Dynasty Warriors has been providing enjoyment for Musou fans since 1997. Now, it has entered a new chapter with the release of Dynasty Warriors 9, bringing a new battle system and an open world. Players will still find familiarity with the game's mechanics, but it seems like developer Omega Force is aiming to give fans new and old something more to discover alongside the one vs. thousands action.

In order to learn about the game, DualShockers had the opportunity to sit down with Dynasty Warriors 9 producer Akihiro Suzuki to discuss the game and what fans can expect:

Azario: Now that the game is releasing, are you able to share more details on the improvements that will be included in the game for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X?

Akihiro Suzuki: For PS4 Pro and Xbox one X, players can switch between two options: 1080p with 60fps or 4k with 30fps

A: The open-world direction of Dynasty Warriors 9 is certainly a radical change in design. Do you believe this will remain the direction for further titles of the series as well? Do you think the Samurai Warriors series will become open world as well?

AS: We currently have no comment on the future of the series.

[pullquote]“Before the project started, we wanted to make a big change for the game”[/pullquote]

A: Was the idea for an open world Dynasty Warriors titles something that was planned from the very beginning of Dynasty Warriors 9?

AS: Before the project started, we wanted to make a big change for the game, but right when the project launched I had already decided one of the changes would be an open world in Dynasty Warriors 9.

A: As a creator, was developing an open world something you’ve always wanted to do?

AS: It was definitely an accomplishment in my career, especially because Dynasty Warriors is such a long-running series and those are typically difficult to change. So seeing the series change to an open world was an accomplishment for me as well.

A: Is the popularity of open world western RPGs something that inspired you to bring the Dynasty Warriors series to an open world setting?

AS: It wasn’t because of the Western RPG genre. It was mostly because we wanted to give the player that freedom of movement. Since this series has been around for so long, players know the story already. So what we set out to do is giving them a new way to play through this story to provide them with a new experience.

[pullquote]“The battle system for Dynasty Warriors 9 is completely new.”[/pullquote]

A: What can players expect from the battle system in Dynasty Warriors 9?

AS: The battle system for Dynasty Warriors 9 is completely new. Before players would fight using the square and triangle buttons, but now we’ve created a system where the attacks are based on enemy statuses. This is for players to pick it up and decide for themselves what kind of attacks to use.

A: Dynasty Warriors 9 must be one of the games with the most trailers and reveals in the history of the industry. Yet, every time it seems that there is still something new to show. Is there any feature that you think will surprise gamers when the game releases?

AS: Even with all the trailers, I think players will still be surprised by the scale of the location and by how beautiful the views are.

A: Did you take fan feedback into consideration when working on Dynasty Warriors 9 or did you take the game in the direction you feel was best?

AS: We usually consider fan feedback for some of the systems we implement, but we don’t apply it literally. Instead, we take what they’ve suggested and try to make it even better.

[pullquote]“I think players will still be surprised by the scale of the location and by how beautiful the views are.”[/pullquote]

A: Did the dedication that Western fans have shown to the Dynasty Warriors series allow for a smaller gap between releases in different regions for Dynasty Warriors 9?

AS: Since I haven’t been with the Dynasty Warriors series since the very beginning, I wasn’t really surprised about the western fans because it was something that I already knew when I joined the team. The shortened release window for Dynasty Warriors 9 between the regions is because of Western support.

A: Is there any you’d like to say to new fans of the series and returning?

AS: With Dynasty Warriors 9, we implemented a lot of new features including the open world setting and a brand new battle system. This brought on new challenges when creating the game, but veteran fans of the series will find a fresh take on the long series. I hope new fans will find enjoyment in the scale of the China that we built in Dynasty Warriors 9.

Dynasty Warriors 9 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC. If you want to read our verdict, you can check out our review, and you can also watch us as we ride for an hour from one corner to the opposite one on the massive open-world map.