Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers First Impressions - Strategic Hack and Slash

Published: January 31, 2017 10:00 AM /

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Dynasty Warriors Godseekers

Earlier this month I was looking through January's release dates and was shocked by how good the month was. Not only did we get AAA titles like Resident Evil 7, but also fantastic gems like Tales of Berseria and Gravity Rush 2. What really stood out to me the most was a little title hidden at the very end of the month, Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers!

How long has it been since we got a true Dynasty Warriors title? Dynasty Warriors 8 released on July 16, 2013 in North America. For the last Tactics game, we have to go all the way back to the PlayStation 2, when Dynasty Tactics 2 released in 2003. I had two questions going into this game; “Would it tide me over until Dynasty Warriors 9, or at least until Fire Emblem Warriors launches later this year?”, and “How well would the core aspects of Dynasty Warriors translate into a Tactical RPG?”.

I just finished the fourth chapter after a little over thirteen hours with the game. Even though I am just shy of the midway point, I can already tell you that it's a solid strategy game that is busting at the seams with Warriors flavor. The game offers a unique story in Dynasty Warriors lore regarding some behind the scenes influences taking place during the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Saga. This includes a return of many of the same characters we have grown to love and hate over the past eight titles and countless spin-offs.

Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers Skill Board

Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers is packed with content. So far, I have unlocked thirteen different locations through the storyline. Each location has at least three side missions to take on after the main battle is complete. On top of that, the game also continues to add new side quests to these maps through the Path of Destiny system. These can be completed to unlock new characters and expand your roster. To even begin to touch everything in this game is going to take well over 30 hours. To get a few of the trophies like "Tested Under Fire" for completing all the Free Battles in the game, and "Fully Loaded" where you need to complete the Skill Board for each Officer, is going to take a lot longer than that.

The Skill Board is one of the game's ways of letting you customize the characters. As you gain SP or Skill Points, you can spend them however you choose. As you can see with Zhao Yun, I have mostly been working on the upper left side of his board. This has allowed me to unlock and equip Recover, First Strike and Break Defense as well as adding a lot of Dexterity and Defense.

The other major way to customize your characters is via the weapons system. While each character has their own unique weapon type, it can be reforged at the merchant to add abilities from any weapon in the game. This was always one of my favorites systems from the Warriors games and really helps to tie it back to the original series. Even early on, I feel like I've been able to craft some pretty serious weapons for a few of my guys.

Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers PlayStation Vita

I am also glad they found a way to include the Musou Attacks. As your Officers defeat enemies, they will gain Musou which allows them to do powerful attacks beyond their normal skill set. For even more devastating attacks, up to five Officers can team up to do a Synchro Attack. The Synchro Attack changes the entire flow of the battle. This is as powerful as a summon in Final Fantasy. Not only does it allow each of your members to attack that round with 5 additional energy, even if they attacked before, but it also closes off with a major finishing move that can lay waste to an entire section of the map.

As you can probably already tell, I am absolutely loving the PlayStation Vita version of Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers. It's a good tactical game with a patented Warriors story including the twists and turns you would expect. The biggest complaint I have so far is that it just doesn't quite scratch that itch for a new hack and slash game in this world. If you're up for experiencing a new take on this classic franchise, or if you're a Strategy RPG fan looking for something fresh on PlayStation, then Godseekers might just be what you're looking for.

Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers is being reviewed on the PlayStation Vita with a code provided by the publisher. It will also be available on PlayStation 4.

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More Info About This Game
Learn more about Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers
Developer
Omega Force
Publisher
Koei Tecmo
Release Date
January 31, 2017 (Calendar)
Genre
Tactical RPG
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