Dynasty Warriors Origins Review (PlayStation 5)

Rating: 8.4
Author: Jim Smale

by Jim Smale · Published January 23, 2025 · Updated January 22, 2025

Dynasty Warriors Origins Review, Become immersed in exhilarating battles as a nameless hero in the Three Kingdoms. Tension-filled battlefields where you clash against massive armies stretching as far as the eye can see. How will you handle the onslaught of enemies? Your military prowess will serve you well as you fight in tandem with your allies in tactical battles unique to the “DYNASTY WARRIORS” franchise and experience the most exhilarating action in the series’ history.

Dynasty Warriors Origins Review Pros:

Awesome graphics.
42.01GB download size.
Platinum trophy.
Graphics settings – prioritise graphics or performance option, frame rate (30/60/120), HDR, and brightness.
English or Japanese voice choice.
Three difficulties – Historian, Wayfarer, and Hero.
Battle assistance can be set to helpful, simplified, or none.
Controller support – Invert axis and sensitivity sliders, set camera speed, call horse response time, auto lock on, remap controls, and reset camera.
Beautiful FMV cutscenes with in game interactions and sequences mixed in.
A full 3D game world with 360 degree camera control.
Interactions can be skipped and fast forwarded with cutscenes usually letting you skip chunks of them.
You can name your character.
Opening tutorial battle with ongoing pop ups.
Multiple choice encounters.
Very impressive on screen enemy count.
Full KO counter banging up as you mow down hundreds of enemies.
Every character is fully voiced.
Combat is hack and slash but it’s so responsive, and fluid that it is simple to pull off these awesome looking attacks with no real effort.
Powerful soundtrack.
8 save slots with a ninth auto save slot.
Inns act as a safe space and here you can save and load your game, read letters which can add lore and unlock story missions and you can setup your battle preparations.
A truly beautiful world map where it’s all miniature except for you and interactions with people, you are free to wander it.
Battle arts are stronger attacks and these need bravery to use, doing so will consume a Bravery token. Earn bravery by attacking and filling the tokens up.
Each weapon has its own set of unique attacks, traits, and combos.
Special arts let you break an unblockable attack from happening and stunning the enemy.
Full blocking, evading, and parrying with counter attack system.
Fortitude is a nice way of saying armour or shields, using arts and stunning enemies can open them up to fortitude damage.
Way marks can be unlocked on the world map and then acts as a fast travel point.
The game world is split up into provenances each with their own armies and leaders.
Battle preparations let you choose spawns, items, weapons, and group units together.
No fortitude allows you to a flurry attack doing major damage.
Cool slow Mo kill sequences.
The combat feels a lot more accessible with its simplifying of actions and smooth controls.
At times during combat you will get these cool set pieces or cinematic camera angles.
Level up proficiency of weapons to unlock new battle arts.
You can find and use weapons from the battlefield.
Enemy leaders are on the battlefield and taking them out will cause the army to flee.
Lock on for attacking bosses and leaders.
Morale- Low and high, Affected by enemy dominance or low numbers. This affects their effectiveness in battle and is clearly shown as a flashing color when low or high.
Winning battles will raise the peace level in a province which will bring rewards.
The areas you fight in are huge and you can freely move around.
The minimap will show icons, enemies, allies, and markers. You can have it show the whole current region or zoom in on your location.
Improvements have been made with the map still showing icons etc but it has a much clearer presentation and has arrows showing to help guide you through the map.
Breakable objects covering the world and can occasionally and randomly drop items.
Full stats screen with breakdown.
Your load out consists of a weapon, upto four arts, and up to two accessories.
The game is split into chapters.
Beautiful locations.
It is a game you can go back to time after time and just mash your way through it and have a good time doing it!

Dynasty Warriors Origins Review Cons:

Unskippable opening credits.
Setting up the camera to your liking will take some work as its all over the place until you try and nail it down.
Doesn’t offer a lot of accessibility options like Colourblind, auto completing QTE or having hold instead of mashing button sequences.
It looks wrong when characters are speaking but there mouths are not moving.
The game takes a while to get going as early on its a lot of pop ups and waiting to unlock the arts and item slots which really opens up the game.
If you get easily overwhelmed with visual effects and noise then combat will be absolute hell for you, it’s all jacked up to the maximum.

Dynasty Warriors Origins:

Official website.

Developer: KOEI TECMO AMERICA

Publisher: KOEI TECMO AMERICA

Store Links –

PlayStation

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
8/10

Sound - 8/10
8/10

Accessibility - 8/10
9/10

Length - 9/10
9/10

Fun Factor - 9/10

8.4/10

Summary

“Dynasty Warriors Origins” is a visually stunning game with a hefty download size of 42.01GB. Players can earn a platinum trophy and enjoy a variety of graphics settings, including options to prioritize graphics or performance, adjust frame rates (30/60/120), HDR, and brightness. The game offers English or Japanese voice choices and three difficulty levels: Historian, Wayfarer, and Hero. Battle assistance can be set to helpful, simplified, or none, and the game provides extensive controller support, including invert axis and sensitivity sliders, camera speed adjustments, call horse response time, auto lock-on, remap controls, and reset camera options.

The game features beautiful FMV cutscenes with in-game interactions and sequences mixed in, a full 3D game world with 360-degree camera control, and the ability to skip and fast-forward interactions and cutscenes. Players can name their character and start with an opening tutorial battle with ongoing pop-ups. The game includes multiple-choice encounters, an impressive on-screen enemy count, and a full KO counter that tracks the number of enemies defeated. Every character is fully voiced, and the combat is hack-and-slash but responsive and fluid, making it easy to perform impressive attacks with minimal effort. The powerful soundtrack enhances the overall experience.

Players have access to eight save slots and a ninth auto-save slot. Inns act as safe spaces where players can save and load their game, read letters that add lore and unlock story missions, and set up battle preparations. The world map is beautifully designed, with miniature representations of the game world and interactions with people. Players can freely wander the map, unlock waymarks for fast travel, and engage in battle preparations, including choosing spawns, items, weapons, and grouping units together.

The game features a variety of battle arts, which are stronger attacks that require bravery to use. Each weapon has its own set of unique attacks, traits, and combos. Special arts allow players to break unblockable attacks and stun enemies. The game includes full blocking, evading, and parrying with a counter-attack system. Fortitude, which represents armor or shields, can be damaged by using arts and stunning enemies. Players can perform flurry attacks when enemies have no fortitude, causing major damage. The game also includes cool slow-motion kill sequences and cinematic camera angles during combat.

Players can level up weapon proficiency to unlock new battle arts and find and use weapons from the battlefield. Enemy leaders are present on the battlefield, and defeating them will cause their army to flee. The game includes a lock-on feature for attacking bosses and leaders. Morale, which can be low or high, is affected by enemy dominance or low numbers and impacts their effectiveness in battle. Winning battles raises the peace level in a province, bringing rewards. The areas where battles take place are large, and players can freely move around. The minimap shows icons, enemies, allies, and markers, and can be zoomed in or out.

The game has made improvements to the map, making it clearer and adding arrows to guide players. Breakable objects are scattered throughout the world and can occasionally drop items. The game includes a full stats screen with a breakdown of player information. Players’ loadouts consist of a weapon, up to four arts, and up to two accessories. The game is divided into chapters and features beautiful locations. It is a game that players can return to time and time again, enjoying the hack-and-slash combat and having a good time.

However, the game has some drawbacks. The opening credits are unskippable, and setting up the camera to your liking can be challenging. The game lacks accessibility options such as colorblind settings, auto-completing QTEs, or having hold instead of mashing button sequences. It looks odd when characters speak but their mouths do not move. The game takes a while to get going, with many pop-ups and waiting to unlock arts and item slots, which can be overwhelming for some players. The combat can be intense with visual effects and noise, making it difficult for those who are easily overwhelmed.

In summary, “Dynasty Warriors Origins” offers a visually stunning and engaging experience with responsive combat, a powerful soundtrack, and a beautifully designed world. While it has some drawbacks, such as unskippable opening credits and a lack of accessibility options, it remains a game that players can enjoy repeatedly, mashing their way through battles and exploring the expansive game world and a huge step up for the series.