For me, Dynasty Warriors has always been like a reliable comfort food—just the thing I crave. Over the years, Omega Force’s famed series has told a sweeping, kingdom-wide saga, each entry continuing to refine its hallmark “1 versus 1000” battles. I stumbled upon the franchise with Dynasty Warriors 2, and for 25 years, I’ve been drawn back, watching this epic tale unfold through a huge ensemble cast, developing favorites like Guan Yu naturally, thanks to the sheer amount of time spent with them.
With the 10th primary release in the series, I approached it with keen anticipation. Aptly named Dynasty Warriors: Origins, this edition signals a back-to-basics approach, a reinvention that stretches beyond the modest updates fans have typically seen over the years.
Right from the start, Origins captures you with a more intricate and concentrated narrative—it only covers the first half of the familiar storyline but it adds much more depth. Normally, the Dynasty Warriors games kick off with players squashing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, igniting the historic yet partly fictionalized Romance of the Three Kingdoms setting in ancient China. However, Origins gives us a fresh perspective on this by first examining how the Yellow Turbans came to be, their descent into corruption, and their eventual demise. Essentially, it’s setting the stage for the traditional beginning in a new way.
A new layer of intrigue is added with the introduction of a brand-new protagonist—one whom you can give a name. This amnesiac traveling warrior slowly unveils their past as you progress through the game. Most of your time in Dynasty Warriors: Origins will be spent as this character, marking a substantial departure from past games. Previously, players could choose from a vast array of officers belonging to different factions in the storyline, but now, the focus is on leading this single hero through the narrative, meeting familiar icons along the way, some of whom you’ll even get to control briefly.
This is a bold, exciting shift for a series that’s deliberately shaking things up. While it abandons the open world style introduced in Dynasty Warriors 9, concentrating on a main character allows developers to craft a unique Story Mode. Instead of jumping directly from one battle to the next, interspersed with cutscenes, you now roam an overworld between major levels. Here, you can discover secrets, tweak your gear, interact with officers, and engage in smaller skirmishes to gain experience.
This revamp reflects a renewed emphasis on the combat mechanics in Dynasty Warriors. Fans of the series will be glad to know that the core hack and slash action is present, but it now comes with additional depth. Facing bosses means relying more on blocks, parries, and evasive maneuvers. Some battles feature light puzzle elements, and you can customize Battle Art special abilities to tailor your fighting style for each weapon category.
It doesn’t feel like these changes were made just for the sake of trying something new. Instead, they mark an assured progression. I’m still getting that superhero thrill of controlling a 2nd-century warrior, yet each one-on-one encounter requires a gratifying level of strategic thought.
It’s this balancing act between old and new that defines Origins’ approach. It’s unmistakably Dynasty Warriors, but with some fresh ideas seamlessly interwoven into the familiar gameplay. To put it another way, it’s still my comfort food, just with some intriguing new flavors.
