Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires is a strategy-oriented variant of Dynasty Warriors 4, mixing it with gameplay similar to Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The heart of the game, campaign mode, begins by choosing any of 24 regions and 42 rulers (custom characters can be created). Beginning with a small kingdom, the ultimate goal is the conquering of all others. Each turn, the player is given a choice from 4 different governing options (brought to your attention by your generals) followed by a single decision of action. These actions typically include the invasion or defense of a specific province or the option to aid an allied empire with those same actions.