I
haven’t
touched
a
Dynasty
Warriors
game
since
they
were
still
available
on
demo
discs
attached
to
the
Official
UK
PlayStation
magazine.
Since
I
have
no
sense
of
time,
I
can
only
assume
that
was
sometime
in
the
early
1700s.
Or
maybe
the
late
1800s.
The
point
is,
while
I’ve
always
been
aware
of
the
series
and
its
musou
gimmick
of
having
lead
characters
capable
of
single-handedly
kicking
the
arse
of
entire
armies.

The
point
is,
this
is
my
first
full
Dynasty
Warriors
game.
Pitched
as
a
soft
reboot
for
the
series,
Origins
seemed
like
a
great
place
for
me
to
start.
Of
course,
technically
every
Dynasty
Warriors
game
is
a
reboot
as
it
retells
the
same
core
story,
just
changing
around
some
of
the
details
and
the
characters.
But
this
one
is
even
more
rebootey,
a
word
that
doesn’t
exist
but
still
seems
the
most
apt.

Look,
the
gist
of
what
I’m
saying
is
I’m
approaching
this
review
from
the
perspective
of
a
noob.
I’m
not
going
to
be
making
comparisons
to
the
past
games,
I’m
just
going
to
offer
a
perspective
on
whether
it’s
a
good
game
for
anyone
who
has
wanted
to
just
into
the
series
but
perhaps
felt
a
little
intimidated
by
how
many
Dynasty
Warriors
games
there
are.

The
series’
trademark
is
pitching
you
against
not
just
dozens,
not
just
hundreds,
but
thousands
of
enemies
at
any
given
time.
The
screen
is
flooded
with
generic
foes
who
cannot
hope
to
stand
against
your
might
and
basically
exist
to
be
turned
into
worm
food
at
your
whim.
It’s
incredibly
satisfying
to
cleave
your
way
through
legions
of
bodies
and
to
watch
the
K.O.
counter
climbing
higher
and
higher,
usually
to
around
1,000-2,000
per
battle.
It’s
a
power
fantasy.
That
fantasy
exists
outside
of
the
game’s
combat,
too,
because
the
game
delights
at
making
your
character
the
most
important
person
in
the
world.
Almost
every
cutscene
has
a
character
describing
how
amazing
you
are,
how
powerful,
how
important,
how
incredibly
glad
they
are
to
have
you
in
your
life.
In
this
universe,
you
are
the
centre
of
everything,
and
all
must
bow
to
your
glorious…er,
gloriousness.

Sometimes
the
effort
the
game
goes
to
gas
you
up
is
genuinely
hilarious.
You
frequently
receive
letters
from
soldiers
you
apparently
encountered
on
the
battlefield,
including
a
few
from
people
who
were
on
the
opposing
side.
They
gush
about
yours
skills
on
the
battlefield
and
how
you
saved/spare/were
kind
of
near
them
and
thus
changed
their
lives!
And
then
give
you
gifts
of
ancient
coins
or
magical
amulets.
It’s
a
little
strange,
and
even
funnier
when
you
consider
I
spent
most
of
the
last
battle
accidentally
summoning
my
horse,
running
back
and
forth
because
one
of
my
allies
is
in
“Dire
Straits!”
and
gobbling
meat
buns
for
health.
Truly,
I
am
the
stuff
of
legend.

Unfortunately,
your
character
is
a
blank
slate.
He
is
an
amnesiac
warrior,
a
so-called
Guardian
of
Peace
(never
mind
the
trail
of
bodies)
that
also
happens
to
be
mute.
Well,
not
quite
–
he
does
actually
utter
a
few
generic
sentences
during
fights,
but
otherwise
remains
resolutely
silent,
communicating
purely
by
staring
at
people,
or
staring
pensively
at
the
camera/off
into
the
distance
while
the
screen
fades
to
black.
It’s
actually
rather
odd
that
the
developers
didn’t
opt
to
let
players
create
their
own
character
since
the
one
were
are
given
has
the
personality
of
a
cardboard
cutout.

Thankfully,
Captain
Cardboard
and
his
dramatic
stares
do
not
overly
damage
the
very
enjoyable
story
that
spans
years.
Loosely
based
on
the
famous
Chinese
Romance
of
the
Three
Kingdoms,
the
game
tackles
roughly
half
of
the
book
which
does
result
in
a
slightly
odd
ending.

There
was
a
bit
of
a
culture
shock,
mind
you.
I
don’t
play
a
lot
of
Japanese
titles
these
days,
and
often
forget
just
how
different
the
storytelling
style
can
be.
More
emphasis
is
placed
on
what
I
would
call
melodrama,
especially
at
any
point
where
you’re
interacting
with
someone
of
the
feminine
persuasion.
Sometimes
it
tiptoed
gently
across
the
line
into
camp
and
cheese
territories,
and
once
or
twice
it
skipped
the
tip-toeing
and
just
ran
in
their
at
a
full
spring
with
its
clothes
off.

Perhaps
the
simplest
explanation
is
that
I’m
Scottish,
so
I’m
not
used
to
people
being
so
genuinely
earnest.
If
it’s
not
surrounded
by
at
least
three
swear
words
and
some
teasing
insults,
I
simply
cannot
accept
any
compliment
or
sincere
word.
You
bloody
twat-waffle.
It
makes
scenes
where
a
character
is
describing
Captain
Cardboard
as
being
so
vital
to
their
existence
a
tad
cringe
but
in
a
genuine
and
heartfelt
way.
Again,
though,
as
a
Scotsman,
the
words
“genuine”
and
“heartfelt”
are
things
that
happen
to
other
people.

Once
I
hurdled
the
difference
in
storytelling,
though,
I
found
myself
having
a
great
time
following
the
plot,
although
I
did
end
up
having
to
take
notes
in
order
to
keep
up
with
the
various
Lords,
names,
betrayals,
battles
and
alliances.
Less
interesting
is
all
the
background
story
about
Captain
Cardboard
and
his
mysterious
past
which
I
frankly
did
not
give
a
damn
about.
Luckily,
it
didn’t
take
up
too
much
of
the
screen
time
and
the
deeper
aspects
of
it
are
optional,
letting
me
focus
on
the
more
interesting
dramatic
events
unfolding.
Eventually,
you
have
to
decide
what
faction
to
side
with,
a
difficult
task
when
so
many
of
the
people
you’ve
fought
with
appear
to
have
real
merit.
Although
it
does
feel
like
the
first
group
you
really
interact
with
is
intended
to
be
the
obvious
choice.

Battlefields
are
typically
large
areas
with
multiple
smaller
fights
occurring
across
them,
as
well
as
bases
to
capture
along
the
way.
The
main
objective
is
usually
to
kill
an
enemy
general
or
capture
a
specific
area,
although
a
few
curveballs
are
thrown
into
the
mix,
while
ensuring
your
own
general
isn’t
turned
into
a
Halloween
decoration.
How
you
opt
to
achieve
these
goals
is
up
to
you
–
maybe
capture
the
bases
around
the
outer
edges
and
launch
a
bigger
assault
from
a
side,
or
maybe
help
out
one
of
the
other
characters
who
are
busy
driving
a
battering
ram
up
to
the
front
door.
A
steady
stream
of
information
is
almost
always
being
delivered
to
your
via
the
mini-map
and
pop-ups,
informing
you
when
allies
are
advancing,
where
enemy
assaults
are
coming,
if
friendly
generals
are
in
trouble
and
so
on,
leaving
you
to
decide
where
to
focus
your
efforts.

Most
of
the
time
you’re
wading
through
hapless
goons
so
you
can
get
to
the
enemy
officers
who
lead
the
armies.
Like
you.
they
have
special
abilities,
and
if
they’re
a
named
story
character
they’ll
have
much
bigger
health
bars
and
powerful
skills
that
can
buff
their
forces
unless
stopped.
Crushing
these
foes
in
combat
(sometimes
they’ll
even
challenge
you
to
a
1-on-1
duel)
will
often
lead
to
the
nearby
enemy
forces
surrendering
completely,
or
to
your
own
team
getting
a
bit
morale
boost.

It’s
possible
to
sometimes
charge
in
and
live
up
to
the
one-magical-boy-wrecking-ball
concept
by
scything
through
to
the
enemy
and
completely
fucking
up
the
enemy
general.
It’s
glorious
when
you
pull
it
off.
However,
most
of
the
time
the
plan
won’t
work
as
you
get
mobbed
and
worn
down.
While
you’re
busy
being
drowned
under
a
tide
of
bodies,
the
rest
of
your
forces
and
allies
will
be
getting
pounded
into
the
dirt,
boosting
the
enemy
morale
bar
which
makes
them
even
stronger
in
turn.

Really,
the
idea
is
to
support
your
army
by
sticking
with
them,
carving
out
a
way
for
them
to
reach
the
main
objective.
Your
army
has
an
overall
plan
that
it
will
try
to
implement,
but
your
goal
is
to
be
everywhere
all
at
once.
That
can
even
lead
to
you
getting
to
take
part
in
massive
charges
with
your
allies
or
triggering
special
ambushes.
These
moments
where
you
are
barrelling
down
a
hill
with
a
tidal
wave
of
soldiers
toward
a
solid
wall
of
enemy
soldiers
feel
especially
epic,
like
a
scene
out
of
Lord
of
the
Rings.

The
way
the
game
is
always
feeding
you
things
to
do
mid-battle,
like
crushing
a
team
of
archers
to
stop
an
enemy
officer’s
ability
triggering
or
saving
an
ally
or
escorting
a
battering
ram,
all
serve
to
break
up
the
action.
More
importantly,
they
create
an
illusion
that
you’re
somehow
a
tactical
genius.
As
you
employ
abilities
and
help
lead
charges,
it
can
feel
like
you’re
intelligently
leading
your
army
to
victory,
when
the
truth
is
you’re
basically
an
overpowered
errand
boy
reacting
to
things
as
they
are
presented.
It
doesn’t
matter,
though,
because
in
the
middle
of
it
all,
it
feels
like

your
decision
to
reinforce
point
B
over
point
A
was
the
key,
deciding
moment
that
won
you
the
battle.

What
you
fight
the
hordes
with
is
important,
so
Origins
presents
you
with
9
different
weapons
to
choose
from.
From
a
simple
sword
or
spear,
to
vicious
discs
that
you
throw
in
wide
circles
and
a
whirling
staff,
each
weapon
is
unique
and
they
each
have
a
selection
of
special
Battle
Art
abilities
that
you
employ
by
using
the
Bravery
Meter,
further
helping
to
differentiate
them
from
each
other.
Basic
attacks
can
be
combined
with
more
specialised
moves,
plus
there
are
even
more
tricks
to
pull
off
by
combining
either
the
attack
button
with
dashing,
jumping
or
the
block
button.
It
won’t
take
you
long
to
find
a
few
weapons
that
really
clicked
with
your
play
style,
and
I
was
more
than
happy
with
the
combat
system.
In
some
ways,
it
does
feel
like
a
simple
fighting
game
with
the
various
combos
and
abilities.

The
way
weapons
and
levelling
up
are
tied
together
is
unusual,
and
a
little
clunky,
in
my
estimation.
To
increase
your
overall
level
and
thus
boost
stats
like
health
as
well
as
unlock
new
sections
of
the
upgrade
tree.
you
need
to
increase
your
weapon
proficiency,
done
by
just
using
them.
That
creates
an
interesting
system
wherein
you
are
encouraged
to
swap
weapons
frequently
to
level
up
faster
since
each
new
proficiency
level
takes
longer
and
longer
to
achieve.
You
also
get
optional
objectives
that
are
typically
based
around
your
weapons
which
provide
heaps
of
skill
points,
again
pushing
you
to
mix
things
up.

However,
you
also
hit
a
bit
of
a
wall
around
proficiency
level
5
or
6
with
each
weapon,
creating
a
large
speed
bump
in
levelling.
And
the
system
also
means
that
once
you
find
the
weapons
you
like,
drilling
down
into
them
and
getting
good
with
them
can
damage
how
quickly
you
level
up.

You
also
get
to
take
your
own
squad
of
NPCs
into
battle
who
will
follow
you
around.
Optional
missions
let
you
expand
the
size
of
the
squad
which
in
turn
unlocks
very
powerful
abilities
like
raining
down
fire
arrows
or
a
cavalry
charge.
It’s
a
great
idea
and
helps
spice
up
the
basic
hack-and-slash
gameplay,
especially
as
you
can
boost
their
effectiveness
by
achieving
a
“Dramatic
Success”.
For
example,
launching
a
firestorm
from
high
above
an
enemy
force
will
decimate
them,
while
a
cavalry
charge
gains
power
the
further
away
it
starts
before
smashing
into
enemy
forces.

While
you’re
doing
all
of
this
one-man-army
there’s
a
freaking
epic
guitar-shredding
soundtrack
happening
in
the
background
which
seems
to
have
only
one
mission:
make
you
feel
like
a
fucking
badass.
Mission
successful,
because
you
do.
All.
The.
Time.

If
you
aren’t
busy
singlehandedly
depopulating
the
country
in
a
murderous
rampage
that
would
make
Godzilla
a
bit
uncomfortable
then
you’ll
probably
be
hanging
around
in
the
overworld.
Here,
you
trundle
around
the
various
regions
hoovering
up
stones
that
can
be
turned
into
stones
or
perhaps
visiting
with
the
many
characters
you
encounter,
unlocking
new
scenes
and
boosting
your
bond
with.
Various
skirmish
battles
pop
up
as
well,
which
provide
a
way
to
level
yourself
up
well
beyond
the
main
mission
recommendations,
just
in
case
you
want
to
move
up
from
one-man-army
to
Jesus-Fucking-Christ-Would-You-Please-Just-Stop-Already.

Repetition
might
be
the
single
biggest
issue
Dynasty
Warriors:
Origins
faces.
This
style
of
game
is
largely
defined
by
being
a
massive
hack
and
slasher
where
you
spend
the
vast
majority
of
your
time
carving
through
thousands
of
enemies,
hammering
away
at
the
attack
button
and
launching
Battle
Arts.
Across
the
lengthy
campaign
you’ll
participate
in
dozens
of
huge
battles,
and
potentially
hundreds
depending
on
how
many
side-quests
you
do
or
optional
skirmishes
you
complete.
After
a
while,
it
can
begin
to
feel
like
Groundhog
Day,
only
more
violent
and
with
considerably
less
Bill
Murray.
Your
enjoyment,
then,
will
heavily
depend
on
how
well
you
handle
repetition.
If
you
dive
into
every
battle
available
and
do
nothing
but
hammer
out
the
same
few
combos
then
you’ll
likely
find
yourself
bored
quickly.

In
Conclusion…

Overall,

Dynasty
Warriors:
Origins
serves
as
an
engaging
entry
point
into
a
long-standing
franchise,
even
for
those
like
me
who
approach
it
with
fresh
eyes.
The
satisfying
power
fantasy
of
mowing
down
hordes
of
ill-fated
enemies
complements
the
humorously
overblown
narrative,
creating
a
unique
experience
that
blends
chaotic
combat
with
melodramatic
interactions.
While
the
repetitive
nature
of
gameplay
might
wear
down
some
players
over
time,
the
diverse
weapon
mechanics,
enjoyable
story
arcs,
and
constant
action
keep
the
momentum
alive.
The
clunky
levelling
system
is
overshadowed
by
the
sheer
thrill
of
battle
and
the
camaraderie
with
your
NPC
allies.

Dynasty
Warriors:
Origins
undoubtedly
delivers
if
you’re
looking
for
a
game
that
allows
you
to
unleash
your
inner
warrior
while
embracing
a
larger-than-life
narrative.
Just
be
prepared
for
the
cyclic
nature
of
its
core
gameplay—it’s
a
hack-and-slash
that
demands
a
tolerance
for
repetition,
yet
rewards
you
with
adrenaline-pumping
moments
that
are
hard
to
rival.
For
those
willing
to
embrace
the
grind,
this
game
offers
a
satisfying
journey
filled
with
battles,
betrayals,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
humour.
So,
strap
on
your
armour,
grab
your
weapon
of
choice,
and
dive
into
the
chaotic
world
of
Dynasty
Warriors:
Origins.