There was one string of moments that left me in awe while playing a demo of Dynasty Warriors: Origins at the Tokyo Game Show. This particular sequence began with enemy forces unleashing a barrage of arrows. My allies weathered the storm, but they were met by an enemy charge that I deftly countered with a tactical maneuver. Then, I was challenged to a duel by a rival general, Hua Xiong, causing numerous soldiers to surround us to form a fighting pit. As these events transpired, numerous notifications popped up telling me how many soldiers I had defeated, as allied officers cheered me onward to victory.
Moments like this are what make developer Omega Force’s upcoming action RPG so exciting. I was surprised by how fluidly these sequences were presented, as though I was adapting to the flow of battle in real time. I audibly gasped and hollered on several occasions, prompting event staff to approach me thinking that something had gone wrong. It’s not just that its story surprised me as a longtime fan of Romance of the Three Kingdoms; Dynasty Warriors: Origins is actually making several changes to the musou formula that may shock series’ fans initially. You can let your guard down for now; Omega Force has a sound plan to boldly reinvent the series, and I can already see it paying off.
The origins of a hero
The campaign of Dynasty Warriors: Origins stars the Wanderer, a mysterious hero who rises through the ranks as tumultuous events lead to a pivotal moment in Chinese history. This change alone should be enough to shock veterans of Koei Tecmo’s long-running hack-and-slash series. After all, it eschews the traditional approach where players select officers that belong to certain factions or kingdoms, often concluding their arcs in an ahistorical manner.
The Wanderer is unlike the create-a-warrior (CAW) feature, too, since he’s a male-only character. Speaking to Tomohiko Sho, the head of Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force division, at the Tokyo Game Show, the developer explains that this restriction is due to the role that the Wanderer plays in the story.
Perhaps the most drastic change of all is that Origins will only let you control nine other characters. These historical characters come from the three main factions led by Cao Cao (Wei), Liu Bei (Shu-Han), and Sun Jian (Wu). The respective leaders of each faction won’t be playable either, according to Sho, as they’re meant to be rulers in their own right.
Sho notes that the reason for this change is twofold. The first is due to the fact that Origins will only focus on a portion of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms — up until the Battle of Chibi — thus fewer characters would need to make an appearance. Sho adds that this would also lead to a second objective, one where the development team can weave a stronger narrative given that the game will only unfold during a shorter time period.
Those changes didn’t worry me once I understood what the team is going for with Origins. After playing previous Dynasty Warriors titles with anywhere from 60 to 80 playable characters, Origins having significantly fewer fighters feels like less of a restriction and more of a realignment. I did try to guess the roster of playable characters, but Sho noted that the team wouldn’t be able to disclose more info (he also didn’t want to divulge whether Lu Bu would be playable or not).
A tighter story means that each battle feels unique. While only the Battle of Sishui Gate was available for the demo, I can already tell how it was meant to be a spectacle that showcases new features.
This conflict, which pitted the expeditionary forces of Yuan Shao against the allies of the tyrant Dong Zhuo, had me making my way through a war-torn countryside, taking out dozens of soldiers that barred my path. In instances where I came across hostile officers like Li Jue, Guo Si, or Jia Xu, I waited for them to strike before parrying at the perfect time; deflecting their blows allowed me to follow up with a devastating combo once they were staggered. Then, by the time Hua Xiong challenged the Wanderer to a duel, I saw both fighters surrounded by troops who cheered on their respective champions. I also waited for a perfect opportunity to parry and riposte, countering Hua Xiong’s attacks until I defeated him.
I was able to choose from three potential companions: younger versions of Xiahou Dun, Guan Yu, and Sun Shangxiang. Having picked Shangxiang, I watched as she and the Wanderer performed tandem musou maneuvers. The Wanderer, too, could equip up to four types of special skills known as Arts, including flaming flourishes and aerial juggling. In the same vein, there are tactical options that allow me to direct my squad of soldiers. I could have them charge enemy positions, shoot a volley of arrows, or attempt an encirclement to entrap hostiles. These could be activated by holding down the shoulder buttons and pressing any of the four face buttons, making for a highly dynamic process as I adapted to occurrences in real time.
A bold direction
One element that’s already catching my eye is enemy density in the midst of battle. In previous titles, I usually saw a few dozen troops. In Origins, there were soldiers as far as the eye could see – from the rolling hills and dusty plains to the ramparts of Sishui Gate itself. Given how the Dynasty Warriors franchise often touted the notion of “one general against a thousand” or “being a mighty hero of the Three Kingdoms,” the number of units on the map creates an enormously daunting scale that the series has yet to see.
Sho notes that this is Omega Force’s way of making use of new technologies, given that the game will be releasing for PC and current-gen consoles (sorry, PS4 and Xbox One players). It will also include options that help with technical performance, especially for rigs that may have trouble due to enemy density and battlefield size.
As someone who’s been playing the Dynasty Warriors games for over two decades, I’m excited to see what publisher Koei Tecmo has in store. Even if some of these changes might sound contentious to longtime fans, I can’t deny that Dynasty Warriors: Origins is shaping up to be a bold new direction for the franchise. It’s an offering that’s worth looking forward before it launches on January 17, 2025.
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