Our review of Dynasty Warriors: Origins, developed by Omega Force. Available January 14, 2025, for PS5 (reviewed), Xbox X/S, and Windows.
WHAT IS IT?
The latest and possibly greatest entry in the storied “throw as many enemies on screen as possible” hack-and-slash series.
IS IT GOOD?
It’s Musou good.
WHO SHOULD PLAY IT?
Action junkies — unless you’re a dedicated Chinese history buff.
SANGOKUMOSOU
My fondest, albeit only, memory of Dynasty Warriors dates back to around the year 2000, with the demo disc release of Dynasty Warriors 2. (Though I suspect it might have been an Underground Jam Pack.) I played, and replayed, that demo endlessly, engrossed by its simplistic but enjoyable gameplay, and the massive battlefields it let me play around in.
There have been a lot of Warriors (known in Japan as Musou) games since then, and, so far as I can tell, they’ve pretty much all done the same thing, on increasingly powerful systems: thrown you into a dubiously ahistorical recreation of the “Three Kingdoms” era of ancient China, with hundreds if not thousands of soldiers on the battlefield. In the early years, slowdown was common as consoles struggled to render the huge armies on screen; today, that’s no longer a problem.
That’s why, I suspect, the new PS5 title Dynasty Warriors: Origins may wind up heralded as the best entry yet. Although it significantly reduces the number of playable characters compared to past entries, it more than makes up for it with the largest battles ever, impressive graphics, and addictive gameplay that will have you slicing and dicing bandits, archers, and big chonking boss fights for hours on end. You have never seen this many characters on screen at one time outside an RTS, and it’s spectacular.
SHIN SANGOKUMOSOU
Early in the tutorial level of Dynasty Warriors: Origins, one of the enemies shouts, “call for reinforcements!” and it was everything I could do to stop myself from shouting “Hell Yeah!” out loud.
The best – and if we’re being honest here, only – thing about the Warriors/Musou series is its ability to fill the screen with a mind-boggling number of characters, friend and foe alike. There’s nothing quite like entering a battlefield with dozens of skirmishes already playing out, dashing from one spot to the next and wreaking havoc. There’s very little that’s realistic about these games: you’re absurdly overpowered, the enemies are basically piñatas, and the joy of it all is how big and spectacular it can get.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins understands this. The title, of course, is a giveaway, this being a return to the form I found so captivating on that demo disc all those years ago. (Incidentally, DW 2 was actually the entry which established the template we know today; the first DW was a one-on-one fighting game, of all things.)
Combat is simple and straightforward: hack and slash, direct your forces with the strategy sub-menu, run (or gallop) to whichever area is most in need of your superpowers, and learn to master the game’s generous parrying mechanic, necessary for defeating the tougher sub- and main bosses. The screenshots here give a very good idea of what you’ll be up to and how ridiculous you’ll look while doing it.
SENGOKU MUSOU
Narratively, the Origins story is compelling enough, if not exactly original. Following an amnesiac warrior (sigh) who throws in his lot with a band of heroes (many based on real historical figures), it acts as a partial reimagining of the 14th century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, shepherding players through historical events such as the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Battle of Chibi.
Those familiar with this era and/or the Romance (also featured in a long-running video game series from which Warriors spun off) will appreciate how Origins retells fabled moments with modern graphics and gameplay. Those who’ve never encountered a Romance or Musou before will, at the same time, enjoy this quasi-reboot as a great entry point into the series.
That said, it’s quietly amusing to me that this game, which is exclusively about one dude single-handedly mowing down thousands of enemies using superpowers, takes itself so seriously. The writers are deeply invested in having Dynasty Warriors: Origins hit the key beats of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, seemingly oblivious to the fact that no one is coming to this game for literary or historical fidelity. (Though not entirely oblivious, given the ability to fast-forward during Origins‘s too-long dialogue scenes.)
I do like the small touches in Origins. There’s a nifty overworld where you’re a giant striding across mountains, pausing only to interact with NPCs or rest up an inn before the next battle. I like the fast-forward button, since it lets you follow dialogue at hyper-speed rather than miss it entirely. I like the way pre-battle menu where you can plan out troop deployments and equipment loadouts before dropping into combat.
It’s by no means a great game – that’s just not what Warriors has ever aimed for – but it’s a very good and fun one, if only for the epic battles it manages to depict without having your PS5 overheat. The glare of a thousand swords clashing is simply a wonder to behold.
***
Final score: 8/10 Battles of Helm’s Deep.
Visit the official website for Dynasty Warriors: Origins here.
