Dynasty Warriors M Brings the War on the Road
Koei Tecmo and Nexon promises to relive the history of the Three Kingdoms with Dynasty Warriors M. Fight your way through hordes of enemies to free ancient China in one of the greatest stories ever told. Seasoned gamers will be looking for a mobile port of a classic game. Can Dynasty Warriors M live up to its predecessors in both history and gaming?
Make China Great Again
Dynasty Warriors M takes place during the warring tripartite state in ancient China around 220 to 280 AD. Many games have centered around these three kingdoms, but none more so than the Dynasty Warrior series. Bursting on to the scene in 1997, players could hack and slash their way through hordes of enemies for the first time. Those seeking that nostalgic experience in Dynasty Warriors M will not be disappointed. Much…
At its core Dynasty Warriors M is an action hack and slash. Your chosen hero cuts through throngs of generic armies and can unleash unique powerful attacks worthy of any marvel movie. Fans of the series will feel right at home with memories of Mountain Dew and your Playstation 2. Even the same problems with camera control and run-away attacks remain intact. The classic wailing 80’s guitar riffs, beautiful character models and same exact story all make a triumphant port to the mobile platform. That is all a good thing, right?
M Stands for Mobile
I am not sure when developers decided what was necessary for a title to be ported to a mobile platform, but it was a dark day indeed. Every terrible mobile trope can be found in Dynasty Warriors M. I honestly find this title hard to play because before I can get to the hacking and slashing, I must first navigate dozens of menus. Then decipher the dozens of currencies. For some reason they threw in castle management and resources. If there was branching paths that made a difference in how my heroes would grow, then maybe I could understand the addition of “strategy elements.” The result is navigating menus for a solid 40 minutes before you decide which part of the title you want to play.
The introduction of a gacha system for its heroes is also a boil on my butt. There is literally no point in a story where you choose a hero that does not fit the narrative. A player will never choose a weak hero over a strong one. The result is a complete disconnect to what really is a great story and a useless collection of scrubs. If developers want to use gambling to hook our brains to play, that is fine. Just keep it out of story mode.
The strategic map portion of the game is an odd addition as well. It is like another story mode with a map where you can collect resources, save town folk and “explore.” This would have served just fine as the traditional story mode but was made even stranger by the addition of the more traditional story mode. On top of that, when you level up your heroes your battles can last as little as five seconds. Eventually, you can just choose to skip the battle completely by overpowering your opponent rendering the whole thing a useless tapping of the screen.
Greatest Story Ever Told
Story mode is the only place this game truly shines. It delivers on the promise of Dynasty Warriors on your phone with quick, fast paced action and ridiculous cut scenes. Even its many flaws are forgivable and adorable. The camera issues are not much of a bother because your hero is a human wrecking ball. The cut scenes with ancient Chinese warriors arguing in Japanese is hilarious. The time when one of the main characters decided to get a nice shave before a cut scene is classic.
Ultimately, I cannot say Dynasty Warriors M is bad. When you finally find your way to the proper game mode of your choice, you will find something to enjoy. If you are like me and just wanted to cut your way to freedom it is there. I am just disappointed once again in what seems like another attempt to take an old IP, dress it up with “mobile elements” and cash in. The addition of different styles of gameplay just for the sake of monetization is a plague in mobile gaming. If this keeps up, we will be cutting through regiments of shovel ware looking for the one good game.
Is It Hardcore?
Unfortunately, No
Mobile design rears its ugly head again as it infects another console port. You can find the Dynasty Warriors port you are looking for buried under a mountain of menus, currencies and lazy design. Just do not expect much.
