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We’ve seen this story before, and plenty of us love it: ancient China has entered into an age of conflict. War rages across the land, laying low peasant and noble alike, and three kingdoms vie for supremacy over the nation. In a twist, we follow a new, unnamed character as they participate in all manner of battles both great and small. Our hero’s efforts might be just what’s needed to sway the balance of power and return peace to the land in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, a sorta-reboot, sorta-sequel that sorta-reinvents the long-running Musou series.
via YouTubeDynasty Warriors: Origins is another effort by Koei Tecmo to take one of its oldest, longest-running franchises and drag it into the modern era. This is mostly achieved by updating the classic Dynasty Warriors presentation. This is both aesthetic – note the edgy, dark color palette and character designs – and practical, as Origins is more of an action-RPG than prior entries in the series. We follow the protagonist in a more direct fashion, wandering from town to town, interacting with the usual who’s who of ancient China and engaging in battles wherever they arise.
You’ve got a little more agency with regards to what you do and when, and this is enhanced by the inclusion of shorter, more self-contained battles suitable for shorter play sessions.
That’s not to say that everything’s changed, of course, as the traditional Dynasty Warriors gameplay is still intact. Mash the attack button, mix in the special button, slam the Musou attack button and watch as hordes and hordes of bad guys fall in your wake, much as you’ve done for decades prior in previous games. They wouldn’t keep making these if the fundamentals didn’t work, so you can rest assured that Origins still has it where it counts. There’s some gameplay twists here and there, like cooldown-based special attacks, but nothing’s so different as to be unrecognizable.
That applies to how Origins looks and feels as well. As mentioned, we’ve got a more subdued and dark tone here. This looks fantastic and contrasts hilariously with the mass murder of thousands that you’ll engage in every time you go into battle. Likewise, the butt-rock that’s typified the series is present and accounted for, ready to pump you up to slaughter another army. Don’t worry, it’s all in the name of peace.
Some series are getting a little long in the tooth and need a kick in the pants to keep going as they have. Opinions might vary on whether Dynasty Warriors: Origins is enough of a kick to get the juices flowing, given how similarly it plays to previous games. That’s the case because the formula still packs plenty of punch to keep fans enthralled, but there’s enough spice here to satisfy newcomers as well.