For those who have played one of the previous Dynasty Warriors titles the game will be instantly familiar. Set in Ancient China, the game plays through a series of battles mainly between 3 dynasties of the time - Wei, Wu and Shu, and is based on the events in the historical novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Each battle is set in the context of a larger story, which is explained in a narrative between each battle. While forming part of a larger army, the player takes the lead role in executing the plan and taking out the enemy. The game is played as a third-person action title, and is superficially a basic hack and slash adventure. Dig deeper though, and there is an element of strategy involved in each battle, and a wider range of moves and combos.

While the basic story is loosely based around actual events, the gameplay is not. Each general possesses almost superhuman ability and it is possible to take out hundreds of opponents in a battle. Each general also has a special, or Musou ability. This special attack is a powered up attack lasting for several seconds, and can often damage many opponents around the player, which is useful if the player is surrounded and is struggling to survive. Each individual officer in the game plays differently, with differing moves, combos and Musou attacks, and differing strengths. Switching between officers, the player will need to adapt to the differing styles. Also aiding the player are a group of body guards who can either be ordered to attack or defend. While smarter and more useful than in previous editions the bodyguards can still not be counted on to provide adequate protection. The onus is still on the player to attack and defend certain situations.

Several gameplay enhancements have been made in DW4, and these largely improve the game over previous titles. An enemy officer can now request a duel, instead of fighting in the general arena. If the player accepts, the two generals are transported to another arena where they can fight one-on-one for 45 seconds. However this can break the continuity of a battle, and also make defeating the enemy officer a little easier with none of his support crew around him. It can be something of a bonus though if the player is struggling in general play, and since the feature is optional it is not something that detracts from the game.

Levelling up has changed slightly, especially in the way weapons are upgraded. At the end of each battle an assessment is made depending on how many kills were attained, which officers were defeated, and how your bodyguards performed. Points are then given to the player's character, bodyguards and weapons, which contribute to higher levels and stats. Weapons are upgraded in this way in DW4, instead of the player picking up upgrades on the battlefield. There are also 10 grades of weapon, instead of the 4 or 5 in the previous titles.

There are also a host of other improvements throughout the game. Combos and moves are now slightly easier to perform with extra moves, such as an aerial attack, now possible. Each officer now has a unique charge attack, and learning each of these attacks and how best to use them takes a bit of getting used to. The enemy soldiers are now even smarter and more aggressive, with more risk of being attacked by them in certain situations. Added to the ranks of the enemy are bombardiers who, like their archer counterparts, can attack from a distance. There are also siege weapons on some battlefields now, and protecting or eliminating these can change the course of a battle.

The main mode of DW4 is the Musou Mode. This has changed slightly from previous titles; instead of picking a particular officer and playing through a set of battles they are associated with, the player can now pick a particular Kingdom and play through their entire campaign, either as just one officer or with different officers for each battle. Each campaign is quite lengthy, running over a dozen battles each. At the start only 3 Kingdoms are available in Musou Mode, the Wei, Wu, and Shu kingdoms, and only 9 officers. Extra Musou mode kingdoms and officers can be unlocked through playing through the mode or by completing certain tasks in certain stages. Each battle that is unlocked in Musou mode is then also unlocked in Free mode, where players can go to play individual battles without the need to start a new campaign.

One of the great features of the Musou and Free modes is the ability for two players to play through a stage or campaign cooperatively, each taking the role of a different officer on the same side. The scope for altering tactics that this brings to the game is great, with the two officers either taking differing parts of the battlefield, or combining forces in the same part of the battlefield. It's an excellent addition to an already great mode, and one that should be included in a lot more games.

Other modes in the games include Versus, Challenge, Edit and Encyclopaedia. Versus mode allows two players to go up against each other in one of four events. Challenge mode provides four single player challenges. Adding to the Endurance and Time Attack challenges found in DW3 are Bridge Melee, where the player knocks as many enemies off the bridge as possible, and Demolition, where the player destroys as many objects in a certain amount of time as possible. Edit Mode allows players to create their own officers or bodyguards. Finally, the Encyclopaedia mode is a reference detailing events in the Three Kingdoms, and information on the officers, weapons and items found in the game.

Replayability has long been associated with Dynasty Warriors, and it is no different in DW4. With over 50 battles and the ability to play on both sides of each battle there is quite a lot of gameplay here. Each battle can be played with differing tactics, all of which can change the flow of battle. Manage to take out a particular officer or stop a particular event and the way the rest of the battle plays out can change. Also adding to the longevity of the game is that there is quite a lot to unlock, in terms of extra Musou modes, different endings for all Kingdoms and extra characters. Each officer also has a secret tenth weapon to unlock, which requires completing certain tasks in certain levels. Collecting all the tenth weapons for all the characters would be quite a large undertaking, but one that would be quite rewarding in the game. Certainly if you like this type of game, there is no shortage of gameplay here.

Graphically, the game is only a slight improvement over previous titles. The characters and the animations involved are well detailed, with the Musou animations of each general being a particular highlight. The battlefields have had the greatest improvement, all being very well detailed this time around, however the pop-up and occasional slowdown found in the previous games still remains. Visibility on each battlefield is limited, with the extremities of the field of view being fogged over. There are also occasional problems with the camera, which stays fixed behind the player. This can cause problems sometimes in battle especially when fighting against an enemy general, who can sometimes disappear from view. Control in the game is fairly well done, with tight responsive controls. As mentioned before combos seem easier now to perform and the control system is fully customisable.

In terms of the game's soundtrack, Koei have stuck with the cheesy guitar rock that has characterised the series. In a weird way though, this seems to work well with the odd blend of Ancient Chinese battle and modern rock seeming quite natural after playing the game for a while. On some stages the guitar riffs now mix with more traditional instruments and tunes to provide an even odder mix, but this again works well.