Multi Dynasty Warriors

[dimmerwit]

Ah yes, Dynasty Warriors. The series I love to hate. Except DW9, which I just hate.

I'd been looking to play the new demo for Dynasty Warriors: Origins and I finally got round to it. Suffice to say I'm very impressed.

Firstly, the graphics and performance. It looks good?! I'm on a very decent PC and I thought it actually looked respectable by 2024 standards and it ran pretty well as well. Since there are presets for Steam Deck hopefully it scales well too. From what I've read online the PS5 version runs fine as well. After the horrifying mess of DW9 and its graphics modes of "terrible" and "somehow even worse", it's refreshing.

The gameplay is also interesting. True to what they said it's a bit harder. Yes I immediately ran into the first base and reached 300 KOs in about two minutes, but getting isolated increases the challenge significantly. You can't for example call upon your allies to help you with a charge or volley of arrows if you do that. The officers are also much more challenging, and a duel option returns. It's a 60 second version that isn't decisive (it affects morale if you win/lose) but they take some getting used to. I really enjoyed the gameplay changes and tactical additions. Also, there's a rewind system so if you die or fail you don't have to replay the whole mission.

In the battle, saving Liu Bei, Sun Jian and Cao Cao lets you set up a three-pronged attack. Let them die and it's just you.

And the demo ends with a special battle against Lu Bu, which won't be in the final game. It's bastard hard, as it should be!

 

[VashTheStampede]

Ok so I'm a big fan of these games except for DW9

I cannot tell if the new game has you ONLY playing as this Self Insert character or if it has some of the classic gameplay as well.

Can you elucidate?

 

[dimmerwit]

I believe it's mostly going to be the main character. In the demo you get to pick a partner - I picked Xiahou Dun - which you can switch to briefly at a time and ends with a special attack.

 

[VashTheStampede]

That makes me sad

 

[dimmerwit]

The demo made me the opposite of sad.

 

[Fire Queen]

so, i’ve played and really liked musou games like hyrule warriors and fire emblem warriors and even persona 5 strikers but i’ve never played an actual dynasty warriors game. what i’ve seen of this new game looks interesting and fun. am i gonna enjoy this even if i’ve never played a DW game?

 

[dimmerwit]

so, i’ve played and really liked musou games like hyrule warriors and fire emblem warriors and even persona 5 strikers but i’ve never played an actual dynasty warriors game. what i’ve seen of this new game looks interesting and fun. am i gonna enjoy this even if i’ve never played a DW game?

It seems like a fairly big departure from previous gamess anyway, but really the DW games are never the most complex. The story is basically the same in every game just retold in a slightly different fashion, and it's not exactly hard to follow anyway so I don't think jumping in at a later stage will matter at all.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Disappointed that I'm not just seeing this. Glad to hear that Orgins is shaping up to be a decent game.

Decent is all I ask for a DW game. Well, maybe solid frames and a high enemy count, too... and for it to not play like DW6...

 

[dimmerwit]

Some very decent reviews. Currently 80 on Metacritic and a good response from the community too.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

sweet

 

[Fool's Requiem]

IGN gave it a 9. It helps they gave a series vet the review instead of someone who doesn't get the DW series and would call it boring and overly repetitive.

I'm a little concerned that the game has you playing mostly as this random dude instead of any number of heroes from the era. To keep combat fresh, they give this guy a variety of weapons to play with over the course of the campaign, but it still doesn't feel like there's going to be enough weapons to keep the game fresh like past games. Like sure, characters shared similar weapons as weapons in categories, but most of them had unique enough movesets that it was fine.

It does seem like you can switch weapons up on the fly, so that might be nice.

Music sounds like classic DW. I wouldn't mind some orchestrated music thrown in for good measure, but the classic whining guitars will never get old, especially if the tunes used are fun to listen to.

 

[VashTheStampede]

I'm a little concerned that the game has you playing mostly as this random dude instead of any number of heroes from the era. To keep combat fresh, they give this guy a variety of weapons to play with over the course of the campaign, but it still doesn't feel like there's going to be enough weapons to keep the game fresh like past games. Like sure, characters shared similar weapons as weapons in categories, but most of them had unique enough movesets that it was fine.

I watched that IGN review the other day and it made me feel a lot better about picking this one up but your comments here are exactly my biggest concerns.

I loved DW2 so much I ran out and got a copy of Three Kingdoms to read and fell in love with the whole story and characters. Playing as some avatar instead of the actual dynasty warriors is very unappealing and really kills any replay value.

I think I'm gonna grab it but I'll be pissed off when Dynasty Warriors: Origins: Xtreme Legends comes out

 

[Fool's Requiem]

I think I'm gonna grab it but I'll be pissed off when Dynasty Warriors: Origins: Xtreme Legends comes out

Switch 2 exclusive

 

[Fool's Requiem]

 

[Crazy Jamie]

I am very interested in this. I played maybe the first five or so? And Samurai Warriors. Can't remember if I played one on the PS3, but certainly from PS4 onwards the series hasn't been on my radar. But I came across this on Steam this week, looked into it, and it very much looks like I'll enjoy it. It's on the wishlist certainly.

 

[VashTheStampede]

I am in Chapter 2 (Chapter 1 being a bit longer than I would have anticipated) and I can safely say that it's the absolute best gameplay for any game in the Dynasty Warriors series. Possibly of any musou game I have played.

I still am not a big fan of playing as this one newly created character with amnesia but once they make a REAL DW that plays like this, it will easily be the best game they've made.

 

[dimmerwit]

Yeah, I haven't played as much as I'd like but I'm in total agreement there.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

I am very interested in this. I played maybe the first five or so? And Samurai Warriors. Can't remember if I played one on the PS3, but certainly from PS4 onwards the series hasn't been on my radar. But I came across this on Steam this week, looked into it, and it very much looks like I'll enjoy it. It's on the wishlist certainly.

If you ever want to go back and play some of the PS3/360 titles, just steer clear of DW6.

You know how in most DW games, you're basically mashing one button while mixing other buttons in there? Well, in DW6, they streamlined the process so that you can basically never stop using that one button. Sure, you can technically use other buttons but nothing is ever as effective as constantly mashing X. If you wanted to, you could plug in a controller with a Turbo ability and just hold the button and play the entire game like that.

Also, not only did they trim the roster down to 41 (down from 48 In DW5), but only 17 are available to be played in Musou mode. That's right, less than half of the game's roster can be played in the game's story mode, making their appearance in the game utterly pointless. Also, characters only get 6 chapters in each of their campaigns, and you don't even get to play in all the battles they were supposed to be involved in. Zhang Fei is does not get a Hulao Gate chapter despite him being one of the brothers who fought and repelled Lu Bu.

Also, they changed the weapons of the characters to make them more "realistic". Sun Shang Xiang was given a fucking bow and arrow and you can't move while attacking. It fucking SUUUUUCKS.

Just play 7 for the better story, or 8 for the endless replayability (Ambition Mode will eat up SOOOOOO many hours).

Skip 9. It's universally despised by everyone.

 

[dimmerwit]

Still plugging through and enjoying this one. Only just started Chapter 3. Took me long enough to get to Sishui Gate (the demo level).

 

[VashTheStampede]

I honestly think this may be my favorite game in the series.

Cannot wait to see the next game we get after this.

 

[dimmerwit]

Agree, it's great. Today was the first in a while where I could really sit down and play and I got pretty much all of chapter 2 done.

Looking forward to choosing a kingdom now. I'd like to say Shu because they're always portrayed as the goodies, but I'm always drawn to my boy Cao Cao (pronounced "cow cow"). Wu is out as I played their first battle and had to babysit the imbecile Sun Jian.

 

[VashTheStampede]

I almost always choose Wei too, but the overall Wu cru is more enticing for me this time.

...I've got a tough choice coming real soon...

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Wu: Sun Shang Xiang

Wei: Zhen Ji

Shu: Sun Shang Xiang.

Take your pick.

If Wei could have SSX, she'd be there, too.

 

[dimmerwit]

Sun Shang Xiang is tempting.

Also, I do like how the Wu storyline is usually just a bunch of bros just hanging out and laying waste to the Chinese countryside fighting.

 

[dimmerwit]

Got a bit into Chapter 4. Went with my boy Cow Cow.

Spoiler: up to end of Chapter 3

Interesting that my initial decision only cut off Shu, and it wasn't until the end of the chapter and many more battles that I finally had to pick between Wei and Wu. Sucked to give up SSX, and having the Shu boys berating me on my first battle against them.

 

[dimmerwit]

I finished the Wei storyline. Took about 30 hours according to the in-game menu. Overall I enjoyed it a lot. I'm going back to try Wu. Luckily the game has a story rewind function after you finish that makes it trivial to try the other paths.

Spoiler: Wei Chapter 4

My biggest critique is that the battle with Lu Bu at Xiapi is just way too hard. I know it's supposed to be a challenge but it's just such an egregious spike in difficulty compared to everything before (or after) it. I had to drop to historian difficulty because I couldn't beat the last bit however hard I tried. I wasted about two hours on it.