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Dynasty Warriors: Origins Review – Narrative Focus and a Killer Combat System Make For a Brilliant Bout of 1 vs. 1000 Battling

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In “Dynasty Warriors: Origins,” you don’t control a well-known Chinese general or leader. Instead, you play as a character referred to as the ‘Guardian of Peace,’ who is inexplicably involved in many significant events during China’s turbulent Three Kingdoms period. This is the first major “Dynasty Warriors” game since the ninth installment was released in 2018. By concentrating on a single character and removing open-world action, the series has become more focused, making “Origins” a stronger game overall.

The character who typically goes by Ziluan but is essentially customizable to suit your gaming style, serving as a blank slate or tabula rasa, could be described as the game’s nameless hero. Despite appearing somewhat dull and silent, this fellow possesses an impressive ‘blue steel’ gaze that’s hard to ignore. As you progress through the game, defeating higher-ranking officers, you’ll unlock a variety of weapons such as swords, spears, staffs, gauntlets, razor-sharp wheels, and the powerful podao – a sturdy polearm with a knack for slicing through hordes of soldiers like a knife through butter. Wielding any weapon in Dynasty Warriors: Origins is an exhilarating experience due to its user-friendly, intuitive, responsive, and fluid combat system.

In summary, the nameless hero is your personal canvas, with abilities and gear tailored to your preferred playstyle, and wielding weapons in Dynasty Warriors: Origins is an unparalleled delight due to its robust, easy-to-grasp combat mechanics.

Omega Force, the developer, has preserved the quintessential elements that make the game Dynasty Warriors distinctively captivating. You’re plunged into intense battles with multitudes of enemies simultaneously, making them seem like they’re swirling in a colossal blender. The adrenaline rush of slicing through a massive army still holds true, but the refined combat system, featuring an impressive parry and counter mechanism that’s incredibly satisfying, offsets the potential repetitiveness you might expect from the series. It’s effortless to activate this game, get engrossed in endless battles, and then suddenly realize that three hours have vanished, leaving you with a sensation of just having spent twenty minutes.

Placing Ziluan at the heart of the narrative adds an exciting twist to traditional historical events, such as the Han Dynasty’s corruption and the Yellow Turban Rebellion. You’ll find yourself interacting with well-known characters from the Three Kingdoms era, like sharing meals with Zhang Fei, discussing strategies with Cao Cao, and having profound conversations with Guan Yu. While fans of the series will recognize many familiar figures, some character representations have changed since “Dynasty Warriors 9”. The core of the story focuses on Ziluan and his missing memories – initially a simple volunteer soldier, he later transforms into a crucial battlefield figure who plays a role in nearly every significant event. He penetrates fortresses, vanquishes generals, and shifts the balance of power wherever he’s deployed.

In this strategy game, I often encounter situations where my allies make poor decisions, leading to their defeat and subsequent retreat, ultimately causing me to lose. It seems that on several occasions, Lord Yuan Shao was the one who fled prematurely, resulting in an immediate loss for our team. At times, it feels like certain characters require constant supervision to prevent them from being overwhelmed, potentially costing us the entire battle. The checkpoints allow you to choose a specific restart point, but keeping tabs on leaders is crucial to avoid their overthrow. Additionally, the morale of my army must be carefully monitored, as indicated by a meter in the bottom right corner of the screen. If the majority is blue, we are in control, but even a powerful and nearly invincible warrior like Lu Bu can quickly decimate our ranks, causing our morale to plummet swiftly.

Through capturing enemy strongholds, defeating adversaries, eliminating high-ranking officers in duels, weakening massive forces, or causing destruction, you can boost morale within your troops, making them more resilient and potent in combat. Conversely, if they lose their spirit, they’ll grow weaker, and you may see many officers fall quickly. The difference between victory and defeat can sometimes be delicate. Essentially, it’s up to you to devise the most effective strategy, whether that involves targeting powerful commanders, seizing as many bases as possible, and usually, in the end, overthrowing the leader of the opposing army to secure your win.

During downtimes from fights, the game Dynasty Warriors: Origins allows you to traverse a vast open world either on foot or horseback, moving between provinces, engaging in skirmishes, assisting different characters, and accomplishing training tasks. All the while, you’ll be gradually uncovering your forgotten past. While visiting any inn, you can gather pyroxene to craft gems, collect old coins for bonuses, and choose which battles to participate in. Each battlefield represents an independent conflict, but the major battles influence the overall storyline, and later in the game, they’ll decide which of the three warring factions you’ll align with.

As I delve deeper into mastery with my weapons, I find myself advancing in levels, even those that remain unused seem to grow at a slightly slower pace. The points I earn can be invested in acquiring new skills and beneficial traits, such as the ability to haul more of those revitalizing meat buns. Furthermore, I have the capability to unleash potent abilities, propelling me through adversaries as if they were mere ragdolls – these moves require ‘courage’ to be activated, symbolized by small yellow hexagons above my health gauge, but each foe defeated contributes to my courage reserves. This gameplay mechanic is truly engaging, and the thrill of wearing down an officer to execute a breathtaking finisher never fails to excite me.

Before you experience the destructive Musou attacks, which hurl enemies far away as if they were tossed by a strong wind, or the ‘Rage’ feature, granting temporary invincibility for a wild charge through armies of soldiers – it’s like swatting flies aside. The game presents a delightful sight when you engage in combat against countless foes on screen at once, wielding weapons ranging from twin pikes to spears, staffs, lances, or even simple swords. The ensuing mayhem is spectacular, with sparks and fireworks lighting up the battlefield. Contrary to producer Tomohiko Sho’s claims in press releases that Origins brings a “realistic” feel to the series, the game remains as fantastical and over-the-top as ever.

In essence, what makes Dynasty Warriors: Origins stand out among the series for me is its focused storytelling and enhanced combat mechanics, which add depth and make gameplay incredibly addictive and immersive. Whether you’re seeking a quick thrill in a 1 vs. 1000 battle or losing track of time playing for hours, this game delivers. However, it doesn’t stray from the essence of Dynasty Warriors, offering the same over-the-top action that started with Dynasty Warriors 2 in 2000, but with a more polished touch.

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2025-01-13 14:12

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