Love is a battlefield.
It's no secret that Dynasty Warriors 9 didn't live up to expectations. And during the six years since, Omega Force has produced several engaging entries in the Warriors series. From Fire Emblem to The Legend of Zelda, among other titles such as Samurai Warriors and Touken Ranbu Warriors, the spirit of what Dynasty Warriors was has produced a lot of entertaining Musou titles during this gap. However, returning to the main series just wasn't in the cards as Omega Force decided to reboot the series with a fresh coat of paint over stories they have told time and time again.
Fans of the series, and that of history, are aware of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. These stories have been the narrative spine of the series since its inception. Here, it is fleshed out significantly more due to an unnamed fictional protagonist that you'll maneuver throughout the political machinations that make up these Kingdoms. You'll get to know the key players, the men and women that take to the battlefield, and make choices that will dictate the outcome. While some choices may feel like they don't produce real stakes, you'll eventually have to take a side, taking to battle against those you once called friends.
Origins brings with it a deeper RPG system for its progression mechanics than what we've largely seen in the past. Ziluan, whom your character is often referred to, can see incremental upgrades to their stats, a skill tree that unlocks at certain level milestones, as well as new weapons that upon leveling up their proficiency, will grant the very skills points needed to perform those enhancements. While the systems are not any deeper than games that could barely be called an RPG, they provide just enough depth to keep you out of menus and back into the action. That said, some story moments can last as long as the most intense battles.
Unlike previous entries, you will largely only control Ziluan. While you can choose a single companion in most missions, their use is extremely limited as you'll be back in control of Ziluan before you know it. Still, the range of weapons you'll be able to wield does make up for that, allowing you to have a great deal to master, improve upon, and discover. You'll also find better versions of those weapons in battle or via the shops that each new town provides. And, once you've engaged with certain characters, they will provide weapon challenges to earn rewards to improve your stats.
Ziluan also has his own story, a narrative that runs alongside the main plot as he attempts to recover his lost memories. While that story does come to a head in somewhat of a tragic moment, it's not nearly as good as the central story and rarely felt engaging. Honestly, it felt like it was part of an entirely different game. While that may sound like the main story is impressive, that isn't the case at all. While this story has been told many times before, it largely comes down to your patience for the whole ordeal. Dialogue can often repeat the point of the conversation, and some of those conversations could have been trimmed to put you back in the action sooner. That said, many fans of the series are more inclined to love these moments as they deepen your understanding of certain characters, their motives, and their hopes and dreams.
Regardless of the length of conversations, moments, and the bond scenarios you'll engage in, Ziluan is largely a voiceless character. They will exclaim bits of dialogue during combat, but you'll largely be picking dialogue options to reply to your allies and enemies. Still, having Ziluan as this middleman to the entirety of all these factions is a great move to allow access to aspects of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in ways the games haven't done before. Fans will also see characters they know presented with a new look, weapon, and approach.
The new approach to the story allows you to see more of the machinations that lead to the fallout of allegiances during the Yellow Turban War, a moment fans of the series are well aware of. As you start to progress through the story, you'll see these moments from the point of an observer, and find deeper meaning into why they have gone the route they have. From acts of revenge to simply performing one’s duty, I loved the big moments that saw the stories branch out with the choices I was given. Seeing the birth of the Wei, Wu, and Shu Dynasties was engaging, entertaining, and very enjoyable.
From swords, spears, staves, twin axes, and crescent blades, there is a ton of weapon variety here. With nearly a dozen weapons to master, each has a variety of arts that you'll gain as you progress their proficiencies. You can equip four arts that use up your bravery meter, which is built upon repeated standard attacks. Combat has what you would expect of the series with normal and strong attacks, blocks that can deflect attacks when timed properly, evading, Musou attacks, and even duels, when the challenge presents itself.
Attacks and arts cause heaps of soldiers to bounce into the air, crashing down as you've suddenly defeated hundreds of enemies in a single attack. Musou attacks are especially deadly as you can perform them with an ally should they be nearby. These are built up and unleashed in incredible fashion. And should you want, you can take to horseback to not only get around faster, but to attack while atop your steed, complete with dashes to sprint through hundreds of soldiers. While the overall formula hasn’t changed much over the years, the combat here feel far more exciting, with modern hardware allowing for even more soldiers on screen than ever before.
While the series is known for having a lot of enemies on screen, it is staggering how many enemies can be on screen and still maintain a solid framerate. While it's not the extent of something like Warhammer 40K: Space Marine II or World War Z, it's still an impressive amount given the size of the environments. Taking in the big battles at the end of some missions as you tackle the base leader or the bosses that make up that scenario's story were always a treat, especially when you find a weapon that seriously just wrecks shop, which was the case with the crescent blade, a personal favorite of mine.
During battle, you'll be able to pause the carnage and carve out your plan of attack. You'll see where enemies units are, the forces they have under their control, and where your forces are attacking, complete with health bars. Should an ally be close to death, you can sprint to them on your horse and coming into contact with them will boost their health. You'll also want to watch your morale meter as it can swing the battle in your favor as you build it up. A low morale can see your forces weaker and more inclined to die.
As always, Dynasty Warriors Origins is about conquering the map, one base at a time. You'll clear house, defeat the leaders, and build up your own little army that travels with you, destroying local weapons and able to soak the area around you in arrows. As you work through each map, different events will happen. Whether it is your allies destroying the bridges to prevent backup, or enemies moving to take out key figures that you must keep alive. These events don't vary too much, but these do keep you on your toes and prevent the action from being too monotonous.
When out of battle, you’ll wander around the Kingdoms on an overworld map. Your large imposing character can move around, collecting resources to tend to perks and buffs that you can equip to your character, such as gaining health back upon the death of a specific amount of enemies. You’ll also find items that contribute to currency in a special shop that can reward you with equipment to boost your stats or money to lend itself to the shops nearby. Exploring the map is rather fun, allowing you to see the small skirmishes you can take on, the tougher missions that have a bit more going on to them, or the main missions to push the story forward. Upon your travels, you’ll unlock fast travel spots to get around faster, or just take to your horse to get the job done as well.
Dynasty Warriors Origins is a really enjoyable game and the best looking title in the series by a mile. The story may tread on familiar territory with being a tad bloated in conversation, but the bonds you’ll make with the massive cast of characters can produce some really fun moments. With a ton of weapons to master and a decent skill tree to work towards, Origins is a staggeringly solid comeback after the disastrous Dynasty Warriors 9. Whether new to the series or a veteran of the franchise, Origins is hands-down the best in the series.
Developer - Omega Force, Koei Tecmo Games.
Publisher - Koei Tecmo, Koei Tecmo Games/America. Released - January 13th, 2025. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC. Rated - (T) - Mild Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X/S. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.