DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS

Going all the way back to the beginning for a fresh start

- By CHRIS SCHILLING

There is something if not heartwarming then at least reassuring about the durability of Dynasty Warriors. For years misunderstood and frequently lambasted by western critics as a shallow button-masher, the Musou formula endures. Since the turn of the millennium, when the series’ second entry established what Omega Force producer Tomohiko Sho calls "the essence of Dynasty Warriors - that exhilarating feeling of one versus 1,000", it has withstood the caprices of an industry in perpetual flux. In doing so, it has become an endearing constant, a testament both to staying true to one's ideals and to sustainability rather than the pursuit of endless growth.

Yet as any good general knows, sometimes it pays to mix up your strategy, lest your opponents find your approach all too predictable. Indeed, given the increasing costs of game development, there's perhaps now a greater urgency to expand the series' audience beyond its loyal fanbase (its critical reception may have been warmer in recent years, but Sho has said that it's still “not yet in a position to be called a success in the west"). Shifting tack doesn’t always pay off, however. When 2018's Dynasty Warriors 9 appeared to usher in a new era for the series, with a sprawling open world and stealth elements, the result was not universally praised. “We did receive a lot of positive and negative comments,” Sho says, choosing his words carefully. “It was kind of on the fence in terms of that.”

It would be natural, then, to assume Dynasty Warriors: Origins was developed as a direct reaction to that mixed response, but Sho says that couldn't be further from the truth. “The direction was not influenced at all by Dynasty Warriors 9 or the fans' reactions,” he insists. “It's really a result of starting completely from scratch, and what we considered that Dynasty Warriors should be in the present day.” Internally, he says,