Review: Dynasty Warriors: Origins, three kingdoms to rule them all
Due to its fundamental concept, the Dynasty Warriors franchise is an excellent witness to the technical progression of gaming media; Omega Force studio and its flagship producer Tomohiko Sho have made significant progress since the first skirmishes on PS2 in 2000. Dynasty Warriors : Origins prides itself on organizing the biggest battles Koei Tecmo has ever seen thanks to modern power. Several hundred, even thousands of soldiers remain displayed on the screen (almost) without slowdowns. And it's not just a technical vanity. Omega Force mobilizes these resources to introduce new mechanics that make battles fiercer than ever, certainly, but also more interesting, rising above the simple beat ’em up stereotypical in many ways.
The art of war
But let's start at the beginning, shall we? If Dynasty Warriors : Origins is still interested in the period known as the “Three Kingdoms” in the 3rd century, while China is divided between several potential regents after major popular revolts led by the Yellow Turbans and other disadvantaged clans, we now play an anonymous and amnesiac protagonist who wanders according to the clashes. He doesn't really know why, but he knows how to wield the sword and all kinds of weapons with incomparable ferocity, flying to the aid of the most disadvantaged when the opportunity arises or selling his services to the various historical figures he meets.
Opting for a clean sheet has several consequences. First, this allows Omega Force to go even further than usual in its romanticization of history, with assumed fantastical elements (including an ancient sect of warriors of which we quickly learn to be a part) which will spice up the progress. Then, the amnesiac protagonist serves as a vector for us to discover the issues of the Three Kingdoms with a certain clarity, which was not a given, as the period is so complex. We first meet the small disparate troupe of Liu Bei and Guan Yu before approaching the loyalist Cao Cao, the assumed tyrant Dong Zhuo or the valiant clan leader Sun Jian through chance encounters. So many major figures in Chinese history that we get to know in their romanticized representation.Dynasty Warriors : Origins also color-codes the different factions for added clarity. This quickly comes in handy in melee and cutscenes.
Walking on Sun Chine
On the field, our valiant avatar can use nine different weapons, from swords to gauntlets, chakrams, double axes or even the submitteda sort of heavy sword with devastating attacks. Dynasty Warriors : Origins distils these weapons drop by drop to ensure that we do not go around in circles too quickly, even if the gameplay remains, broadly speaking, the typical recipe of the government : We charge entire regiments of infantrymen with our devastating attacks to capture enemy bases and/or defeat enemy commanders in order to win each battle. Secondary objectives may eventually arise throughout the scripts.
Omega Force has made certain efforts in the handling of weapons in order to clearly distinguish them. For example, we particularly like the iron gauntlets, which don't really have classic combos between light attacks and heavy strikes, but work with a system of postures to be chained together in the mind. kung fu. Others may prefer chakrams, which act like boomerangs and can trigger special effects if caught at the right time. We also find the “ muso attacks » which will clean a large area with one click once the energy gauge is charged, although we can also continue to accumulate energy to activate a pseudo-transformation which temporarily strengthens our statistics and unlocks a ” muso attack » reinforced most impressively.
Dynasty Warriors : Origins fight against monotony with special skills to equip and mix according to the weapons, which are executed by consuming “bravery” points to accumulate while fighting. Certain techniques are obviously restricted to certain weapons. These skills are often somewhat special attacks. flashybut some also allow you to interrupt the enemy's special skills, which requires you to manage your bravery intelligently to avoid finding yourself defenseless against an opposing lieutenant. You must also remain sharp and alert in order to parry enemy attacks at the right time to repel them, which, without going to the extremes of Sekiro, introduces more interesting fights to the point of offering duels in certain situations. This is reminiscent of the origins of the franchise which was first a fighting game on PS1 in 1997. Yes, the circle is almost complete.
Lu Bu's abuse
However, Dynasty Warriors : Origins is especially striking by the gigantism of its battles, where one really has the impression of being a demigod among a dense swarm of infantrymen which sometimes proves impossible to cross without cutting through the thicket. Omega Force introduces the concept of “great armies”, colossal gatherings of opposing soldiers and lieutenants that must be patiently weakened like a wave crashing, again and again, against an imperious cliff. Sometimes, new objectives arise, and it is necessary to seek out the enemy general among his close guard – despite the extreme danger – to prevent the adversary from regrouping. Conversely, after a certain milestone in our progression, we can unlock “stratagems”, special techniques which mobilize our private regiment to riddle the enemy with flaming arrows, ask the cavalry to charge or defend a specific location . Dynasty Warriors : Origins enhances positioning by reinforcing certain stratagems if they are launched from an advantageous position, although this is often random and imprecise.
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But the obvious flip side of the coin, it is that the spectacular battles of Dynasty Warriors : Origins sometimes turn out to be simply illegible. It's an old hassle of the franchise that is not about to improve. In the melee, we sometimes find ourselves knocked down by the enemy cavalry without being able to get up for a moment, or there are so many bodies on the screen that our little runt of a protagonist disappears under the colorful tunics. Quite impractical when playing a weapon that relies on timing. Furthermore, if a certain effort has been given to the scripts of the major battles to make them as epic as they are dynamic, a certain repetitiveness inevitably sets in, although some players (like me) will find this loop quite addictive. Like a test zen which requires repeating the same gesture, over and over again, to fully empty the mind.
One for all, all nags
Dynasty Warriors : Origins tries to ward off this inherent repetitiveness with numerous subsidiary missions, grouped in the form of skirmishes or optional battles which will serve to pacify the different regions of China as well as to fill our bank account, recruit soldiers or obtain accessories. But hey, we must recognize that these shorter missions are ultimately even more repetitive than the main scenarios. Omega Force, however, chooses to offer an explorable map in the form of a diorama, which is a fairly nice visual representation, and the Japanese studio offers a nice diversity of arenas which range from the lush jungle to the snowy castle. That's already taken.
Beyond the structure of the fights, Omega Force surprises with an intelligent progression which distils its new features little by little and creates the constant desire to advance in the plot. From a simple nomadic mercenary, our protagonist slowly rises in reputation to become leader of his own squad, as noted above. In addition, if our avatar has skill trees to unlock to quietly improve its different abilities, it is necessary to improve our mastery of the different weapons to level up and access the supreme spheres, which induces a natural diversification of our approach. Some characters will also give secondary objectives to accomplish as soon as possible with skill points at stake. It is already more interesting than the different models of weapons as well as the passive accessories which can be mixed at your convenience since the important thing, up to theendgamesimply remains to improve your statistics in order to crush everything you come across without sweating too much.
Victory by Cao (Cao)
Dynasty Warriors : Origins would not be a real Dynasty Warriors without a gigantic cast, given the incredible density of the original novel, and Omega Force remains solid on the supports with a veritable tidal wave of historical figures with more or less interesting personalities. This is because many second knives are blunt, generic, forgettable in the continuous flow of faces and names to remember, despite the obvious efforts to make this historical period digestible. However, we will remember some amusing characters, like Han Dong and his unhealthy shyness. The writing of the dialogues turns out to be particularly uneven.
Beyond the bombastic and very flowery style which suits the original text as well as Chinese cultural particularities, which will not appeal to all neophytes, our avatar is basically the Little Asian Jesus. Absolutely everyone wants to consult their acquaintances (ironic for an amnesiac), “ spend the night » with him for “ deepen their philosophy » or form unbreakable bonds at the first meeting. So no, a priori, there is nothing sexual – although, given the enthusiastic reactions of a young student AND the terrifying Lu Bu, we say that there is bisexuality in the air – but be warned that certain sequences seem a little ridiculous in their lyrical flights. And yet. Sometimes, certain unexpected deaths or certain historical tragedies still end up transmitting emotion, which was not a foregone conclusion.