Following their recent release of Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires, the international branch of Tecmo Koei Games have announced that they will be bringing the next major numbered instalment in the series – Dynasty Warriors 8 – to store shelves this coming July for both the Playstation 3 and (only for international regions) the XBox360.
While regular readers of The Otaku’s Study won’t need much of an introduction to this title given how many character screenshots and trailer articles I have written for the Japanese release, the game once again follows the stories of the kingdoms of Wei, Wu, Shu and Jin through the actions of historical military and political figures of the time as they fight to gain control over the Three Kingdoms of China.
This instalment takes the series one step further by merging numerous replay elements like multi-endings and extra modes with synergies between action and game systems. Apart from the Story Mode, which comes with new episodes and characters and takes a deeper look at the drama that unfolds in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Warriors 8 includes all new ‘What if?’ scenarios. Breaking away from the norm, this mode takes a look at what could have happened if famous characters had lived to fight another day. This way the story branches out to different outcomes providing variety in the course and ending of the game and giving the players the power to view an alternate version of history depending on their choices.
Dynasty Warriors 8 also boasts a vast number of new and returning playable characters, as the highly anticipated officers Yue Jin and Li Dian from the Wei Kingdom, who make their first appearance in the series, alongside more than 70 playable characters that fight to prevail in the battlefield. Giving stronger emphasis in the stage of these epic battles and inspired by the landscape of ancient China to deliver a wide range of visual treats, Dynasty Warriors 8 will feature more than 40 completely new stages: verdant plains, desolate wastelands, sharp ravines, huge castles, and other breath-taking sites.
Publishing in Australia will be handled by Mindscape.
