A fresh hero, colossal battles, and strategic depth: How Omega Force's ambitious reboot breathes new life into a legendary franchise.
📜 Origins, Not a Sequel
Released on January 17, 2025, Dynasty Warriors: Origins represents a bold reboot—rather than another numbered installment, this tenth mainline game reimagines the franchise from the ground up. Omega Force and Koei Tecmo clearly made the smart call: drop DW10, embrace Origins.
Built on the robust Katana Engine, the game delivers stunning environments and enables massive-scale battles of up to 10,000 on-screen soldiers on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
By February 2025, it had already sold 1 million units worldwide, marking it a clear commercial success.
🧍 Meet the Wanderer, Your Nameless Hero
Instead of cycling through a huge roster, Origins gives us a sharable blank slate—Ziluan, the Wanderer, a nameless hero with amnesia who becomes the player’s eyes and arms in the chaos of late‑Eastern Han China.
This figure—not driven by a famous name, but by personal evolution—is new for the series. As he regains memory and unlocks skill trees, players shape their own path through history, forging relationships with famous figures like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and even the iconic Lu Bu.
Fans might miss playing as Zhao Yun or Zhang Fei, but the focused narrative arc means more time forging bonds, experiencing branching storylines, and potentially reshaping the fates of key characters.
⚔️ Combat: Deep, Chaotic, Satisfying
Mechanics Revamped
Combat evolves far beyond button‑mashing:
- Light and heavy attacks, chainable with dodges, jumps, parries, and blocks
- A bravery gauge fuels signature abilities
- A classic Musou ultimate move for clearing crowds or punishing tough generals
- Enemy shields around commanders force strategic breakdown of defenses
- Weapon-switching on the fly instead of fixed weapons per character
That freedom means you might fight with a spear one minute, switch to a glaive the next—giving each weapon real identity and impact as you level it.
Tactical Scope
This isn't just hack‑slash chaos—it’s strategic. You command allied armies, capture bases, prioritize targets, rescue allies, and face enemy generals who hit hard. Allied officers feel fragile—if they die, the mission fails.
The “Bird’s-eye” tactical map (灵鸟之眼) helps plan your movements across sprawling battlefields. Coupled with the morale system—which directly affects troops’ effectiveness—the game rewards thoughtful planning, not just reckless slaughter.
TL;DR: it scratches the power fantasy itch, but demands you actually earn that power.
🎭 Story & Replayability
Narrative Arc
Rather than racing through every Three Kingdoms battle, Origins condenses the first half of Romance of the Three Kingdoms—from Yellow Turban Rebellion through Battle of Red Cliffs, ending around Huarong Pass. That’s intentional: a focused arc that lets players breathe in key moments and relationships.
Crucial moment: in Chapter 3 you choose to ally with Cao, Liu, or Sun, triggering divergent mission paths in Chapters 4 and 5. Success unlocks hidden cutscenes, fate‑changing moments, and player agency.
Character Drama
While the Wanderer's personality—and a few cringe lines from NPCs praising him—is a weak link (“fans telling me he belongs in a boy band” was one put‑down I shared), the game admirably lets secondary characters shine. That richness came from cutting the fat: a smaller cast, but deeper scenes.
Replay Value
With three branching factions and multiple endings, Origins invites at least three runs. Replaying missions nets new rewards and alternate outcomes—plus “New Game Plus” unlocks more gear and interactions.
🎨 Visuals & Presentation
Scale and Spectacle
Thanks to the Katana Engine, the game loads massive battlefields packed with thousands of troops. Crowds, arrows, flags, weapons—there’s no missing how chaos erupts on-screen, and the PS5 autostereoscopic glow is simply jaw‑dropping.
Some textures or crowd variants lag slightly behind top-tier visuals, but on the whole, it's smooth, readable, and cinematic. DualSense support adds tactile twang to arrows, clang to steel—very immersive.
Wuxia Flair
Special moves trigger short, stylized cutscenes that feel straight from wuxia cinema—one swipe unleashes petals, the next explodes in fireworks. Makes each Musou moment feel earned, not lazy.
UI & Map Design
Battle maps range from wide open river plains to winding mountain passes. Waypoints, bases, and objectives are clear—no cluttered overmap to drown in. The UI stays clean even during mid‑battle flurries.
✅ Strengths & ⚠️ Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Massive, satisfying combat that’s strategic yet fast-paced | Some NPC interactions feel cheesy—especially overflow admiration of the Wanderer |
| Branching narrative with replayable arcs | Missing co‑op or multiplayer options—the absence of free mode stings |
| Freedom of weapon builds & huge maps | Late-game missions can feel padded, repetitive slog (esp. Sun arc) |
| Gorgeous crowd battles, cinematic flare | Wanderer is intentionally blank—some long-time fans miss known characters as playable leads |
| Excellent debut on the Katana Engine; smooth on PS5/XSX/S | No full roster switching—though teammates are playable in cameo moments |
🚫 What Legacy Fans Miss
- Free mode: No sandbox mode to replay any character later. Fans lamented this omission loudly (especially as DW8/9 had it).
- Multiplayer / Co‑op: Just single‑player. In an era where even one‑man armies can be streamed live, not having drop‑in co‑op feels dated.
- No known lead characters: Some wish they could play the big names longer; instead, those roles are supporting characters in Ziluan’s story.
Still, if Origins traded quantity for quality, that’s arguably the right call.
🏆 Verdict: A Reborn Dynasty
At roughly 8/10 to 9/10 depending on taste, Dynasty Warriors: Origins revives the franchise with flair and delivers the most polished Musou experience since DW3 era. The Guardian called it “very good and fun,” noting epic battles without overheating your PS5. RPGSite praised its commitment to being a real RPG as well as a hack‑and‑slash title.
Critic consensus: Origins is the best entry in years—enough innovation to attract newcomers, enough battlefield carnage to keep veterans.
🔍 Final Thoughts: Should You Play It?
If you wrote off Dynasty Warriors after DW9, Origins isn’t just a new game—it’s a reset button. It brings strategic combat, character growth, and meaningful story. Want sprawling battle scenes? Check. Want to shape history? Check. Even if you miss jumping between 40 characters, the focus on the Wanderer deepens the emotional pull.
If you’re a history fan, a strategy fan, or just hungry for satisfying slays of thousands with polish—grab it. And yes: the Digital Deluxe, Treasure Box, and early demo (Battle of Sishui Gate) options are neat extras.
✒️ In Conclusion
Dynasty Warriors: Origins roars back from the missteps of DW9 to celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary with style, scale, and refined gameplay. It respects its roots while vanquishing the stale formulae, offering a navigator’s map to the ancient Three Kingdoms—but with Ziluan, your very own wandering hero, at its center. It’s a fresh take on a legendary saga—strategic, cinematic, and fundamentally more human than ever.
So saddle up, sharpen your virtual guandao, and embrace the chaos. This is how you start a new dynasty.
