Dynasty Warriors is a very popular video game license, at least in its country of origin, Japan. It had its heyday, particularly in the 2010s, but over the past 7-8 years, it has been losing considerable momentum. It must be said that the industrial rhythm of one episode per year, or even two sometimes, the recycling of its formula and its assets to the point of nausea, and above all this attempt to make it an open world game to follow the fashion Western games have finished off what little credibility it had left. But at Koei Tecmo and the Omega Force studio, we are convinced that it is possible to come back from hell with a new proposal. No more open world structure, we go back to basics, we inject elements from Souls-like and above all we change the engine. I was able to play this Dynasty Warriors Origins on PS5 for more than 4 hours around ten days ago in Paris, in the presence of producer Tomohiko Sho who came to France, and 3 days ago, Koei Tecmo m sent the game to PC so I could test it again, and I only have one thing to say: Dynasty Warriors is fucking back!
Dynasty Warriors belongs to the genre of beat’em all, but not just any beat’em all: massive beat’em all, with this simple principle: 1 brave warrior facing an army of 1000 men. On paper, it was always attractive, but in reality, in-game, the result was never very convincing, the fault of a lagging technique and machines incapable of displaying such a quantity of NPCs at the same time. ‘screen. But with the PS5 and Xbox Series generation, it seems that the developers of Omega Force have finally managed to create this sensation of total war where we find ourselves on a battlefield where we no longer know where to give. head. And this explosive side where two armies collide in a visual and sonic maelstrom comes very quickly, just after the tutorial which explains the basics of this new episode which starts – almost – from a blank sheet of paper. We could also dismiss the tutorial with a certain disdain and contempt, because hey, we are on a Musô, and not a strategy game, but that would be a serious error, as this episode contrasts radically with the previous episodes .
1 VS 1000
To reconnect with quality and success, the Omega Force studio finally said to itself that it was necessary to give depth and consistency to the gameplay, with a darksoulisation approach which is not there to displease us. Basically, the basic combat system has been retained, but it has been enriched by several features which will make the clashes more tactical and therefore more interesting. Parry, counter, dodge and good management of the different gauges that you can see at the bottom left of the screen, the possibilities are now more numerous and all this increases the variety in the situations. Better yet, this Dynasty Warriors Origins also takes into account the sense of timing which will allow you to make perfect parries and thus unlock counterattack opportunities. It’s a mechanic that rewards the player and also brings rhythm to the clashes, especially since you should never underestimate the enemy facing you. Already because they are in excess, but also because you will have to locate the generals in this formidable melee to bring the armies to their knees. This was already the case in the previous Musô and beating them as quickly as possible will always be the key to success to prevent the other soldiers from popping endlessly.
O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
The super cool thing about this Dynasty Warriors Origins is that these fights against these generals take on another dimension with this brand new 3D engine where you are surrounded by hundreds of soldiers who are beating each other on the face in an atmosphere of total war. Finally, let’s say that it’s still the same in-house Omega Force engine, but that it has been significantly upgraded for the new generation of consoles. We should never underestimate these generals who have a greater life gauge than any other soldier. Not only are they distinguished by their build, their weapons and their skills, but above all, they have a range of blows that can be fatal to us. Indicators in the form of a colored spark warn us whether one of their attacks can be parried or not. Blue, you can counter, red, you absolutely have to dodge, and this is where you have to take timing into account, especially when you are surrounded by hundreds of warriors. I’m not going to hide it from you, it’s super satisfying, especially since the game never forgets that a good Musô is also experienced through big attacks capable of sweeping away dozens and dozens of enemies. both in a single attack.
Dynasty Warriors Origins will not fail in this heritage, and will even offer 9 different weapons that will obviously be possible to evolve throughout the adventure. In the demo that I was able to test, 7 weapons were accessible, already very well boosted, which allowed me to have a good overview of their capabilities. Katana, sword, spear, claws, solstice, there is something for everyone, knowing that each weapon has its own skill tree, and that it is possible to swap on the fly in the middle of combat by going to the options. We feel that the Omega Force studio wanted to please as much as possible, with the added bonus of super-powerful attacks, the famous Musô attacks, nicely staged as well.
TACTICAL SOUL
Still with this aim of offering finer and more sophisticated gameplay, Dynasty Warriors Origins has put back in place certain tactical elements from the old episodes, such as the possibility of carrying out coordinated maneuvers such as cavalry charges or targeted assaults. These maneuvers aren’t just for show, as they can have a huge impact on the flow of the battle, especially when you’re outnumbered. It’s not necessarily the first thing you think about when you’re in the middle of the fray, but since things are done well and some missions take almost 30 minutes to complete, you have to know how to take a step back and time to analyze a battle before launching a headlong assault. In any case, the more you advance in the game, the more the difficulty increases crescendo, and this is also the reason why the developers have implemented a great checkpoint system, which allows the player to resume progress at certain points. key moments of a battle. You won’t need to redo everything from the start, and according to the producer of the game, it’s an idea that was submitted by his team, while he was more against it, he wanted us to suffer like in a Dark Souls.
LESS IS MORE
The Dynasty Warriors series is also known for its incredible number of playable characters, sometimes with a number that exceeded 90. According to its producer, Tomohiko Sho, it was far too many and for Dynasty Warriors Origins, it was decided to refocus interests. In total, in this episode, there are 47 characters that we will meet, but most of them are not playable. No, this time, only 9 characters will be playable, when they become our allies and it will be possible to control them temporarily during certain battles, because the main hero of this Dynasty Warriors Origins is indeed this protagonist. dark look that is highlighted. We will therefore travel through China through his eyes, with a story that has been woven around him, his personality and another character who accompanies him at troubled times. Between each battle, the game will allow us to explore China through a map represented in 3D, miniaturized as if we were moving a pawn on the board of a board game. For the developers, the idea was not to lose player involvement with an austere and uninteresting hub. There, you will have to travel across China, on foot or on horseback, for exploration initially, but also to take your adventure at your own pace. Villages, cities, main missions, side quests, random events, shop and interaction with other characters to create links, all this brings a real identity to the game, and a strong involvement on the part of the player.
Visually, Dynasty Warriors Origins does quite well. Of course, if we look closely, we are far from what other AAA productions are capable of offering us, but it is above all this sensation of total war that impresses. The number of characters on the screen is such that it is this rendering that will impress you, especially since on PS5, the standard version, the game runs perfectly. No lag or slowdown, the game is perfectly optimized and I clearly didn’t see the 4 hours of gameplay go by. And I might as well tell you that having this feeling in a Dynasty Warriors game has never happened to me in a long time, I even think it’s the first time. Being hyped by a Dynasty Warriors, anything can happen and I remind you that its release is expected on January 17, 2025 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.