Dynasty Warriors: Origins review — Omega Force finds its way into the heart of this Dynasty Warriors veteran

Dynasty Warriors has consistently offered a delightful array of warrior experiences, filled with engaging combos, Musou abilities, and the occasional amusement from dominating helpless foes. The latest addition to the series, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, boasts an enhanced next-gen experience along with refined game mechanics, promising a thrilling time for longtime fans of the franchise.

In the future, you won’t need to choose a specific character to navigate the storyline. Instead, you’ll create your own character swiftly using a simplified character creation tool. This will offer a unique perspective on the events of the legendary Three Kingdoms story depicted in Dynasty Warriors, allowing for a fresh experience.

As the game starts off gradually, it gains momentum as fresh weaponry, strategies, and features are introduced. As you acquire your initial horse and enhance your abilities, your adversaries will grow increasingly terrified as you advance further. Despite my dislike for the phrase “slow burn,” I didn’t truly appreciate Origins until a few hours into my first 35-hour playthrough of the game’s campaign.

Is there a difference between controlling just one character compared to having access to numerous generals and heroes across all three kingdoms? Absolutely, it certainly makes a significant impact.

What is Dynasty Warriors: Origins?

If you’re unfamiliar with Dynasty Warriors or whether it belongs to the Warriors genre, let me help acquaint you with this type of game. Imagine watching the movie ‘300’, where a small group of Spartans battles against a massive Persian army. You’re essentially a solo warrior on a mission to annihilate the enemies in front of you, regardless of their allegiance. From suppressing uprisings, engaging in exaggerated duels with commanders, or managing multiple opponents simultaneously, it doesn’t take long for you to understand why there have been over 35 installments released across more than two decades.

The primary emphasis lies on feeling overpowering might amidst greater forces. In the game “Dynasty Warriors: Origins,” you assume the role of an unnamed protagonist who’s shrouded in mystery regarding their past, yet retains extraordinary combat skills. Consequently, players are free to explore vast battlefields at will, choosing their direction to triumph over any adversary they encounter, be it the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Dong Zhou, or other notable figures of the Three Kingdoms era.

As the player engages these opponents, they will boost their army’s spirit, seize enemy reinforcement outposts, and confront high-ranking adversaries who command enemy troops. Through a combination of sharp martial weapon strikes, powerful mystical abilities, and even magical powers, you will ultimately conquer the land, one soldier at a time, until they are all defeated by you.

A significant modification lies in the engine, featuring extensive overhauls enabling the simultaneous display of thousands of opponents on screen. This allows players to witness their army of allies charging against a volley of enemies – a spectacle that’s sure to be a staple in every future Dynasty Warriors game.

The story of Dynasty Warriors: Origins

The narrative of the Three Kingdoms is grounded in actual historical events from ancient China. This tale, which has some recognition, unfolds following the collapse of the Han Dynasty. In its wake emerged the Yellow Turbans, a rebellious group under the command of General Zhang Jiao. As they waged their uprising, known as the Yellow Turban Rebellion, three groups of power found themselves either cooperating or competing with each other for many years.

In this historical context, we have three powerful kingdoms: Wei, Wu, and Shu. These were ruled by Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei respectively. They gained control of their territories either through a combination of power, reason, and strategic decision-making, or by earning respect and loyalty from their people. Each of them believes they have the right to lead based on the unique circumstances they encountered in their rule.

In contrast to past installments in the series where players could embody characters tied to one of the three kingdoms, the game Origins has me assume the role of a solitary figure. Gone are the days when I would control renowned figures like Sun Quan, Pang Tong, or my beloved Dian Wei. Instead, I find myself donning the mantle of an anonymous protagonist. Admittedly, this narrative device can sometimes feel overused, but in this instance, it serves its purpose quite effectively.

On this adventure, you’ll take on the role of an impartial witness to the events unfolding in the Three Kingdoms era, right before the Yellow Turban uprising. As they strive against the region’s corruption, disease, and scarcity, the Yellow Turbans initially represent hope. Yet, as power beckons, it often uncovers the selfishness within individuals. This self-interest compels the legendary figures of the time, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian, to take a stand and protect their people. Regrettably, even these heroes aren’t immune to succumbing to greed themselves.

Moving forward, expect more instances of corruption to unfold. As many may be aware, a notorious antagonist named Dong Zhou gains power, forcing the three main characters to unite in response. Following these events, you’ll find yourself taking the initial steps towards honest decision-making by selecting a kingdom to support – as demonstrated in Chapter 3. Over the subsequent two chapters, observe how your chosen kingdom evolves, leading up to a climactic battle that devotees of the Three Kingdoms saga will recognize once they arrive at it.

1) Since red is my preferred color, I naturally chose the Sun clan and stood by Sun Jian. The story of the Three Kingdoms has been retold many times, but the way Origins presented it from unique character viewpoints made it feel more personal than ever before. It’s not as impactful when events are recounted from multiple perspectives; a well-developed drama is much more moving.

Playing as a solitary, unnamed character whose backstory unfolds throughout the game allows for a lengthier and more immersive campaign. Every choice you make carries greater weight than in past games, making you feel the characters’ pain during their setbacks and appreciate the reasoning behind their actions.

As a tech enthusiast, I can tell you that in this game, you get the opportunity to interact with both allies and adversaries during personal one-on-one encounters between battles. During these meetings, characters might express their feelings towards you, either respectfully or assertively. These interactions significantly impact your relationship with each character, eventually unlocking extraordinary abilities or useful items that leave you in awe.

Given these changes, the story hit better than it ever has before.

The gameplay of Dynasty Warriors: Origins

In Dynasty Warriors: Origins, gameplay is polished right from the start in a way I’ve never experienced within this series before. The precision of attacks, intuitive feedback, and mechanics that provide various opportunities for players to interact make it feel complete in a new way compared to past games. Although playing as a unique character might seem limited at first, you’ll discover a rich array of battle strategies due to the multiple weapons available (around a dozen) and an abundance of abilities that multiply these choices exponentially.

Combat

As an analyst, I’d rephrase it like this: In the heat of battle, while traditional and powerful combo attacks remain effective, the sequences leading to your Musou attacks have undergone a transformation. These transformative attacks are known as Battle Arts, which can be acquired through diverse methods such as unlocking skill trees, leveling up weapons, or strengthening bonds with allies. Each Battle Art consumes Bravery, a resource that is amassed by executing successful attack combos.

In different shapes, Battle Techniques range from basic staggering moves to powerful splashes that rival missile blasts. When skillfully employed, they can deal heavy damage. Moreover, when your Musou meter is fully charged, these techniques become even more potent, making quick work of most enemies. However, Lu Bu remains an exception to this rule.

In simpler terms, Musou attacks transform from their standard version to the almighty Ultimate Musou Attack. Each weapon has a distinct, visually appealing Musou attack. Regular Musou attacks consume a small portion of the bar, while using Rage mode allows you to become invulnerable and your Bravery meter fills up. Rage mode is temporary, but using Battle Arts will speed up its depletion until you perform a Musuo attack at the end of Rage mode.

During busy periods, I found myself frequently utilizing the Rage mode. I would accumulate my Musou meter and only use it in crucial situations against final bosses or when large forces covered up my hasty gameplay. In essence, I’m more of a “act first, think later” type of player.

Battle System

You get the chance to direct your personal team of soldiers, now called “Tactics.” Although the name “Tactics” seems contrary to my usual approach, it introduced an exhilarating element of unpredictability into my battle strategies that I found incredibly satisfying. With the new Eyes of the Sacred Bird power, which temporarily slows time and grants a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield, you can instruct your group of allies to shoot arrows, attack, defend, and more.

In any given gameplay, morale plays a crucial role. Your team can shift between being overpowered and having the upper hand, with intermediate stages also existing. Although these intermediate phases may not be as extreme, the idea remains: the higher or lower your morale is, the more or less impactful your allied forces become. If you’ve seized control of most bases on the level, launched strategic attacks, vanquished numerous enemy leaders, and so forth, you’ll find it challenging to lose battles unless you meet an untimely demise yourself. It’s essential to remember that this system functions reciprocally as well.

You do get to play as others, although only briefly

In Chapter 2, players can fight alongside a character representing their chosen kingdom as an ally. Initially, I concentrated on the Wu clan during my first gameplay, but even so, I engaged in combat with characters such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xiahou Dun, Huang Gai, and other heroes. Yet, this feature has certain limitations.

At the beginning of the level, these allies won’t be present; however, they accumulate their own Musou meter during combat. Once they have fully charged it, you can take control of them and utilize their unique battle techniques and abilities until their Musou gauge is depleted. Upon exhaustion, control will shift back to your character again.

It seems puzzling to me that they imposed restrictions on your character selection; a choice I strongly oppose. Players, in my opinion, should have the freedom to switch between characters at will. At best, you’ll be allowed to designate one of the three characters from any of the three kingdoms, but it seems odd that this would only grant brief playtime for each. Frankly, I can’t understand their thought process behind this decision.

Should you buy Dynasty Warriors: Origins?

At first, I was really disappointed when I learned that only one character could be played throughout the entire game. What I’ve always enjoyed about this game is its replayability, switching between different characters in battles across various playthroughs. For instance, Dan Wei would strive for supremacy under Cao Cao, while Lu Bu showcased his unique skills. However, once that initial disappointment wore off, things began to look up.

As a game analyst, I must admit that the complexity of Origins has soared to unprecedented heights with the introduction of this seemingly heretical change. While many elements within the game may seem familiar, having been present in previous installments, the meticulous refinement and enhancement of each component, coupled with new layers, has elevated the gaming experience to unparalleled levels.

All in all, I must say that my gaming adventure was extremely satisfying, even with a few minor issues. Essentially, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, releasing on January 17, 2024 for $69.99 on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC via Steam, is an excellent addition to the franchise that die-hard fans are going to adore. The thrill of slashing through enemies has never been more exhilarating, making it one of my top Dynasty Warriors games so far. Until we clash on the battlefield, comrade!

2025-01-13 14:09