Review Introduction
Players have been asking for several years: "When are we going to get something new out of Koei Tecmo?" and "When will our classic IPs like NINJA Gaiden & Dead or Alive return?" After almost an entire console generation of worrying about the future, it is now starting to become crystal clear that Koei Tecmo is going all in and has returned with some of the best visual design, combat and animation in the video game market today.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the Genesis or catalyst of a NEW era for Koei Tecmo, Omega Force, Team NINJA, Gust and of course the dedicated players of their games. You can see the beginning of this new era everywhere you look within the company profile. From an updated Team NINJA logo, to the announcement of NINJA Gaiden 4, players can smell something new in the air for the first time in years and Koei Tecmo is ready for a new company blueprint that puts quality at the forefront; and with visual masterpieces like Dynasty Warriors: Origins and NINJA Gaiden II Black released within one month of each other, the proof is right in front of us.
Storyline & Cinematics
Dynasty Warriors: Origins puts you in the role of a Guardian of Peace that has traumatically forgotten his identity and slowly begins to regain his memory as he gains allies from the Dynasty Warriors franchise that fight for peace alongside of you.
The storyline has been vastly improved in comparison to previous entries in the franchise and Koei Tecmo's consistency to historical Chinese lore and characters is pretty much always spot on and continues to be to this day. Cao Cao continues to be one of the coolest warlords and Lu Bu makes his long-awaited return to the DW franchise, and he does not disappoint. Especially after that devastating fight within Wo Long Fallen Dynasty.
Lu Bu's appearances are always an exciting spectacle throughout these storylines, and Omega Force does an amazing job at rivaling Team NINJA's take on Koei Tecmo's Sephiroth. Sometimes Lu Bu will be tracking you down on the field of combat as he makes multiple appearances and he's a menacing site to behold whether or not he's assisting you, chasing you down or fighting you in a duel to the death. This character brings massive appeal to the overall storyline.
You're also required to make big decisions as you progress through the five expansive chapters within DWO and players that are familiar with this series are fully acquainted with the idea of creating alliances among the biggest rulers among the Three Kingdoms. As usual rulers will die and beg for your assistance in combat. The first two chapters your Guardian of Peace proves himself to all of the different factions and the mortal enemy that he is the most powerful chess piece on the board despite not being a tactical individual.
The player has a chance to bond with all of these historical figures through tons and tons of written dialogue. More than any other game in the DW franchise by far. While the cut scenes illustrate real purpose to some decisions you make right before and after chapter 3, the actual character development could use some refining. For the most part, the characters that interact with the Guardian of Peace are a little too overly optimistic about hanging out with your character.
A lot of these dialogue selections that the player can choose from feel the same, and this is a common practice seen within development for many games today. Omega Force should seek some inspiration from BioWare's original Mass Effect franchise and make even answering the simplest of questions more complex. Why not throw in character relationships with love interests to choose from? Now while the common exchanges are a bit disappointing, the cut scenes are absolutely thrilling in comparison to the regular dialogue.
Sometimes the biggest decisions you will make as a player are the decisions that you make on the battlefield. These decisions will also determine what ending you will receive for the faction that you select. There are roughly six different endings to DWO and there are two within each faction. Depending on your choices you will get the basic standard ending or the perfect ending.
While the story can go down a predictable path, the cut scenes feel rewarding and now that Omega Force has the proper blueprint to tell a storyline they could easily refine it for a sequel giving players more choice and various ways to bond with characters of their liking. This element of DW is the weakest element, but it's also not half bad and some players will enjoy even the cheesiest of banter while considering the writing does need a little work.
Graphical Capabilities
When players first begin their combat-soaked adventure the first thing that will undoubtably be apparent to them is that this is perhaps Koei Tecmo's best looking published game to date. Omega Force has gone above and beyond to create these large-scale epic battles that encompass the meaning of total war. Charging into battle looks better than it ever has before, and you can feel the clashing of steel. Visually Origins does a great job of making you feel like you are leading your soldiers as you march onward with your horse with thousands of NPCs yelling aggressively.
Omega Force brings some unique camera work to the table that smoothly snaps in and out of a war depending on the size of the battle to give you that feeling of scope, placement, and strategy that begs the question of "how am I possibly going to handle this" as you become submerged in a sea of bodies that require actual skill to defeat. As you are pummeling your opponents with incredible weapons that all have their own unique animations you might be thinking "am I going to die" or "where are rulers I must protect?" You can lose yourself in the combat of this game, and it's exciting to participate and observe.
There are many landscapes and insane weather effects to fight and tussle with which bring a welcomed variety to the series. Snowy fields, swampy landscapes, desert cliffs, active tornados of magical purpose, swift rain, and forests all change the look of the fight and not just for the sake of giving your eyes an assortment of things to see but actively change the flow of combat much like Dead or Alive does. Maybe you need to cross deep water as a volley of arrows storms at you by the command of an opposing captain. Perhaps the slopes and hills of certain environments will ruin your combat positioning or your foes. This DW will ignite your imagination when you are in the thrill of a fight.
DWO's world map is also a delight to traverse, while not playing out as a simple point and click fast travel map unless of course that's what you want. Players will enjoy exploring the detailed 3D map (on foot or on horse) themselves and will look around for basic gatherable materials, interact with other warriors and elders while also assessing various skirmishes. You can also relax at a number of Inns scattered around the map to prepare for future battles whilst compiling your perfect build.
The weapon animation is gorgeous, and the NPCs are more active and express disdain while feeling much more alive than all previous entries combined. This is a one-of-a-kind experience from a graphical perspective and may be only second to NINJA Gaiden II Black. The cut scenes look far above what we've seen before and overall, the graphics assist on making DWO feel like a complete package.
Audio & Soundtrack Sample
The original soundtrack sounds of battle and chaos combined with war drums and screaming NPCs really complete the synergizing of outstanding graphical output and combat. The sound of steel smashing steel gives you this visceral feeling that hasn't been achieved in past entries. You can feel, hear and see the improvement Omega Force has made. While the game can sound extremely violent and chaotic there are notes of pleasantry and peace that bring a balance to the game and also brings balance to your playable character.
DWO also offers players some familiarity to past game soundtracks giving you a plethora of different sounds despite the era of which the games take place. Players might be excited to hear electric guitar riffs mixed into the ambiance of music that would have been accepted in that time, and this is a practice that Omega Force has stayed true to over the years.
Replay Value
DWO offers you many different weapon options to master and dozens of moves to master. You might have to do a particular move 200 times to complete the mastery of it, but the satisfaction that these battle arts provide will give players the desire to master all of them. As you level up your weapons more moves will become available, and the weapon will be fully playable when it is fully mastered. This gives players a chance to organically respond to their favorite weapons or make new favorites and definitely adds to the replay value.
The game is balanced but at times the brutal difficulty pops in and will give players a skill checkpoint adding to the replay value as this game is unquestionably the most difficult game in the franchise to master. Different combinations of "special arts" accessories and weapons will offer players plenty of choice without needing 100 officers to choose from.
Skirmishes scattered about the world map are also a great alternative to players that just want to run a few battles without becoming fully immersed into a long expansive war. These skirmishes offer some nice gameplay variety and don't get as repetitive as previous entries in the DW franchise.
Gameplay & Mechanics
You truly feel like you are a part of something huge and the balanced difficulty will make you feel like you are hanging on the balance of life and death. This is by no means a game that is going to hold your hand. It's brutally difficult when you consider all of the variables that make an exciting war. Thankfully, the game lets your restart at key points of the battle if you are slain. If you have an officer that is heavily wounded and far away you may have to rewind more than you would like - so the balance is pretty much perfect, but there are plenty of ways to fail your mission. Though players here at FSD like it rough, right?
While you cannot select from over 100 officers in this game and DWO focuses on your single character you still get to occasionally battle as officers you've grown accustomed to over the years, but in much smaller doses. The weaponry that your individual Guardian of Peace is given is where the heart of your combat is. It almost feels that the companion officers were added to negate fan feedback of the 100 officers no longer being an option. Omega Force should have stuck to their guns as the companions do not feel necessary to the combat. Perhaps in future iterations the companions can still exist with executable commands that your officer can give them that are unique to each companion.
The weapon combat feels unmatched in this genre. Animation of attacks feels extremely exhilarating whether you are using bladed discs and rotating the flow of combat by mediating their positions or going absolutely bananas with the insane spear and staff. When you use these two weapons in particular you feel like Neo from the Matrix: Reloaded. The animation is so good that it adds an extra layer of engagement to the gameplay itself.
We've seen tremendous changes to the air combat from past entries. You will be sailing across the map with the fluidity of the longsword and these moves feel satisfying to do each and every time. Omega Force has found a way to cancel out the repetition of previous entries, and that is by fine-tuning every possible action the player can make while in a fight.
Your character swiftly blocks at the holding of a shoulder button and will continue to do so unless a break move is performed by an opposing officer or soldier which would require a more evasive tactic to avoid. The soldiers have a lot more ways to shatter your comfort zone in battle, but you have moves at your disposal that can snap them out of their unblockable move status. You can determine whether something is breakable by the enemy's orange aura (SP move required) or an unblockable red aura which will require evasion or perfect dodging.
The bosses are challenging, fun, and feel unique from one another. Lu Bu is clearly the crown jewel of this game, but other boss fights will offer you different ways to fight. You can definitely feel the inspiration that Team NINJA had on Omega Force with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. These fights are not only more advanced than anything seen in previous DW games but feel like separate game set pieces of the current war you are fighting on. There are times you might swear at the screen as you are dealt punishment, but the fights are rewarding and there is always a payoff for being victorious.
Overall Rating
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is Omega Force's best effort yet, and with all things considered the game doesn't have a ton of flaws. There are some things that need to be worked on such as making adjustments to the companions and storyline, but with the blueprint they now have at their disposal I expect that the sequel will be DWO perfected and if not perfected will no doubt be its equal. This is not just a game for Koei Tecmo or Omega Force fans, this game is right up the alley of what a bonified Team NINJA player would want.
✮✮✮✮
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