Dynasty Warriors: Origins – Review

The tale of ancient China’s “Three Kingdoms” period has been told several times in gaming. Namely, the story is told several times in the Dynasty Warriors franchise. A new Dynasty Warriors game, appropriately titled Dynasty Warriors: Origins, is incoming. It aims to retell the story again, as a reboot to the franchise. Does it do well as an origin story? Let’s travel to the Three Kingdoms period in our review.

TITLE: DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS
PLATFORM: PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), PS5 Pro Enhanced / Xbox Series X|S / Steam
RELEASE 1/17/2025
GENRE Tactical Action
DEVELOPERS: Koei Tecmo Games, Omega Force
PUBLISHERS: Koei Tecmo Games, Koei Tecmo, KOEI TECMO AMERICA Corporation

*Special thanks to Koei Tecmo PR team for providing the PS5 review Key*

Intro/Story:

From the official website:

That which is long divided must unify; that which is long unified must divide.
The story takes place 150 years after the foundation of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Severe droughts and abnormal weather have caused devastating famines.
People are starving, eating roots and tree bark, helplessly losing their lives.
However, rather than helping them, rulers not only fail to extend a helping hand,
but also impose heavy taxes, repeatedly commit embezzlement, and inflict suffering upon the people.

The protagonist, who has lost his memories, arrives at a desolate village during his travels.
There, he encounters a “Long-Haired Man”, who helps the people with his companions,
and a “Bearded Hero” who stands against the oppressive officials.
In an attempt to save a child, the protagonist joins forces with them to battle the officials’ troops.

As the new year begins, a significant shift occurs.
The Way of the Great Peace, which had gained immense support
by helping the suffering people, turns against the Han Dynasty.
They adopt yellow cloth as a symbol of their unity and are henceforth known as the “Yellow Turbans” —
a movement later referred to as the “Yellow Turban Rebellion”.

The protagonist then reunites with the “Bearded Hero” in the northern region, You Province…

Players take the role of our Protagonist in this journey. During this journey, players will meet Heroes and villains across the Kingdom. Little does our protagonist know, he has a destiny of his own, and through piecing his memories together, his very existence may shape the outcome of the kingdom. During his adventure across the kingdom, the protagonist’s actions will come into play across the entire land as well as one of discovery for him.

As this is a reboot of the franchise, players will see the birth of the Three Kingdoms. The story is told in a well-paced structure. Players will pursue which story they want to learn and advance during their journey across the land. The stories will intertwine and will provide insight on each Clan. As the retelling of the stories, Dynasty Warriors: Origins does well.

However, how does the gameplay hold up? Is it similar to past Dynasty Warriors games, or stand out on its own? Let’s take a look.

Gameplay:

Dynasty Warriors: Origins combines traditional hack-and-slash mechanics, similar to previous entries, with strategic elements. An example of this is when players take control of their main character and can issue orders to their troops on the battlefield. The game introduces a dynamic combat system that allows for various weapon choices and character customizations, enhancing tactical depth. This can also happen on the fly in the field. Notably, it features one-on-one duels against formidable opponents, adding intensity to the gameplay.

The one-on-one duels can range from easy to difficult, and come in a variety as well. It is in-depth and does what it is supposed to do. The story missions branch out depending on the path of the story you take. There are also side quests to do, some providing skill points that you use for your skill trees. Build up your skill trees to be the best warrior that you can be.

There is one problem with this. While the gameplay has been polished, if you are not a fan of the formula, this will hit very quickly. You will find yourself doing the same sidequests constantly, some that would only run probably about a minute at most (depending on the quest). It is a repeating pattern in the side content that does not provide any actual benefits besides skill points.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins shines in the story quests. That’s where all of the efforts were made, and it delivers in that regard.

Audio/Visual:

Visually, this is the best that Dynasty Warriors has ever looked. From the character designs to the auras on the characters (looking at you Lu Bu), to the world, and levels, everything is well done and varied. The developers took their time to bring the world of Ancient China to life.

Audio Wise, the voice work is fantastic. I played with English voices and had zero issues with it. There are several recognizable voices in it as well. Music does have some variety, but the side missions seem to have similar tracks which wears on you rather quickly.

Fun Factor:

I can confidently say Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a load of fun and the game needed to kick off the start of the year. I put over 100 hours into the game to complete the story, which has multiple paths, post-game content, and much more. It is a game that players can pop in at any time and just have fun with.

Wrap-up/Conclusion:

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the perfect game to kick off the year with. It is a reboot of a classic franchise, and it does the reboot well by incorporating its original story alongside the retelling of the Three Kingdoms story. However, it does suffer some repetitiveness. Regardless, it is well done at what it does and is good fun.

– Until next time, Mgs2master2 out!

Score: 9/10 – Dynasty Warriors: Origins is fun and a great way to kick off the year. If you are a franchise fan, you should not miss this. However, I recommend playing the demo first if you are a newcomer. Make sure to get a feel for it as it does get repetitive if you want to tackle all of the sidequests in the process. The story is where the game shines and it does it fantastically

*Special thanks to Koei Tecmo PR team for providing the PS5 review Key*