3Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires screenshot 4Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires screenshot 5

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.