Dynasty Warriors: Origins review

As a long-time fan of the Dynasty Warriors games, I’ve been there for all the highs and the lows: the exhilaration of discovering this new genre of video game where thousands perish to your might in a single stage, the realisation that despite putting hours into these games you still know basically nothing about The Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, and the constant battle that is defending the series from those who enjoy mocking it. Dynasty Warriors: Origins feels like the perfect reward for all my years of service, reinventing the entire Musou genre into something spectacular that fans, newcomers, and naysayers will be unable to put down.

This time around the retelling of the Three Kingdoms era is done in a much more accessible way, as you play the role of a nameless amnesiac swordsman travelling the provinces trying to make the world a better place. Now don’t get me wrong, I can feel the collective eye rolls of all reading this in my very soul when typing out “nameless amnesiac swordsman” – but I promise it’s much better than it sounds. It also means that all the historical figures are introduced to you individually without the game expecting you to know who they are, be they a key figure in the Yellow Turban Rebellion or the warlord of a mighty faction that may one day rule.

The improved storytelling and character introductions are great, but what we really play Dynasty Warriors for is the combat. There has never been Musou combat that has felt more satisfying than Dynasty Warriors: Origins, for a multitude of reasons. The usual joy of sending dozens of grunts flying with a single sweeping sword strike is one of these, but it’s actually in the fights with enemy officers and generals that the game really shines. These more formidable opponents have fortitude meters you can deplete to leave them vulnerable to a powerful follow up attack, but to do so you’ll need to evade their slashes until they leave an opening or, better yet, parry their offence to break that fortitude even faster. It’s a satisfying back and forth that happens across each and every battlefield, and is always a blast.

Merely slashing through enemies isn’t enough to defeat an army though, you’ll also need to actually help turn the tide of battle with your actions. Capturing bases will lower enemy morale and slow the advance of their forces, and alongside other objectives you’re given will always keep you busy. Rushing around the battlefield is key to winning battles and progressing on your historical adventure, and I appreciated the frantic pace.

The core combat loop of Dynasty Warriors: Origins is seriously engaging, and thanks to the variety of weapons you gain access to on your adventure it stays that way from start to finish. The sword you start with will be the most familiar weapon for fans of the series, with weak attacks that can be followed up with strong to unleash powerful combos on your enemies. All of the other weapon types you find though have a bit more nuance to them, like the gauntlets that allow you to change stances to switch up your attacks or the wheels which can be caught with precise timing mid combo for powerful bonus attacks. There are even some weightier weapons that have an almost Monster Hunter quality to them, with slower charged attacks that take massive chunks off even boss health bars when used effectively.

In most games you’d probably find a weapon you liked and stick to it, but not in Dynasty Warriors: Origins. Levelling up the proficiency of a weapon is the only way you’ll level up your character as a whole, so to reach the highest levels and become a warrior god you’ll need to use them all. This alongside side requests asking you to perform certain feats with specific weapons meant there were rarely two battles in a row where I’d use the same gear, and even after all my hours of play I’d struggle to pick a favourite.

The constant hook of getting stronger is incredibly alluring, as with each level up you’ll earn skill points that you can spend in an ever expanding selection of skill trees. The abilities contained in these trees contain all sorts of powerful effects, from straight stat buffs to the ability to heal as you carve through foes with your ultimate attack. You’ll also get a load of new weapons, accessories and gems as you progress that strengthen the protagonist at a rapid pace, and before you know it you’ll be an unstoppable killing machine that can stand toe to toe with even the mighty Lu Bu.

More than anything else in Dynasty Warriors Origins, it was the big bombastic moments that blew me away. The sense of scale in the battles is more spectacular than ever before, and when you gather your troops to charge in together it’s just magical. Origins truly feels like a game that’s ushering in a new exciting era of Dynasty Warriors, and I’m so ready for it.

You won’t spend all your time fighting in epic battles though, as there’s also an overworld map to explore. The map is packed full of various resources to collect, characters to talk to and endlessly repeatable mini battles for fans of grinding. If you really want to tick off every box and be the perfect hero you can even raise the peace in each province by fighting off all raiders there, but this is all entirely optional.

It’s in this open world that I found my first fault with Dynasty Warriors: Origins though. There’s no real easy way to see where specific side quests and characters are located on the map, and with wandering around taking so long as you hop between provinces by horse and boat it gets a bit tiresome exploring it all between missions. Although much improved on previous titles, the story is still a little dry too, and especially in later chapters introduces so many characters that it’s tough to keep track of them all.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a spectacular game that moves the series forward in new and exciting ways. Whether you’re fighting one enemy or a hundred the action is always fast-paced and engaging, and with so many weapon types and special attacks at your disposal there’s more than enough variety. Regardless of whether you love or hate this series, Dynasty Warriors Origins is a game that could well surprise and delight you.