What a distinction seven years makes. In 2018, the dismal Dynasty Warriors 9 successfully put Koei Tecmo’s storied hack and slash sequence on ice, however Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a very completely different beast. For the primary time in generations, the franchise feels recent once more — a real evolution of what is come earlier than.
To be clear, Origins shouldn’t be Dynasty Warriors 10; there are basic variations right here that make Origins its personal standalone factor. However on the identical time, it does not fairly really feel like your typical spin-off, as a result of the manufacturing values are what you’d anticipate from an all-or-nothing mainline sequel.
Origins is structured in contrast to any Dynasty Warriors title earlier than it. As a substitute of leaping between phases through a menu, it adopts a story-based format that has extra in widespread with RPGs. The entire recreation takes place on a world map that you just’re free to traverse, visiting places, characters, and battlefields as you go.
It is not open world, however it’s player-driven. You assume the function of a mysterious younger man, who simply so occurs to be a dangerously expert martial artist. The start of the sport sees you cross paths with the legendary warlord Guan Yu, and in flip, you are launched to the turbulent Three Kingdoms period of Chinese language historical past — now informed by the eyes of your silent wanderer.
We are saying ‘Three Kingdoms’, however as its identify suggests, Origins is extra concerning the beginnings of this war-torn age. It covers — in a lot larger element than ever earlier than — the occasions that lead as much as the climactic battle of Chibi, which, in earlier video games, was usually utilised as a stage-setting conflict, moderately than a dramatic conclusion.
You would argue that Origins’ overarching plot is compelled to finish simply because it’s actually beginning to warmth up, however that is nonetheless a hefty historic journey. The marketing campaign clocks in at round 30 hours — however that is counting for only one a part of the sport’s three-pronged narrative.
About midway by stated marketing campaign, you are offered an important choice: it is advisable facet with one in all China’s three rising factions — Shu, Wei, or Wu — and play out the remainder of the story from that perspective. You will bond with a very completely different forged of characters and interact in distinctive, faction-specific battles relying in your alternative.
Principally, this construction triples Origins’ potential runtime, making it one of the strong Dynasty Warriors video games ever made — even though it solely covers about one third of the general Three Kingdoms saga.
Finally, this deal with earlier occasions works out brilliantly; characters are given way more room to breathe, and the storytelling advantages massively consequently. What’s extra, having the ability to work together with these key figures from the angle of a single participant protagonist retains everybody grounded. Acquainted Dynasty Warriors faces have merely by no means appeared so human — the (usually comical) caricatures of previous video games have been given real depth for the primary time.
Attending to know these heroes (and villains) by fully-voiced bonding scenes provides a shocking quantity of weight to your faction-related choice. By siding with Wei, for instance, that someplace down the road, you may haven’t any alternative however to march into battle in opposition to those that you had as soon as known as buddies. This makes for some deliciously dramatic — and infrequently bittersweet — moments throughout key conflicts.
Fortunately, upon finishing the marketing campaign, you are given free reign on returning to earlier chapters, and even particular person battles. You additionally get to maintain all your progress — ranges, skills, and weapons — which makes replays a breeze. Naturally, most gamers will wish to soar straight again to the all-important faction alternative, and determine on a distinct path. As such, you do not have to fret about replaying all the recreation not less than thrice if you wish to see every little thing, which is way appreciated.
There may be one a part of the story that does not hit as arduous because it ought to, nevertheless — and it boils all the way down to your amnesiac protagonist. To be truthful, the setup surrounding this unnamed hero is considerably fascinating, however as your story unfurls, it simply cannot match up in opposition to the drama and rigidity of the central Three Kingdoms narrative, and begins to really feel like a barely annoying distraction from the stuff that, at this level, you are actually invested in.
Happily, narrative stumbles are all however forgotten whenever you take to the sector. The sheer scale of the primary story battles in Origins can’t be overstated: these are a number of the most impressively gigantic encounters we have seen in gaming. They’re generally on par with what you may discover within the trendy Complete Struggle titles, however you are proper there, within the thick of it, taking part in a full-on motion recreation.
That is the place Origins solidifies itself as a real evolution of the sequence. These clashes lastly really feel just like the realisation of Dynasty Warriors’ longstanding ‘1 vs. 1,000’ design philosophy, as your most devastating particular assaults cleave by a whole bunch of troops right away. At its peak, when you possibly can barely make out what’s occurring due to the writhing mass of on-screen chaos, Origins is intoxicating.
Which brings us to the fight system itself. The core of Dynasty Warriors’ motion stays intact, with easy, sweeping combos letting you mash by waves of grunts — however the greatest alterations manifest whenever you’re up in opposition to enemy officers.
Officer fights emphasise a back-and-forth that is constructed on defensive actions like parries and dodges. After coping with your opponent’s onslaught, you reap the benefits of their susceptible state with combos and skills of your personal, breaking their morale — principally a stamina bar — within the course of. As soon as that is depleted, they’re left vast open, and you will both strike for enormous injury, or ship the ultimate blow with an immensely satisfying, weapon-specific finisher.
The precise rhythm of fight could take some getting used to for those who’re acquainted with different Warriors video games, as a result of it is developed past that hack-and-slash, borderline button-mashing foundation. This can be a way more reactionary system, akin to what you cope with in a personality motion title.
And in our opinion, it really works rather well. In making officer encounters extra concerned and strategic, they stand aside from the common, troop-crushing fight. Simple fundamentals give method to some intense skirmishes as the sport progresses, and honing your expertise in opposition to the hardest of foes — shoutout to Lu Bu — supplies a fantastic sense of development.
That stated, there comes some extent the place repetition does begin to set in. Your whole enemies undergo the identical mechanics, and with solely round twelve completely different weapon sorts to study from a defensive standpoint, extra expert gamers may develop weary of longer battles, the place sturdy well being bars are your solely actual impediment.
Dynasty Warriors has an extended historical past of providing up colossal playable character rosters — however that is not the case in Origins. Whereas your protagonist is able to wielding ten completely different weapon sorts — every with their very own movesets, skills, and distinctive mechanics — some followers will undoubtedly miss the unbridled selection that was as soon as current in video games like Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends.
However once more, that is simply the best way that Origins is designed, with a singular, participant character perspective in thoughts. And for what it is value, you do get to play as a small collection of different heroes — albeit solely briefly. In most story battles, you possibly can staff up with a companion, who’ll combat alongside you till their musou bar is full — and when it’s, you possibly can take direct management of them for a restricted time.
Your allies can dish out some critical destruction, in order that they’re finest utilised as one other form of tremendous assault. And actually, you may want it; Origins can grow to be very difficult in a short time for those who do not regulate the encircling battlefield.
The sequence has at all times had strategic leanings, however Origins will be notably punishing. You need not babysit each ally throughout each map — thank God — however you’ll have to race over to sure characters and provides them a serving to hand once in a while, if solely in order that the opposing military does not break by your formation.
Conserving monitor of a battle is not too tough — it is largely only a case of truly listening to what your allies are saying, and following the final plan that is defined on the battle desk earlier than every encounter. However Origins is aware of how one can hold you in your toes, and we would go as far to say that it options a number of the most partaking maps within the franchise.