I’ve written so many Warriors reviews now, I feel like there’s little or nothing left to say. On top of that, these games repeatedly defy critical deconstruction. They’re all so similar we should be slating them, getting bored of them, criticising Koei for cranking up the Warriors mill to full pelt and turning out a constant stream of essentially identical games. And yet, these repetitive titles always manage to please; to change some aspect significantly enough to ensure the playing experience remains, against all good sense, enjoyable.
In a desperate attempt to look at the ever expanding Warriors franchise in a different light, the thought occurred that this prolific series of games in fact follows the doctrine of a different, yet parallel, entertainment medium; the manga graphic novel. These wonderful Japanese comic anthologies have taken serialisation to new levels of propagation, with rows upon rows of stories featuring the same main character – released on an almost weekly basis and deepening the cult fandom each novel enjoys with every page.
The Warriors games seem to be following this same method of episodic mini-updates, and with each new game, the demographic is further tapered, refined and catered exclusively for. That’s not to say these games aren’t accessible to newcomers, of course. Their inherent pick-up-and-play nature is a significant part of their brilliance, but it’s the subtle nuances of gameplay fine-tuning with each new incarnation that stalwarts of the franchise will revel in.
You may notice we’ve yet to discuss Dynasty Warriors 6. But the purpose of this lyrical waxing is necessary, I feel. With each new Warriors game, one of the most important points to convey is whether or not the series has yet hit its inevitable end, and it would seem that even though the franchise now boasts over 20 games, it’s still not peaked. Dynasty Warriors 6 is another excellent battlefield outing (damn it).
The high definition graphics are naturally a big plus point for this latest addition, and combined with the use of motion capture techniques from real martial artists, actors and (clearly) acrobats, the already sterling visuals have taken a momentous leap toward realism. The onscreen action has never looked so dynamic. The special effects during musou sequences, depth of field blurring and environmental aspects are all equally enhanced, making this undoubtedly one of the best looking additions to the franchise so far.
The combat system has also been tweaked to make the most of the motion captured combo moves. By successfully performing a combo, the “Renbu” system is increased which, in turn, allows you to chain combinations together. Ultimately, this can lead to an unending series of combinations, which ramps up the action in DW6 to new levels of fighting chaos. The battlefields - which now include different platform levels (accessed by ladders), water, boats, strongholds and destructible gateways - are home to a level of brawling that previous Warriors games have never seen. As a beat-’em-up, this latest addition to the series really turns up the heat in a most impressive way.
There’s the usual reams of statistics, information and campaign data that aficionados might revel in, are as present and detailed but will be glossed over for the most part by all but the most avid strategists. It’s reassuring to know Koei hasn’t taken the easy option and dropped all this battlefield management and Romance of the Three Kingdoms advanced lore (the original work of Chinese literature this entire series is based on, for those new to the franchise), and still supports those who demand a more immersive experience.
With plenty of levels and campaigns to battle through, Dynasty Warriors 6 shows no signs of slowing the series down – if anything, it’s gone and ramped it up all over again for the new generation of consoles. We can only hope that Koei will soon falter and bring the series to an end, because the constant stream of perplexingly entertaining Warriors games steal far too many hours from my life.
We can only hope, but in the meantime, I’m afraid we’re stuck with yet another excellent addition to the brilliant Dynasty Warriors canon.
