Dynasty Warriors: Origins Review
Slashing Through History
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Title: Dynasty Warriors: Origins
Release: January 16, 2025
Platform: PS5 PC Xbox X|S
Developer: Koei Tecmo Games
Publisher: Koei Tecmo Games
Genre: Tactical Action
ESRB: T
Reviewed on: PC
Time Played: 32 Hours
Intro:
Dynasty Warriors: Origins introduces you to the chaos of ancient China, where the Han dynasty is crumbling under corruption and rebellion. As a lone wanderer with no memory but a knack for combat, you join the fight to restore justice. But does this hack-and-slash epic deliver an experience worthy of your time? Today, I’m breaking down everything this game has to offer—from the chaotic battles to the personal bonds you’ll forge along the way. Let’s dive in and see if this entry in the Dynasty Warriors franchise earns a spot on your shelf.
Where it starts
The peasants have long suffered due to corruption and high taxes imposed by government officials, leading to the formation of a rebellion. You will play as a wanderer with amnesia who knows how to handle a weapon. After witnessing the terrible treatment of the people, you decide to take up arms with the local rebels, embarking on your first steps into a long civil war near the end of the Han dynasty.
Can the kids watch
Most of the game will be spent fighting waves of enemies in ruthless combat with plenty of different weapons. However, there wasn’t any blood or dismemberment as foes were cut down. During most fights, it’s difficult to really tell what is happening with all the bodies flying everywhere. The language was clean as well. It was rated T due to some drinking and the violence, not much I would worry about if the kids wanted to watch.
One Man Army
The battles will involve large groups of people on both sides, so you won’t be fighting alone. However, you will often be the key factor in determining the outcome. When facing an enemy force, you can wield your weapons and skills to potentially defeat hundreds of enemies with a single strike. Your attacks have a wide area of effect, impacting everyone around you, except friendlies, thankfully there was no friendly fire. In this game, you are certainly a formidable force to be reckoned with.
Skill Points
As you meticulously mow down your foes, you will gain skill points to spend on your skill trees. The trees are simple; work your way down, selecting basic upgrades to health and damage with special unlocks along the way. As you level up, eventually, you will unlock new trees to fill out, enhancing your fighting prowess further.
Pick Your Weapon
There are a total of nine weapons available in the game, starting you off with a sword. As you progress through the story, you will unlock more weapons. Each weapon has eight levels of proficiency, and gaining proficiency contributes to your character’s overall level. While each weapon has its unique handling, some button combinations are consistent across different weapons, allowing you to easily adjust your playstyle regardless of the weapon you choose.
Battle Arts
In combat, you won’t have to endlessly swing your weapon repeatedly. As you build up bravery, you’ll gain access to battle arts. Some battle arts are usable with any weapon, while others are specific to certain weapons. You get to chose what battle arts to equip for each weapon. These battle arts can help you defeat multiple enemies at once or interrupt powerful attacks directed at you. You can unlock additional battle arts by increasing your proficiency with weapons, speaking to mysterious old men throughout the world, or purchasing them from shops.
Life at The Inn
In between battles, you can visit the Inn located in any city. You have a permanent room available at each of them. While resting, you can read letters sent to you, which may request an audience or discuss your actions, sometimes even providing you with a small reward.
You also have the option to craft gems from Pyroxene, which are rocks found in the wild. You can equip one of the five gems, each offering a certain benefit of your choice. The effectiveness of the gems increases as you create duplicates, leveling them up.
Finally, you can adjust your clothing and equipment before leaving your room. Equipment can be modified at any time, but clothing changes can only be made here.
Your Tools of War
Once you have selected your preferred equipment and joined a battle, it’s time to use it all against a large force of enemies. The main objective in battle is to eliminate the commanding officers scattered throughout the battlefield while ensuring that your key members do not lose all their health. You must also maintain your side’s morale by capturing enemy bases and reducing their numbers.
As you defeat more enemies, your Musou meter will gradually fill up, allowing you to unleash an ultimate attack once it’s sufficiently charged, or even enter rage mode when it’s full. In rage mode, it becomes more difficult for enemies to knock you back, and your attacks will deal more damage. However, the meter will slowly deplete as you continue to fight. While in rage mode, you can use battle arts, which will cost some Musou instead of bravery. When your Musou meter is empty, you will perform one last ultimate attack before returning to normal mode.
Eventually, you will be given your own small number of warriors to command. They can have up to three actions equipped for a fight that become available after so much time has passed. Your guards can help you dismantle enemy equipment and take down large numbers with their attacks. But they will retreat if you are surrounded by to many enemies and take a lot of hits, leaving you alone while you finish the fight.
Bonding
In this game, you will encounter dozens of characters, each usually falling deeply in love with you and your fighting style. As the game progresses, you may see some characters with special symbols above their heads. When you interact with them, you’ll enter a short cutscene where you can converse with the character, thus strengthening your bond. After the cutscene, they may still be present and can offer you missions that, like so many defeats, using a particular weapon skill. Completing these missions will reward you with a significant amount of skill points.
In addition to the missions, the main benefits of building these bonds include acquiring items and collectibles and gaining more backstory if that’s what you’re seeking.
Making Choices
Every conversation offers optional responses. However, the main difference lies in how characters respond, rather than altering the overall topic or outcome. There are significant choices to be made later in the game, particularly regarding who you choose to support and fight alongside until the end. The game thoughtfully introduces you to all the characters and allows you to battle alongside them up to that point, giving you plenty of time to make your decision.
Outro:
I would love to hear any thoughts or questions you have about the game or my review, so leave me a message in the comments below. While you do that, let’s move on to my final thoughts and ratings.
This was my first experience with the Dynasty Warriors series, and it was excellent. From what I understand, some of the biggest differences between this game and previous titles are character customization and a more linear storyline. When I first started playing, I was blown away by the action and music during the grand-scale battles. It felt amazing to make such a significant impact on a battlefield filled with thousands of combatants. I was immediately hooked, wanting to master every combo and take on more fights.
Although I really enjoyed the game, it didn’t take long for things to start feeling repetitive. While the different weapons offered a variety of playstyles, they did little to alleviate the monotony of the fights, which often felt the same. The biggest saving grace of the game was the various missions given by NPCs, which provided additional goals to focus on during each battle, even if I managed to complete multiple missions in a single fight.
The most challenging aspect for me was the abrupt shift in the pacing of the game. I would go from an intense, action-packed fight to a lengthy conversation with someone expressing how much of an impact I had made on the battlefield. It seemed that almost everyone fell in love with my character and wanted to ensure I knew how much I meant to them. It didn’t help that there were very few benefits to forming these bonds, aside from completing missions and acquiring minor collectibles. If I were to talk to everyone and take care of every side thing between main battles, I averaged about one battle an hour while getting through the game.
Although I have some reservations about the game, there’s still a part of me that can’t stop playing it. It’s a strange feeling to want to keep playing while also dreading certain aspects of the game. I truly love it, even if it becomes repetitive after a while. It’s simple to learn and play, and I could easily set it aside for a bit and pick up right where I left off if I got tired of it.
With all that said, I feel it’s time we got to my final ratings. Put a number to my thoughts and concerns and place on a shelf.
The visuals in the game were stunning; every character was beautifully designed, without a single scar in sight. It was impressive to see how the game depicted large armies clashing with one another. At times, the chaos was overwhelming, making it difficult to keep track of what was happening around me. However, my attacks quickly cleared the area, allowing me to regain my focus. Overall, I’m giving it a 4.
It was another story set in the Three Kingdoms, a popular theme for many games, differing with the unique perspective of the main character. The story was engaging with intrigue and a few minor twists. I would rate it a 3.
The gameplay was excellent, with everything functioning as it should, and the controls were very responsive. However, I did experience occasional freeze frames that disrupted my play. I couldn’t determine the exact cause of these freezes, but I would miss a timed hit when one occurred. That’s another 4
There was replayability to the game, between a new game plus and the major choices to make there are plenty of reasons to keep playing or restart everything. Though it may feel too repetitive, I’m giving it a 3.
I had a fantastic time playing this game! My favorite aspect was the simplicity of using different weapons. While each weapon had its own unique combos, they all shared some basic moves that were easy to learn. It was exciting to master those simple combos before discovering the more complex ones. Overall, I’d give this experience a 5!
Giving Dynasty Warriors: Origins, an average score of 3.8 out of 5. Earning it a spot on the top shelf. An excellent experience for veterans of the series and newcomers alike. It’s a simple game with a lot to offer in terms of action and fighting sequences. I would definitely recommend the game.