To tell you the truth, I was not that familiar with the Dynasty Warriors. However, since this is a series that became more relevant ever since they gave the Warriors treatment to The Legend of Zelda and Fire Emblem respectively. Now, we have another Warriors game for our Nintendo Switch with Xtreme Legends. This is set to be the biggest game in the series to arrive to Nintendo Switch. It has a huge character roster, plus all the DLC–it is the Definitive Edition after all.
Like other games in the series and spin-offs Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors, you hack and slash your way through hordes on enemy lackeys, completing different objectives and taking down enemy officers, all with different branching paths.
Since I only played Hyrule Warriors, I know that branching patches is not something novel for those who have played said game. However in Xtreme Legends, they are implemented in a way that gives a more diverse experience. For example, you have the standard path to follow through (and most likely for the sake of the story and beating the game, you won’t stray much from this path), but once you are done, you discover that several hidden bonus objectives are available now. These extra paths can change the scenario completely from what you experience on the first play-through, like saving an officer on the second play-through of the scenario, making a plan fail, the amount of options, and the way they affect each scenario come together to create a level of replayability that I didn’t think possible (especially since while I like Hyrule Warriors, it became boring and repetitive after a while).
Besides the replay value boost, you have five routes to play through, and several what if scenarios, plus DLC. There is also the option to replay scenarios as the opponents in Free Mode. It can be overwhelming to have so much content, but it wouldn’t be a Definitive Edition otherwise. I also like that you can co-op play the scenarios, so I got to beat down enemy mobs with my kid even if he didn’t understand the context or lore of what was happening (neither did I). We had fun, and that is all that matters.
Game play-wise, the game has interesting mechanics that add a layer of strategy to each hack and slash session. Before going into battle, you can take two weapons that vary from characters but all take part in the weapon triangle. These weapons can be switched during play. This adds for interesting combos and for dealing more damage once you change to a weapon affinity that suits your battle.
Weapon affinities are divided in Heaven, Earth, or Man affinity. Heaven beats Earth. Earth beats Man. Man beats Heaven. It’s like rock, paper, scissors but it helps doing more damage for a match up in your favor. For example, if you are using a weapon that has Heaven affinity against an opponent with Earth, you will be able to deal more damage and perform a Storm Rush (a really cool and powerful attack). However, if you are using a weapon that its affinity is weak against an opponent like the example mentioned above, you will receive more damage and are prone to being knocked down easily.
Being able to bring two weapons helps since that way you can strategize and try to keep affinities that won’t leave you in a disadvantage. All characters can use two different weapons in your arsenal. However, some are more compatible with certain weapon types. This isn’t to say that you are being forced to use specific weapons since compatibility offers a slight damage boost. You can choose the weapon you want without compromising the damage you deal.
The enemy AI is really good in this game. I noticed that even the lackeys move cautiously around you and wait for an opportunity to attack (although I charge at them with my spear). I also noticed that enemy officials change weapons, so when they have affinity against them, they change weapons to level the match or get it in their favor. This kind of behavior makes the battles fresh and less repetitive.
If you feel that your character’s movement speed is not that good (remember they are carrying two weapons and full armor), you can call your trusty steed pressing ZL. This can be done at any time during battle, and while it can take a bit to get used to fighting on your horse since you have limited attack options, it is the way to travel fast. Also, I give the developer bonus points since I feel that they tried to give a sense of realism to the game, and the general historic themes portrayed here (considering the fact that I still am looking in real life for someone to teach me a kick-butt sword technique or how to send a shockwave with a spear).
Graphically, the game looks really good in both docked and handheld mode. Each area is well-detailed and while enemies are kind of more of the same, they look good. I like their idle animations, like cleaning of the dust from their pants. The moves have a flashy feel that are satisfying to pull.
The music is good as well. The rock guitars give a lot of hype you when you are fighting hordes of enemies.
When you are done with the Story Mode ( it can take a while), there is another mode called Ambition Mode. In Ambition Mode, your goal is to set up your camp and gather the help of famous officers as you play through all this in order to gain the emperor’s trust. Ultimately, the emperor can come to you for help and protection. To raise your numbers, establish your camp, and make it grow, you can take part in three types of battles: Great, Unconventional, or Skirmish. Great Battles allow you to recruit more allies. Unconventional Battles allow you to accrue fame. Skirmishes make it easier for you to gather materials to build up your camp. When you choose the battle type, you have a seven minutes timer to finish it and can continue to chain battles as long as you think you have time for it. Additional time is given for tasks such as killing 100 enemies in a map or completing objectives in Unconventional Battles. All of this comes together to raise the replay value even more, and I like that this particular mode gives you a sense of progression, even more than with other modes.
If you want to be the very best, then Challenge mode is for you. Here, there are several battles and objectives using preset character builds, so you can go straight into the action without leveling up or wait to get any weapon in specific. There are five different challenges that you can plow through with each of the character’s in the huge roster.
Bottom Line: Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition honors its long name with a game filled to the brim with warriors goodness. The ability to enjoy some co-op hack and slash fun on the go with Nintendo Switch portability is the cherry on top. I really enjoyed my time with it, and definitely recommend it to fans of the genre. To those newcomers that only have enjoyed the spin-offs like Hyrule Warriors or Fire Emblem Warriors, they can enjoy the more traditional Warriors experience.
A Review Code was provided for this Review.