Dynasty Warriors: Origins review – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

Dynasty Warriors: Origins marks the tenth game in the series and is its first release since 2018. While it has a few bumps, it’s an impressive comeback that will delight veterans of the franchise as well as those just starting out.

Over time, the Dynasty Warriors series has earned tremendous acclaim, making it the most lucrative franchise for developer Koei Tecmo, with sales exceeding 21 million units by February 2020.

Regardless of its title suggesting otherwise, Origins effectively transports the series into the 2020s, skillfully merging classic elements from past games with innovative mechanics and additions.

In the year 183 AD, during the sixth year of the Guanhe Era and over 150 years into the Han Dynasty, this game masterfully combines historical accuracy with sheer absurdity, offering an unparalleled, immersive experience that’s hard to find elsewhere.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins screenshots & details

  • Price: £64.99/$69.99
  • Developer: Koei Tecmo Games Co
  • Release date: January 17, 2025
  • Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
  • Reviewed on PC

There’s still a lot of hacking and slashing

Dynasty Warriors fans often enjoy a key aspect: effortlessly slicing through large groups of foes as if they were divine. Remarkably, Origins amplifies this concept significantly, surpassing its predecessors in grandeur and spectacle.

The game includes frequent fights and small-scale conflicts that enable you to advance on the map, slicing through anyone who tries to obstruct you. At specific instances, generals and high-ranking officers emerge, boasting enhanced health and powerful assaults. It’s during these encounters where the difficulty arises. You’ll soon discover yourself switching between mowing down lesser enemies to build up your combat gauges to take down elite squads.

Diversity significantly impacts gameplay too. Shortly after starting, you’ll acquire your first weapon, introducing a fresh combat style against enemies. Moreover, your skills are crucial to your overall power and adapt based on the weapon you choose. For instance, the longsword boasts rapid, focused slash abilities such as Falcon Flurry, whereas the spear provides greater versatility with outstanding area of effect (AoE) and wave clear capabilities.

As your mastery grows with each weapon category, you’ll gain access to potent new abilities. Unlocking these abilities as you go along. Unlike games such as Elden Ring with its intricate RPG aspects, this system provides a simplified approach by filling in the blanks. Although your character does possess skills that enhance efficiency, they don’t offer the flexibility for specialized builds.

Engaging in battle may sometimes become chaotic, particularly when you allow enemies to accumulate excessively. Although it’s appealing to utilize your skills and attacks to gather as many opponents as possible, it can lead to malfunctions, causing you to be trapped within a group with limited options for interrupting their assaults through blocking or evading.

Regardless, charging headlong into a massive crowd of foes and wiping them out can’t be denied – it’s incredibly thrilling. It’s like living out an irresistible power dream, and though it may seem absurd, the excitement is amplified because of it.

In this rephrased version, I’ve tried to keep a conversational tone while maintaining the original sentiment:

The developer has remained faithful to the series’ origins, and it seems challenging to imagine Origins being nearly as impressive if they hadn’t stuck to these roots.

The narrative does what it needs to

The game is based on events that occurred approximately two thousand years ago during China’s Han Dynasty. Without revealing too much, the initial narrative revolves around the Yellow Turban Rebellion, a historically important peasant uprising. In this rendition, Zhang Jiao reappears as the leader of the group, portraying a more serious demeanor and unwavering resolve to overthrow the ruling family.

Despite some individual scenes appearing exaggerated or comical, this universe demonstrates a heartfelt reverence and careful handling of its inspirations and history. This results in an incredibly invigorating environment to explore.

As a gamer, I must admit that this game starts off strong with a gripping narrative. It moves at a good pace right from the beginning. However, there are moments when the storyline becomes overly complex, making it a bit challenging to follow. Furthermore, while the personal aspects of the story are intriguing, they sometimes feel like unnecessary distractions during the intense conflict between the Han Dynasty and Yellow Turbans.

This isn’t particularly revolutionary, and the narrative sometimes plays second fiddle to the pulse-pounding action, yet it manages to accomplish its goal and maintains enough mystery to keep you engaged throughout.

Despite a few small issues, Koei Tecmo’s performance here is commendable, and it’s their strongest effort in this area since Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends.

Although there are some minor flaws, Koei Tecmo’s work in this game is impressive overall, and it represents their best work in this field since Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends.

TopMob Review Score: 4/5 – Very Good

ProsCons
Excellent combatSome combat glitches
Intuitive skill systemsOccasionally convoluted
Memorable story and characters

Dynasty Warriors: Origins skillfully balances the charm of nostalgia with an impressively modern technical presentation. It maintains the enchantment that defines the series, yet leverages advanced current-generation technology to surpass its past accomplishments.

Just as long-term enthusiasts would anticipate, the fight sequences continue to shine and they’re as outrageous as before. Spectacular battles can be found at every turn, and you’ll always find yourself in awe of the peculiar weapon each enemy commander wields against you.

Engaging with both the richly developed characters and weapons in this game will lead you to discovering some truly satisfying outcomes, as you uncover the perfect blend of weapons and skills tailored to your unique playing approach – an exhilarating experience!

Despite occasional glitches with numerous opponents and a somewhat complex plot, Dynasty Warriors: Origins remains an engaging game. Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the series, this game is a strong candidate for hack-and-slash game of the year. It’s definitely worth your time to explore its grand narrative.

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2025-01-13 15:48