Dynasty Warriors: Origins review

It’s been more than six years since the release of Dynasty Warriors 9, which by anyone’s standards was a bit of a disappointment. That’s perhaps why, when developing its follow-up, Koei Tecmo has gone back to the drawing board. Dynasty Warriors: Origins is essentially a reboot of the series, with a story once again based on the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms but told from the perspective of a martial artist suffering from amnesia.

And so, one of the biggest and most impactful changes in Dynasty Warriors: Origins is that instead of choosing from a huge number of warriors to complete any of the game’s battles, you’re always in control of your highly-skilled wanderer. It may seem like a downgrade, but it actually works because it makes the story feel more personal and engaging. Besides, while you’re always playing as the same character, you can unlock and make use of of a wide variety of unique and enjoyable weapons.

With a story spanning multiple chapters, Dynasty Warriors: Origins lets you loose on a world map that feels like it’s been ripped out of a JRPG. As you explore, you come across towns where you can rest and do a bit of shopping if you’d like, and there are waypoints that allow you to fast travel from one province to another. This map is also where you access main missions, of course, and if you ever want to engage in a smaller battle to earn valuable resources or improve your skills, skirmishes and missions can also be found scattered about.

Needless to say, a lot feels fresh when it comes to this latest entry in the Dynasty Warriors series, and that even continues into the combat. The basics here will be familiar to anyone that has played a Dynasty Warriors game before, with standard attacks being the bread and butter of your onslaughts thanks to lengthy and easy-to-perform combos. Strong attacks can be worked into these combos to serve as finishers, too, and when a gauge is full, you can perform a devasting Musou attack. So far, so Dynasty Warriors.

Things get more interesting, however, when you start playing around with Battle Skills. You can have four of these available at any one time, and each requires a specific amount of Bravery to be used, which is generated by attacking your adversaries. These battle skills range from flying kicks that give you plenty of forward momentum to multi-hit attacks that can decimate a target’s health bar. Some can even be used strategically when an officer is charging up a powerful attack of their own, stopping them in their tracks and causing significant stagger.

These battle skills, as well as other new combat features – such as being able to parry an officer’s attacks and attack after performing a nifty evade manoeuvre – make the combat of Dynasty Warriors: Origins feel more dynamic and rewarding than it’s ever been. In fact, the combat system has been improved so much that it allows for duels and dramatic boss fights that are truly exhilarating at times.

In addition to the improved combat, the large scale-battles here feel more epic than ever, with there being noticeably more enemies on-screen at any one time. Without spoiling anything, Dynasty Warriors: Origins also does a good job of giving you plenty of freedom on the battlefield while still making you feel like part of an army. Thanks to a unique skill, victory will sometimes depend on you seeing what others cannot and taking decisive action. But there are also plenty of opportunities to work with your allied forces to commence devastating assaults.

I should also mention that you don’t actually always need to play as your amnesiac martial artist. Many battles allow you to choose a companion, and when a gauge is full you can take control of them for a short while. It’s during this time that it really pays to make use of the War God Rage ability, that extends your combos and allows you to freely use Battle Skills for a period of time. And once War God Rage is over, an Ultimate Musou attack is performed, which when performed by a companion effectively clears the screen.

Overall, it’s hard not to be impressed with Dynasty Warriors: Origins. While there are some aspects that fans might not be all too happy about, like the removal of co-op features and the limited character roster, the new and improved approach to storytelling, enriched combat and other new features more than make up for them. This is a lengthy experience, too, with a story that eventually finds you choosing where your allegiances lie. And so, whether you’re a series fan or newcomer, Dynasty Warriors: Origins comes highly recommended if you want to take part in epic battles.