Dynasty Warriors: Origins TGS 2024 Preview – Hitting Peak Musou Performance

It was fitting that we had our experience with Koei Tecmo and Omega Force‘s upcoming Dynasty Warriors: Origins at Tokyo Game Show 2024. As the crowds started to swell, the sheer numbers was akin to the 1 vs 1,000 combat that is at the heart of this latest evolution of the action franchise. And it wasn’t hard to see why this could be the best game in the series to date, judging from the smart decisions made by the developers.

The premise remains remarkably straightforward—choose your loadout and companions, start a battle, smash the enemy, and win. But there is a lot more strategic nuance in place this time around, especially when controlling the battlefield and facing down enemy generals.

The preview session dropped us into The Battle of Sishui Gate, and our task was to take down the fearsome generals of Dong Zhuo standing guard. Before the battle unfolded, there were choices to be made. Various weapons provided different pros and cons, and naturally, your style of battle as well. Going with the flexible General’s Sword, next came the choice of a companion. These AI partners are capable warriors on their own, and more importantly, they will determine where you start a battle and the strategy involved. You can also go it alone, but it’s nice to see some gameplay impact from making these choices.

As the battle began, it is clear that Dynasty Warriors: Origins has benefitted from a technical standpoint. The environments look much better, the number of enemies on screen has increased, and while they are still far from photorealistic models, they do get an upgrade on the visual front. It all came together quite nicely as we swept through groups of enemies, building up our hero’s Bravery meter that allowed for more powerful Arts attacks unique to each weapon.

There are crowd control maneuvres, attacks that focus on a singular enemy, and likely to be everything in between. Not to mention working alongside your partner in decimating the enemy forces, and Musou attacks have never looked more awesome or damaging when used at the right moment.

While you can easily cut down enemy soldiers, the generals are another matter. More intelligent and hardier than before, each officer comes with Resolution energy that can render them impervious to your combos. The only way to reduce this is to press the attack, unleashing your Arts while the enemy is attacking, or parrying their attacks to stun them for a window of offense momentarily. Dodging powerful counters are also going to be a thing. No longer can you count on sustained attacks to eliminate officers with ease, and with this new system in place, it definitely ups the ante when it comes to facing down the more powerful opponents like Hua Xiong, and we cannot wait to take on Lu Bu when he eventually shows his terrifying face.

Outside of that, there are a few tactical options players can utilise with their personal guards. At any given time, you can use these Tactics to send them charging into the enemy, fire a volley of arrows, or help encircle a particular opponent and let you focus on taking them down. On a much larger scale, large-scale attacks are also a thing, demonstrated here as the allied forces charge towards Sishui Gate, and Grand Tactics will play a huge role in determining the course of battle.

It was also fun to see the duel mechanic make a comeback as we tried to take Hua Xiong down in one on one combat. Such encounters only heighten the measured approach that Dynasty Warriors: Origins is pushing, and the tension involved was certainly invigorating. Victory should taste much sweeter, while defeat will definitely leave a more sour taste in the mouth.

It remains to be seen just how the other improvements made outside of battles will further enrich the experience, but judging from this hands-on, we are more than delighted about the direction of the series. If the battles are all so engaging and thrilling, then Dynasty Warriors: Origins could very well usher in a new age of the Musou genre, and we cannot wait.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins arrives on January 17, 2025, for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.