20th game in the Dynasty Warriors series which started as a spin-off series to Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Dynasty Warriors is so popular it’s even spawned various spin-offs of its own such as the Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi series and even a few warriors-style games featuring other IPs such as Hyrule Warriors & the Dragon Quest Heroes games.
Story
The story starts off after a couple of years of bad weather and ailing crops. Famine plagues the lands and people are starving and desperate.
You play as the wanderer, a lone swordsman and amnesiac. This is an unusual move as most Dynasty Warriors games have relatively set storylines with a focus on playing as historical heroes instead of a new protagonist.
Throughout Origins’ campaign, you’ll get a chance to fight alongside each of the three parties and getting to know each officers motivation for why they are fighting. While you are initially classed as an outsider by all three, you eventually gain their trust and being the newbie the story and lore are explained to you very naturally making this a great entry point into the series.
Gameplay
The main highlight of Dynasty Warriors: Origins is its frankly superb combat system. For the uninitiated to the Warriors series, battles take place across large maps, throwing hundreds, if not thousands, of enemies at you in clusters, usually led by an enemy general. While most of the enemies on screen are just fodder and will dish out minimal damage the generals and named officers leading these forces are something to be reckoned with.
The win conditions on each map vary but they usually want you to clear out a map of enemy troops, protect an area from attack or defeat an enemy leader.
You’ll be hacking and slashing your way around and through all these enemies. I’ve played many Warriors games before, but the sheer number of enemies on screen at any time is awe-inspiring and I think it might just be the biggest yet.
Unlike other Warrior’s games, we only get to control our main protagonist here and luckily they are a jack of all trades, confidently able to wield all of the game’s 9 different weapons ( + an additional special weapon post-game). You start with a sword but will end up with spears, lances and even gauntlets. It’s recommended and encouraged to switch weapons often as you can earn additional skill points and some battles are made a little easier by having more range.
Weapon proficiency can be gained by simply using that weapon type, This will unlock additional hits to combos etc as you increase the level of each weapon type. Along with each proficiency increase, you’ll also gain a Rank Lv. which improves your overall Health, Attack and Defense stats. There are 64 levels and as you Rank up you’ll be able to learn new arts and unlock additional bonuses such as extra healing item uses or extra movement abilities by using skill points.
World Map
After a battle, you’ll find yourself on the world map which is very pretty and you traverse it by foot in the style of one of the PlayStation Final Fantasy titles. The world map consists of a large collection of different provinces each with their own level of Peace, which we can increase by winning battles in the area.
Across the world map, you’ll come across friendly settlements with inns & Shops to buy and upgrade weapons. From the Inn (or a tent) you will receive letters from the various in-game characters you formed bonds with or from the regions you have helped free. These letters often include a small reward for your troubles and sometimes they progress optional story paths so it’s worth checking in after every few battles.
From an in you can also view your character statistics and prepare for any upcoming battles by managing your equipment loadout etc.
Back on the world map, you’ll often find semi-random battles in each region which are optional. Skirmishes are the more common and are smaller-scale battles that can be found on the world map, these are much snappier than the main story battles and are great for testing out different weapon types usually only involving fighting one small cluster of enemies.
Missions, on the other hand, are optional battles and are more similar in size to the main story battles. Missions award you with specialised gear and rewards, so they are worth taking on if you have the time.
Early in the game, you’ll also unlock the ability to ride horses which can easily be summoned in combat and help get around each map at speed, they even come with their own level and speed stats that can be improved by taking them into battle.
Difficulty
There are three different difficulty settings; Historian, Wayfarer or Hero. I went with Wayfarer and was met with a moderate challenge with some of the later chapters’ battles took more than one retry to best.
Dyantasy Warriors Origin’s combat loop is quite addictive, After each main battle I would take on every skirmish, mission or training request which came my way, which while great, did mean I was a little over-levelled for the earlier battles in the main story campaign, but they soon ramped in difficulty, especially when I chilled out a little with trying to complete every single optional fight. There really is a lot to do in Dynasty Warriors Origin and you never feel like you do not have multiple options on what to do next.
Performance and Presentation
There are three options for framerate, 30, 60 or a very welcome 120fps. A smooth framerate is very important for a Warriors game so I am pleased to see the ability to change this in the game settings. Along with frame rate, we have the option to toggle on HDR and more importantly, a graphical setting to either prioritise performance or graphical fidelity.
I have to say, I was taken aback by just how pretty this game can be at times. The world map in particular is very nice to look at as are the characters themselves. Omega Force have really outdone themselves this time all the while managing to deliver silky smooth performance.
English or Japanese options are available for audio. The quality of the English voice acting is questionable at best, with some characters delivering great performances and others… well let’s just say, not so much. For this reason, I would recommend switching to the Japanese voice-over which seems much more palatable.
Conclusion
Dynasty Warriors Origins takes the series to new heights with its refined combat and engaging story. While the pacing can feel slow early on, it quickly picks up, and the addictive gameplay will keep you hooked. However, like other Dynasty Warriors games, it does suffer from some repetition, and the occasional frustration of having to restart long battles due to a fallen ally is a notable downside. A return to the ally-switching mechanic from past games would have been a welcome addition.
Despite this, Dynasty Warriors Origins stands as the best-feeling Dynasty Warriors game I’ve played in a long time. The combat, world-building, and presentation are all top-tier, making this a must-play for fans of the series and newcomers alike. Omega Force has delivered a fantastic soft reboot, and I’m excited to see where the series goes next.
8.5
PlayStation 5 review code kindly provided by Koei Tecmo Europe