Dynasty Warriors: Origins review
No videogame characters blather on about their feelings more than the long-dead warlords of Dynasty Warriors: Origins. Between immense battles where thousands of men die horribly to my character's blades and magic powers, these historical leaders express their gratitude for our friendship and the valuable time we spend together, while also sharing their deepest self-doubts about conquering and ruling parts of China. It's like a bizarre paean to male friendship, only your best pal has been dead for 1,800 years and has a 4,000-word page on Wikipedia.
What is it? 1v1000 battles against a Romance of the Three Kingdoms backdrop
Release date: January 16, 2025
Expect to pay: $70 / £65
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Reviewed on: Intel i7-14700F, Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti Super, 16GB RAM (and PlayStation 5)
Multiplayer? No
Steam Deck: Playable
Link: Official site
These moments are common in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, which has a lot of story. It's both a thoughtful rumination on the men who shape history and a playdate with historical superheroes that's drowning in corny dialogue. Through some mad alchemy this combination works. In contrast to previous hack-and-slash Warriors, which had more modes and playable characters, Origins places all the emphasis on one sprawling singleplayer story mode with a preset hero.
It was a gamble, but this is a confident and modern-feeling rebirth, even if it's too overstuffed and inconsistent to reach its full potential.
It probably helps if you have some familiarity with the series before jumping into Origins, just so you know what you're getting into. Dynasty Warriors is all about 1v1000 battles in a Romance of the Three Kingdoms-inspired Chinese historical setting: You bloodlessly hammer loads of foot soldiers with melee weapons to rack up a high kill count, while picking off elite units to take control of territory on a big battle map. Each mission usually culminates with an objective where you defeat a hero on the opposing side.
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