The legendary Romance of the Three Kingdoms has inspired countless adaptations, making it a challenge to bring something fresh to its well-known characters and conflicts. But after spending 60 hours with Dynasty Warriors: Origins, its reimagined take on war, politics, and strategy felt as exciting as the first time I discovered this saga. The scale of battles has been expanded beyond anything seen before, with more enemies on screen than ever, truly delivering the fantasy of “1 vs. 1000.” Combined with refined combat, improved visuals, compelling storytelling, and a wealth of postgame content, Origins has easily become my favorite entry in the series.
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Balancing Story and Combat
While the larger historical narrative has always provided the backdrop for Dynasty Warriors’ massive battles, the heart of the series has always been the action. The most memorable moments often involve cutting down swarms of enemies, with duels against legendary warriors like Lu Bu adding extra intensity. Origins finds a new balance between these two elements, making both the storytelling and the combat equally compelling.
Unlike past games that let you choose between different legendary warlords, here you take control of a brand-new character created specifically for Origins. The amnesiac wandering warrior trope might be familiar, but it works surprisingly well in this setting. This fresh approach places you in the early years of the Three Kingdoms era, allowing you to move between different factions before committing to one. While I did miss playing as iconic figures like Guan Yu for entire missions, Origins offers the option to take control of them temporarily in key battles, which is a satisfying middle ground.
The early chapters guide you through famous events like the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the rise and fall of Dong Zhuo. However, at the campaign’s midpoint—roughly 45 hours if you explore side activities—you’re given the choice of which faction to permanently align with, shaping the rest of your story. My first playthrough had me siding with Shu, experiencing Liu Bei’s hopeful yet often tragic rise to power. Fortunately, Origins makes it easy to revisit past battles or restart from key decision points, letting you explore alternate paths and uncover each faction’s unique conclusion. Some choices even unlock hidden “true endings,” which I’m still eagerly working toward.
A More Personal Take on the Three Kingdoms
Beyond the political drama and large-scale conflicts, a secondary storyline unfolds as you gradually recover your lost memories, revealing the protagonist’s deeper role in history. The narrative is bolstered by well-crafted cutscenes and engaging character interactions, adding layers of intrigue to the battlefield strategies and betrayals at play. The only drawback is that the protagonist often feels emotionless—when they do react, it’s so subtle that some moments lose their emotional impact. Additionally, they remain silent outside of battle grunts, which makes them feel more distant compared to the vibrant personalities around them.
As you meet legendary warriors, you’ll find opportunities to bond with them on the world map. These relationships progress through five levels, unlocking various bonuses along the way, including collectible rewards. At the final level, special one-on-one cutscenes provide deeper insight into each character. Some of these interactions carry a surprising emotional weight, with moments that feel almost romantic despite never explicitly crossing that line. One particularly touching exchange involved a general sharing a drink with me, vowing to remember my face and voice forever. Origins may not include romance mechanics, but it certainly leans into the “Romance” of the Three Kingdoms in its own way, and I found myself fully invested in these personal connections.
Mastering the Art of War
While war itself may be eternal, the weapons of war constantly evolve. Origins starts you off with a basic sword and simple attacks (known as Battle Arts), but as you progress, you’ll unlock new weapons and improve your proficiency with each. This system encouraged me to experiment, even with weapons I initially found underwhelming. For instance, the wheel weapon felt weak at first compared to heavy hitters like the crescent blade or gauntlets. However, after leveling up its proficiency, I discovered its ability to stagger enemy officers and break through defenses, making it invaluable in certain fights.
There are nine additional weapon types to unlock, obtained either by defeating specific generals or purchasing them in shops. Typically, I’d gain a new one just as I mastered my current weapon, ensuring combat never felt repetitive. Each weapon has a distinct playstyle, making up for the lack of character-switching seen in previous games. Swapping between weapons mid-battle became crucial in later chapters, where adapting to different threats was key to victory. While all weapons can be effective in any situation, some shine in specific scenarios—such as using the wide-hitting lance to clear crowds or the gauntlets to dominate one-on-one duels.
The Power of Combat
Battle Arts add another layer to the action, using Bravery (a special resource) to unleash devastating techniques. Some of the most satisfying ones let you summon tornadoes, create damaging earth spires, or fire piercing beams of light that juggle enemies mid-air. Bravery is earned through combat by landing hits, parrying, or performing perfect dodges—both of which are more impactful than ever. Parrying interrupts enemy attacks and leaves them vulnerable, while well-timed dodges generate Bravery faster, allowing you to chain powerful abilities together.
Musou Attacks, the series’ signature super moves, return in full force, complete with an Ultimate Musou mode that restores health, grants instant Bravery, and lets you unleash an even more devastating attack. Few things in gaming feel as satisfying as timing one of these perfectly and seeing a massive “1000 KOs” pop up on screen.
Beyond personal combat, battlefield Tactics provide additional strategic depth. These abilities, such as launching fire arrows or calling in reinforcements, can dramatically alter a fight when used correctly. Positioning plays a role, too—unleashing fire arrows from higher ground increases their effectiveness, rewarding careful planning over mindless button-mashing. Tactics take time to recharge, making them valuable tools for saving allies or overwhelming enemy strongholds at key moments.
On higher difficulties, defensive skills become just as crucial as offensive ones. Hero difficulty is challenging, but Ultimate difficulty—unlocked after completing the main story—demands true mastery. Enemies become relentless, coordinating attacks from multiple angles and punishing careless mistakes. I relished the added challenge, as replaying past missions with tougher foes also meant better rewards. Some missions introduce additional objectives, such as completing them under a time limit or targeting specific officers, which made revisiting old battles feel rewarding rather than repetitive.
A Living World
Outside of combat, Origins presents a beautifully detailed world map, resembling a living diorama filled with mountains, rivers, and forests. The 10 provinces are packed with missions, skirmishes, resources, and shops. While large enough to justify a fast travel system, areas are still small enough to traverse quickly on foot.
Side missions provide valuable rewards, including stat-boosting accessories and reinforcements for your army, while skirmishes offer quick, action-packed battles perfect for earning extra money and honing your skills. These skirmishes also serve as great testing grounds for new builds and weapons. Many involve simple objectives like defeating 100 enemies with a specific weapon, but others pose real challenges—one of the toughest had me win five consecutive duels without taking damage. Completing these was always worth it, as they often unlocked fun character interactions and extra skill points to customize my abilities.
Verdict
If Dynasty Warriors: Origins marks a new beginning for the series, it’s an incredibly strong one. It doesn’t just push the limits of large-scale battles—it also deepens its combat mechanics, improves storytelling without slowing down the action, and packs in a generous amount of replayability and postgame content, all while boasting impressive visuals. The silent protagonist may lack personality at times, but the rich cast of characters more than makes up for it. For newcomers, it’s an excellent starting point. For longtime fans like me, it feels like the Dynasty Warriors I fell in love with is finally back.
