I ’m all in on checking outDynasty Warriors : Originswhen it launches in January after having a grand time with its newly bring out demonstration .
Koei Tecmo ’s Dynasty warrior serial is one of gaming ’s definitive activity franchises . Its stylus of gameplay , known as Musou , nub around players acting as a powerful force on a battleground . Players constantly utilise monolithic attacks and abilities to kill hundreds or thousands of enemies that can scantily exit a scratch on them . The Musou ’s maximalist approach to combat is quite endearing , and as a result , it has spawned lashings of games .
Outside of the nine premature mainline Dynasty Warriors title , there are spinoff franchises likeSamurai Warriorsand Warriors Orochi in addition to licensed Musou games for everything from The Legend of Zelda to Persona to One Piece . I particularly savour the Nintendo - publishedHyrule WarriorsandFire Emblem Warriorsgames , but I have only occasionally dabbled in the mainline Dynasty Warriors games , which are responsible for for moving the series forward . After play thefree demonstration forDynasty Warriors : Origins , I ’m ready to get my Musou localisation aright from the author .
A return to the series’ origins
InDynasty Warriors : blood , players control a character referred to as “ Wanderer ” as he commands violence on the battlefield through events and battles fromRomance of the Three Kingdoms . This demonstration specifically features the Battle of Sishui Gate , where the Wanderer works with historical figures like Cao Cao to defeat Dong Zhuo ’s forces . Most of the level subject matter feels out - of - context of use within this short demonstration , but I ’m intrigued to learn more about Nipponese history throughDynasty Warriors : lineage .
Once the fighting starts , Originsembraces the Musou formula head - on . histrion are sink right into the midst of battle , with the main end being to see Yuan Shao and others to the logic gate , occupy over bases and defeat any powerful general units I run into along the way . That ’s all formulaic as Musou games go , but that ’s not a regretful thing . Koei Tecmo has clearly get the hang its guile at this point , so I still felt at home playacting , even though the majority of my Musou experience is with spinoffs .
If you enjoyed the large - exfoliation battles bump in games likeHyrule Warriors : Age of Calamity , you ’ll as like the gameplay here . It ’s all turned up to 11 with boastful enemy and fighter unit hordes than I ’ve ever seen in a Musou game before . Initially , there was simple fun to be had in squelch my path through the Battle Sishui Gate , but before long , I did come to understand the rich strategy required to do well .
There ’s always been a tactical layer under the Musou genre ’s maximalist vim , but in the other Musou game I ’ve played , I did n’t have to worry as closely about my consequence - to - moment strategy . Dynasty warrior : Originsrequires more attending , making it more piquant . Dodging and circumvent attack in the midst of battle is quite of import , so I could n’t just mindlessly button mash when I came upon a more powerful foe . The demo ’s final party boss , Lu Bu , was particularly problematic to tucker out if I was n’t exceedingly careful with what I was doing .
There are new “ Tactics ” abilities that allow the Wanderer to control groups of soldiers to do thing like boot forward and approach or discharge a fusillade of pointer . This can serve in breaking through a compact bulwark of foe or deal helpful damage to more brawny enemies . It was also important to keep an eye on my mapping , and if my friend were winning fights . If they were n’t , I had to rush to their assistance to ensure I did n’t lose . Occasionally , special mid - mission objectives would pop up and require me to rethink my scheme to gain a monumental hike or offend the foe ’s morale .
These systems sour harmoniously together to create something that feels intimate as a Musou but still labour Koei Tecmo military action rule forwards . While I ’ve yet to take the plunge and fully thoroughgoing a mainline Dynasty warrior secret plan , the append strategic depth layer underneathOrigins ’ routinely satisfying action is enough to point that this will be the first game of 2025 that I ’ll really require to act .
If you want to check out this beatify mission , Dynasty Warrior : Origins’demois now liberal across PC , PS5 , and Xbox Series X / S. The plot set in motion for those same weapons platform on January 17 , 2025 .
