Dynasty Warriors: Origins release date confirmed – watch 23 minutes of gameplay

thesixthaxis.com:

Koei Tecmo has officially announced a release date for Dynasty Warriors: Origins. The upcoming reboot, which does away with the series’ traditional numbering, will transport players back to ancient China next year on January 17th, 2025.

The Japanese publisher has also granted fans an in-depth look at Dynasty Warriors: Origins during TGS 2024, uploading a 23-minute gameplay preview with producer Tomohiko Sho that shows off a slew of exciting new features. You can watch in full here:

A quick glimpse at Origins and you’ll realise that this isn’t some grand departure from the well-established Musou game template. “1 vs. 1,000” hack and slash combat is still very much the beating heart though developer Omega Force is looking to refresh its ageing battle system with some welcome tweaks and additions.

Battles strive for more of a cinematic feel, giving players more defensive and strategic options in between bouts of frenzied button bashing. As Origins’ nameless protagonist, you’ll be able to put ally grunts to use, activating tactical abilities to give you the upper hand.

Of course, you’ll still spend most of your time cleaving through entire ranks of enemy soldiers, watching their lifeless rag-doll bodies flung across the screen. In doing so you’ll earn Bravery that can then be spent on unleashing Arts – special moves that change depending on which weapon you have equipped.

One change we’re particularly looking forward to is the increased threat from enemy officers. In Dynasty Warriors: Origins they’re looking more fearful, coated in a powerful aura that needs to be whittled down before you can finish them off. Some engagements will trigger duels that prompt all nearby troops to form an impromptu arena around the player and their opponent. The introduction of a parry move should also add a much-needed defensive layer to the Musou combat.

The last mainline game in Koei’s flagship franchise didn’t fare so well. 2018’s Dynasty Warriors 9 was meant to mark a radical change in