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To that end, replayability is through the roof due to customisation options and unlocking special abilities.
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Where you can probably beat the game in a few hours on Normal (Easy is just for cutting your teeth if you've never played the series at all), a Hard run will take much longer, and a Chaos run will last into the tens of hours. You'll find that the game does get significantly harder as you ramp the difficulty up, though. As far as Dynasty Warriors games go, 8 is still by far the best of them, although I don't really feel that Empires has the same AI as 8/XL, where the AI was fairly aggressive. As a free officer, you can create a mercenary company (Vagabond Unit), also go on quests, but if you don't like what's in the surrounding area, you're free to move wherever you want. You'll also be able to do missions (Quests) on your own time to make a little scratch and earn some better equipment, but you're locked to those in the provinces surrounding your home base. Or, you could be an officer, where your domestic options are quite limited, but they do expand as your rank increases. As a Ruler you'll have a lot more domestic choices, such as making alliances, trading, resource gathering, officer recruitment and placement, and purchasing weapons, equipment and buff items. You can start the game as Ruler, officer or mercenary. How that phase plays out depends on your role.
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The strategy phase is usually something that you'll only spend a few minutes per turn on, so it makes it a little easier to put the game down.
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It really fits in well with gaming on the go, as you're more often than not playing the game in bites, anyway. It really fits in well with gaming on the go, as Despite the diminished visuals, I often find myself coming back to DW8 Empires on the Vita. Despite the diminished visuals, I often find myself coming back to DW8 Empires on the Vita.
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