Review of Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

Review of Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce
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Introduction

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is the newest installment of the Dynasty Warriors series by KOEI. Created exclusive for the PlayStation Portable system, this game boasts several new exclusive features never seen before in any Dynasty Warriors game. With this game, KOEI started to go through the semi-RPG part by the inclusion of items and towns, and the ability to buy weapons and upgrading them with orbs. The character designs in this game are also changed completely to reflect with the change in the Dynasty Warriors 6 game. With those new features, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce was greatly hyped to be the fresh, new change in the Dynasty Warriors series. But, does it live up to the hype? This article will review the game itself, in 3 aspects—gameplay, graphics, and playability.

Gameplay (4 out of 5)

Like the preceding games, Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce puts the player in a battlefield, as the player fights and run through the battlefield while trying to kill as many enemies as they can. But, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce brings a new idea in this game—the concept of town. This game is a little different compared to the older series. After seeing the introduction movie, you will be thrown inside a town. Yes, a town with a market, where you can buy traps and healing items; then a blacksmith, the place to create your own weapons, which will be customizable by buying new upgrades on the Orb shop.

From time to time, someone will come to your town and you can talk to them. A panda sometime came and ask for random items, giving random items also as the result. An officer will come once in a while, and after you talk to them, they will give you a card usable to upgrade your town. Upgrading your town is not easy, either. There will be an experience window, and only after it is full that you are able to upgrade your town—with the cost of some rare materials, which is really hard to find in this game. By upgrading your town, new items will be available from time to time.

There is also a change in the battle system. A new feature called ‘Fury’ is introduced. When you filled your musou bar to the maximum, pressing Triangle + Circle at the same time will transform your character to a ‘super-saiyan’ like characters, with bigger attacks, longer rage, and higher speed. Unfortunately, the transformation was limited to a few minutes, which at that time the character will return to the normal form.

The new battle system also has combos, which is similar to the one in the Devil May Cry series. Everytime you do a unique move, the game will count it as combo, and the only way to rake up damage in this game is by doing a lot of combo, which wasn’t that obvious due to the limited tutorial in this game.

Multiplayer

New optimization on online multiplayer

Graphics (3 out of 5)

The graphics doesn’t improve much compared to the earlier Dynasty Warriors games. There is no direct change to the graphics used in this game—some levels in this game even reuses some maps with different objectives. Because of this, the game tends to be a little boring because of the minimum amount of graphics in this game—even though the new looks on characters in this game is much more refreshing compared to the earlier games in the series.

Playability (2 out of 5)

I must say that so far, this is the hardest Dynasty Warriors—seriously. Being optimized for the multiplayer gameplay, this game is—if not—nearly impossible to play solo. You might have seen this from the beginning, but the boss characters—even simple lieutenant in this game is annoying. While I can only rack combos up to 20-25, the boss characters seems to have an infinite combo. Some time, they can just trap you in their combo, and you are pretty much dead because most of the combo can OHKO you easily. Even in the first chapter, this game is impossible. It just ditched the ‘historical game’ part and changed it completely to a new concept; with monsters, tigers, dragons, and even bizarre sphere-like thing that can move really fast and halve your HP in one attack. At the end of the first chapter, you will also fight Zhang Jiao, which we fought also with Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang—and a tower contraptions called a Yellow Thunder that continuously pour down lighting on you. Seriously, you might stand playing this solo up to the fourth chapter—but in the 5th and 6th chapter, the ridicule is just out of the bar, when you are forced to fight three monsters bigger than an elephant; accompanied with Lu Bu, which will respawn every few minutes you killed him just to harass you, and Diao Chan, who continuously healed the three monsters and herself over time. Think you managed to do it? Don’t be happy yet—get ready to face the 6th chapter, which is becoming more and more ridiculous.

Downright Ridiculousness: Monsters?

No longer a historical game

Overall Rating (3 out of 5)

I must say that so far, this is the hardest Dynasty Warriors—seriously. Being optimized for the multiplayer gameplay, this game is—if not—nearly impossible to play solo. You might have seen this from the beginning, but the boss characters—even simple lieutenant in this game is annoying. While I can only rack combos up to 20-25, the boss characters seems to have an infinite combo. Some time, they can just trap you in their combo, and you are pretty much dead because most of the combo can OHKO you easily. Even in the first chapter, this game is impossible. It just ditched the ‘historical game’ part and changed it completely to a new concept; with monsters, tigers, dragons, and even bizarre sphere-like thing that can move really fast and halve your HP in one attack. At the end of the first chapter, you will also fight Zhang Jiao, which we fought also with Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang—and a tower contraptions called a Yellow Thunder that continuously pour down lighting on you. Seriously, you might stand playing this solo up to the fourth chapter—but in the 5th and 6th chapter, the ridicule is just out of the bar, when you are forced to fight three monsters bigger than an elephant; accompanied with Lu Bu, which will respawn every few minutes you killed him just to harass you, and Diao Chan, who continuously healed the three monsters and herself over time. Think you managed to do it? Don’t be happy yet—get ready to face the 6th chapter, which is becoming more and more ridiculous.