It can be difficult to bring these now-familiar characters and tales to life again because the original Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel has spawned so many versions. However, the reimagined story of politics, conflict, and diplomacy in Dynasty Warriors: Origins seemed nearly as fresh as when I initially came upon it after 60 hours of play. With more foes on screen than ever before to fully create the “1 vs. 1000” scenario, it ups the ante on battles beyond what even this series has been known for. Origins has easily become my favorite Dynasty Warriors game to date when you combine that with better graphics, a lot deeper and more sophisticated focus on fighting, amazing storytelling, and a ton of postgame material.
The main focus and attraction of Dynasty Warriors has always been the action, even while the larger plotlines of Romance of the Three Kingdoms frequently serve as the impetus for some of the series’ most significant conflicts. Battles against great fighters like Lu Bu typically only add a little spice to the carnage, but the moments that have stayed with me the most include bringing down hundreds of opponents at once. Nonetheless, Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have struck a balance between story and combat in Origins.
Here, you assume the unique position of a brand-new character made especially for Origins, in contrast to earlier games where you had to choose a plot and then switch between legendary lords like Liu Bei, Sun Ce, or Cao Cao. Although it is a touch trite, the idea that your hero is just another itinerant warrior with amnesia works quite nicely. This more narrowly focused plotline allows you to travel across several provinces and contribute your skills to whatever army needs them, taking you back to the early years of well-known Three Kingdoms protagonists before their ascent to fame.
And while I did regret being able to play as famous officers like Guan Yu for whole missions, Origins at least allows you to temporarily assume control of them in certain stages, which is a good middle ground. As you follow famous events like the defeat of the Yellow Turban army and Dong Zhuo’s ascent and decline, there is not much choice in the early chapters. When you get to the halfway point of the roughly 45-hour (if you include all the side activities) campaign, however, everything changes because you have to decide which alliance and lord to join permanently, which affects how you see the rest of the narrative. Following Liu Bei’s idealism and altruism through the highs and lows of his ascent to power, I initially selected the modest but capable Shu clan.
Thankfully, after seeing the end of one storyline, Origins makes it very easy to either jump back in and replay any battle you want or restart from specific points in each chapter, letting you see how the story unfolds when you choose one of the other alliances. Meeting certain conditions in each of those branching stories will even unlock the “true endings” of the saga, which I am still happily working towards.
The Three Kingdoms are given a bit more romance in Origins.
A parallel plotline involving the retrieval of lost memories is also present throughout the five chapters, gradually elucidating the wanderer’s function in the larger narrative. To counterbalance the more exposition-heavy narrative that concentrates on the events of each fight or the numerous betrayals and alliances occurring around them, it is full of exciting discussions and cutscenes involving a big cast of intriguing characters. Your main character’s only real flaw or peculiarity is that he rarely shows emotion and when he does, it is very subtly, which can detract from the emotional impact of some story points. He also does not talk other than the standard cries you hear when you dodge, parry, or defeat an officer in combat.
Occasionally, you will come across other well-known fighters on the globe map after you have faced them in combat, which will enable you to strengthen your relationship with them. There are five levels to each bond, and as you go through them, you will receive incentives like collectible coins that will reward you regularly as your collection grows. These exchanges ended up being among my favorites, and the last bond level even opens a more private cutscene between you and that individual.
For example, avoiding spoilers, it was surprisingly touching when one famous general asked me to join them for a drink so they could etch the features of my face and the sound of my voice into their memory. The characters speak so eloquently and with such reverence that it can often read as romantic interest, although none of the dozens of bonds I completed ever explicitly led to that. Still, Koei Tecmo certainly put a little bit more romance into the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier about it.
The spectacle of the Ultimate Musou Attacks matches their power.
Each weapon has a unique set of Battle Arts that range from powerful repeated thrusts to wide-sweeping assaults to different counterattacks, and they all use a resource called Bravery. The more potent and thrilling ones even allow you to create spires of earth that inflict continuous damage on anyone who touches them, summon tiny tornadoes that sweep up enemies, or—my personal favorite—create a laser of light that shoots from your fingertips and can pierce and knock up groups for as long as you hold the button down or until you run out of Bravery.
Once a certain skill on the skill tree has been unlocked, bravery can be earned by hitting foes, parrying blows, or flawlessly dodging assaults. In addition to looking better than ever, parries and flawless evasions have significant tactical advantages. Parrying attacks instantly expose opponents to counterattacks, breaking their combinations and leaving them vulnerable to knocks. As you can chain dodges to restore more with each combo, flawless evasions provide Bravery more fast.
Beyond simply counting the number of knockouts I could achieve while destroying armies, these elements give the conflict more dimension and keep it engaging. Along with your Battle Arts, you can use the series’ renowned all-powerful Musou Attacks and an anger mode that rapidly replenishes your Bravery, heals you when you hit it, and makes your Ultimate Musou Attack even more potent. When I timed one correctly, it was always an adrenaline rush to watch 1000 KOs appear at once. The spectacle of these attacks matches their force.
Verdict
Dynasty Warriors: Origins has a brilliant opening if it is intended to be a fresh start. In addition to having the most adversaries the franchise has ever shown on screen at once, it also enhances the fighting, enhances the narrative without interfering with gameplay, and offers a good amount of replayability and postgame content—all while looking better than before. At moments, your amnesiac hero is a little too numb, but the remarkable ensemble cast helped this story shine as I began to care about all of the people in his immediate vicinity. Origins is both a great entry point for newcomers and a triumphant return for veterans like me who felt the last few entries had become stale or missed the mark. It feels like the series I once loved is finally back.