Dynasty Warriors Origins Review

Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have crafted a gem in the Dynasty Warriors series. Despite performing below expectations as of late, fans of the Musou genre can rejoice as a new installment has finally arrived, offering the exhilarating power fantasy of vanquishing hundreds of foes in a single sweep.

Dynasty Warriors Origins, the long-awaited follow-up to Dynasty Warriors 9, marks a significant return since the last entry in 2018. This latest title feels like an injection of fresh new blood to the long-running series, blending familiar elements with innovative approaches that make the game feel fresh and refined, forging a bold new path for the series.

In With The New

While entertaining, the Musou core formula can get a little tiring, especially because several entries have not drastically changed things up. Dynasty Warriors Origins has read the memo and thus makes several significant changes from its predecessors.

One of the more impactful changes Dynasty Warriors Origins makes is to feature a single protagonist, unlike before, when you would jump between heroes such as Cao Cao and Lu Bu. This time, you play as the Wanderer, a mysterious character with amnesia who has forgotten his past. The story isn’t the most significant part of the game, but focusing on one character is surprisingly more engaging despite the linear narrative.

Its fast, fluid, and flashy combat system is at the heart of Dynasty Warriors Origins, or any Dynasty Warriors game in general. This time, the game makes welcome tweaks that, while still retaining the pillars of the series, result in a less button-mashy but still frenetic experience. Players will find themselves blissfully cleaving through hordes of enemies, experiencing the ultimate power fantasy that the series is known for, but now also introduces a parry and counter system, adding depth and strategy to battles. By timing their guards perfectly, players can execute powerful counterattacks that chip away at enemy officers’ Fortitude, leaving them vulnerable to devastating Assaults.

Players will also gain control of various weapons, each with its own progression bar and “Arts,” or unique skills tied to different weapon types, further enhancing the combat experience. Players can equip up to four Arts, each offering distinct advantages in battle, from clearing large groups of enemies to focusing on one-on-one duels.

Dynasty Warriors Origins will pit players against named opponents on the field, basically tougher opponents, which will test the ability of players to parry and dodge away from attacks. Treat these as your mini-boss and boss battles, and are encounters that will radically change the flow of the game from the usual sweeping hordes and make for a more cerebral affair than usual.

Exploration in Dynasty Warriors Origins is a refreshing departure from the open-world format of its predecessor. An overworld map is available for players to get from point to point in between battles, and they’ll also be able to stock up or do necessary upgrades before heading off to battle. The fundamental structure of this game is vastly different, treating players to a new experience coming from the previous titles in the series.

The world of Dynasty Warriors Origins is rich with detail and offers a variety of environments to explore. Players will traverse lush forests and treacherous mountains, each filled with hidden secrets and opportunities for discovery. Character models look stunning, and the power afforded by the new consoles really works towards bringing the game to new visual heights.

While combat will tend to feel repetitive in the later stages, as with all titles in the series, Dynasty Warriors Origins strives to alleviate this thanks to the aforementioned tweaks, and it works, for the most part. It can only do so much, and by the time we rolled credits during our 24-hour campaign playthrough, we felt content but also ready to move on.

PC and Steam Deck Performance

Before anything else, here’s the system we used to play Dynasty Warriors Origins:

• Ryzen 5 5600x, 16 GB DDR4 3600 RAM, NVIDIA 4070 Super, 1TB NVMe SSD
• Steam Deck OLED

And here are the system requirements needed to play the game:

Minimum

• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
• RAM: 12GB
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (VRAM 6GB) or AMD Radeon RX 590 (VRAM 8GB)
• Storage: 50GB

Recommended

• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
• RAM: 16GB
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (VRAM 8GB) or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (VRAM 8GB)
• Storage: 50GB

Dynasty Warriors Origins runs exceptionally well on both PC and the Steam Deck! On Valve’s impressive handheld, players can jump right in with a convenient Steam Deck preset. The game runs well enough, maintaining great visuals and some understandable compromises. When playing without a TDP limit, experiencing a nearly locked 30fps is quite remarkable considering the hardware and nature of the game.

Playing Dynasty Warriors Origins on a capable PC offers a vastly different experience. With our hardware setup, we consistently achieved around 100-120 frames per second at 1440p resolution, and approximately 90 frames per second when we boosted the resolution to 4K with high settings. The gameplay is incredibly smooth, which enhances the impact of sweeping attacks and the chaotic movement of troops across the battlefield.

Verdict: Buy it!

Dynasty Warriors Origins is an excellent addition to this long-running series, introducing valuable improvements that revitalize its core gameplay. The combat and progression systems have been refined, resulting in a much better overall experience compared to its previously criticized predecessor.

Battling as the amnesiac Wanderer against hordes of troops remains an exhilarating experience, with powerful attacks that send enemies flying to the next town. Running smoothly on capable hardware, including the Steam Deck, Dynasty Warriors Origins is sure to satisfy your cravings for action and hack-and-slash gameplay.

*Dynasty Warriors Origins was reviewed on a PC and Steam Deck with a review code provided by the publisher.