Dynasty Warriors: Origins Demo Impressions
If there’s one thing Finger Guns (read: Miles) and actor extraordinaire Ethan Lawrence share, it’s an undying love for Dynasty Warriors. No, really – check out the podcast we recorded just in honour of the button-mashing giant. It’s quite something. After the debacle of Dynasty Warriors 9, Omega Force and Koei Tecmo have sought after the now well-trodden soft reboot approach, to get fans of the series exciting again. The demo for Dynasty Warriors: Origins has duly arrived, so what’s the verdict?
It’d be no fun to spoil it just yet, obviously. As such, saddle up with us as we discuss in excruciating detail what’s new and what’s distinctly Dynasty Warriors from the freely available demo.
Coming right off the tip of Guan Yu’s qīnglóng yǎnyuèdāo, veterans will immediately notice some changes. Namely, the war of the Three Kingdoms is being witnessed not from one of the many notable officers or generals, but from the Wanderer. A fresh face in a series that’s relied on ol’ dependables since the first iteration came out. By Dynasty Warriors standards, it’s a seismic shift.
Fear not however, as Wanderer can equip all the usual staples of weapon types we’ve come to expect. Moreover, there’s hints of dialogue options and potential allegiance choices, though the demo only has Wanderer interact with Cao Cao. Whether this will play out in a more embellished form of narrative decision-making is yet to be seen, but for a series desperate for some new inspiration, it’s a good start.
Is it weird that a general of Cao Cao’s esteem talks to a figure that barely responds for the most part? Sure, but when has Romance of Three Kingdoms cared about complete historical accuracy anyway. Wanderer is an interesting new shift for how this historically well-told tale can be retold yet again with a fresh perspective and new coat of… arms? We’ll go with that.
Wanderer isn’t the only novel part of Dynasty Warriors: Origins’ refresh. Upon loading into the playable mission, a few changes are immediately apparent. Firstly, the camera now sits over the protagonist’s shoulder, more akin to a God of War style. This isn’t merely visual either, as unlike previous entries, Wanderer now has access to an expanded combat arsenal of moves.
Don’t worry, the button-mashing goodness of square and triangle combos isn’t going anywhere. It’s just as enjoyable to ransack a horde of 100 peasants with overzealous slashes as it’s always been. However, when squaring off against officers or important figures, you’ll be needing to parry and use your special moves to break their defences, opening up opportunities for a strong attack.
Deployable tactics also add a further wrinkle to the combat systems, commanding your battalion-in-tow to charge, encircle or launch a volley of arrows. The focus is still on being a one-person army of utter destruction, but the new mechanics help lend a sense of you being an actual officer yourself and not just some rampaging placeholder.
There are a host of smaller additions too, like choosing to engage in one-on-one duels with an opposing officer mid-combat. It’s a tug-of-war style encounter where whoever lands the most hits wins, felling the opponent completely. Duels were a satisfying new surprise to experience, not only heating up the tension of the overall battle with some added cinematic flair, but showing off the combat flow too.
Encounters with enemy officers feels much more substantial in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, if the demo is anything to go by. You’ll be cut down in seconds if you approach this like previous games. Now, you’re actually one of the many powerful heroes, instead of being a God amongst pretenders. The final boss battle of the demo ripped my tepid understanding of this to shreds, taking about eight attempts to overcome.
No, this isn’t a “Souls” before you run away in fear. Musou is still at the core of this entry, including powerful circle strikes, a Rage Mode-esque L3 + R3 phase and a return of companion twin Musou attacks. Instead, this time around, it feels punchier and more impactful. It’s probably the first time I’ve played a Dynasty Warriors and felt like there’s a real game lying at the heart of the button-mashing fantasy. I even say this as someone who platinumed Dynasty Warriors 8 and overcame it’s hardest difficulty.
The rest of the demo demonstrates the usual tropes of a Dynasty Warriors entry. Morale and momentum in battles, the menu sound cues, corny dialogue and conquering of bases are all still very much as you remember. There’s a familiarity about Dynasty Warriors: Origins that’s simultaneously homely yet fresh. It’s the series we all adore, but given a few new bells and whistles that feel like a genuine evolution.
Instead of the misinformed efforts to bring the series into a new era by cursing us with a broken and lifeless open world, the developers have enhanced what we love about the power fantasy. Parrying an officer, uppercutting them into the air, before unleashing a Musou power move and watching their soldiers run in fear is supremely gratifying.
All of which has left with me with a real buzz about Dynasty Warriors: Origins. This is an earnest upgrade and enhancement of a series that desperately needed it. While the war of the Three Kingdoms itself hasn’t changed a lick, Dynasty Warriors finally has. It gives me an utmost joy to report it’s worth checking out the demo for yourself and seeing if maybe, just maybe, this is the entry to finally win you over. There’s still a lot of unknowns for the full game, but the 17th of January 2025 is now a heck of a lot more enticing.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins will release on January 17th, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC via Steam. The demo is available for free now.
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