This isn't going to be a look at whether or not Dynasty Warriors 9 is a good game or not, but more a look at how the game has changed so much that it is almost unrecognizable as a Dynasty Warriors game.
On its surface, it has all the aesthetics of a Dynasty Warriors game. It starts with the rise of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and builds towards the clash of the three kingdoms, you have the same kind of visuals and the combat is grand as always. But for me, at its core Dynasty Warriors was about taking part in the grand battles.
You would play through individual battles to accomplish an objective of some sort. Slay the enemies in your way, take to long and enemies battle lines would continue advancing as the war goes on whether you are there or not, gain the advantage by capturing supply or assault bases, basically waging a battle in a war and everything that comes with it.
Yet here I am, playing Dynasty Warriors 9 and it's a more open world experience. As Liu Bei about to join the army to fight the Yellow Turbans, I find myself gathering materials as I explore the wilderness, running errands for peasants, and fighting random animals in the woods.
No need to worry about what the Yellow Turbans are doing as you run around, they only move when you feel like starting the battle. Yo don't feel like you are taking part in these grand battles anymore. It wouldn't matter if the quests you could do were interesting, it wouldn't matter if the crafting was on the level of any of the Atelier Games, and it wouldn't matter if the animals you can hunt in the wild were engaging and unique combat encounters.
None of that matters, because none of that is what makes Dynasty Warriors the games they are. I play Dynasty Warrior to take part in these epic struggles with characters I enjoy, to slaughter thousands of enemies on mass, to rush to the aid of an ally whose line is struggling to hold, and all the other things that come with the rush of being at the center of a war. These are the things that make Dynasty Warriors what it is to me. And fundamentally Dynasty Warriors 9 seems to have changed a lot of that in favor of this more open world style.
As per normal of my Aspect Analysis articles, this isn't a review of the game proper. In a lot of ways I'd actually say it's a pretty alright game, but this isn't what you'd expect when picking up a Dynasty Warriors game. I know there is always a need to change things up to make a series stay fresh, but in the case of Dynasty Warriors 9, it changed so much it's practically unrecognizable as an entry in the series.