Dynasty Warriors: Origins on the Switch 2 is yet another proof that Nintendo's handheld is capable of delivering incredible experiences without much compromise. It's an outstanding port that should be on your radar if you want to expand your collection.
The Switch isn't lacking in good Musou games. You'll find Nintendo franchise spin-offs like the Fire Emblem Warriors sub-series or Zelda's Hyrule Warriors, with last year's Age of Imprisonment receiving generally favorable reviews. Even third-party games like Persona 5 Strikers play well on the system. However, barring the incredibly divisive Dynasty Warriors 9 and 8, Omega Force and Koei Tecmo's main franchise has been largely absent.
Origins, released last year for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC, aims to fix that lack of representation and absolutely knocks it out of the park. As the name suggests, this game serves as the perfect entry point to the franchise, which is inspired by the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. If you've played previous Dynasty Warriors, this shouldn't come as a surprise. If you haven't, but have tried other Switch exclusives, like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, a lot of the story themes should be familiar to you, as Koei Tecmo co-developed that title alongside writer Mari Okamoto, with Romance of the Three Kingdoms also serving as inspiration.
Origins puts a different spin on the classic tale, as players control a wanderer warrior suffering from amnesia, known as Ziluan. As the story progresses, memories of who he really is will begin to sprawl, which coincides with his journey across ancient China, where he'll meet a wide variety of characters that will impact the story in unique ways.
There are three branching paths (with each offering multiple endings based on certain conditions), adding a vast sense of replayability, as each offers a distinctive perspective on how the story events unfold, and of course, different battles to take on during the main scenarios, which should take you roughly 25 to 30 hours to complete during your first playthrough.
As for the gameplay, it is stellar. It's a natural evolution of the Musou formula while keeping the core foundation of what makes it great. I don't consider myself an expert, but I've dabbled in old Dynasty and Samurai Warriors games, as well as a bit of Warriors Orochi (that Ryu Hayabusa intro in WO3 lives rent-free in my head), to spot the refinements. The biggest change is that, as mentioned, players only control a single character for the vast majority of the story, with some opportunities here and there to take control of specific characters for a few moments throughout the campaign.
The focus might be on a singular character this time; however, that doesn't mean the gameplay feels short of options when it comes to weapons. In total, Ziluan can wield nine weapons initially, with post-game hiding an extra one to bump the base game options to 10. These range from your typical Sword and Spear, to the incredibly fun Wheels, circular dual blades that can be tossed around and used as deadly boomerangs, letting you chain very flashy attacks that wipe out entire battalions with style.
I like to think of combat sections as being split into two: the power fantasy of wiping out dozens of enemies with a massive sword slash and more strategic battles against tougher opponents that will require you to fully engage with the game's systems rather than simply mashing X. These bosses and mini-bosses have Fortitude, the small shields above their health. By using a variety of normal, heavy, and special attacks known as Battle Arts, you need to deplete the shields to stagger them and initiate an Assault, a powerful finishing blow that deals massive damage.
These enemies are no pushovers; luckily, Origins offers plenty of defensive mechanics to aid you, including perfect dodges, which replenish Bravery (the resource you need to utilize Battle Arts), parries that slightly stagger enemies and deplete Fortitude, and even unique Battle Arts that counter an enemy's attack before it hits you.
The grand spectacle of massive armies clashing against one another and swinging these big battles in your favor is still a huge part of the gameplay loop. There's a morale system that will empower allies or enemies depending on how the battles are going. Taking enemy bases and defeating important enemies will buff your allies, making them more aggressive, potentially culminating in big events called Grand Tactics that could secure your victory. Enemies can pull off these tactics as well, but you'll be given a specific task to complete within a set amount of time to prevent them from happening, adding a very neat sense of urgency during climactic battles.
Learning how to master and use each weapon in combat is highly incentivized, as character progression is heavily tied to proficiency. Each time you reach a specific XP threshold with a weapon, you'll unlock a proficiency point. These points will allow you to obtain an upgrade for the weapon you've leveled up. What's just as important is that they will help you increase your rank level, allowing you to unlock different skill trees the higher your rank.
You'll have plenty of ways to grind throughout the ranks. The game has an overworld that's uniquely quaint and fun to explore. You'll be able to roam around the hub to find unique resources to upgrade items, enter shops to purchase weapons, take part in small skirmishes, reunite with allies, which can grant you challenges to complete with a specific weapon or more involved side quests to deepen your bond with them, and naturally, tackle the main story objectives.
The map is split into provinces, each with its own Peace gauge. Reaching a threshold will give you some benefits, so it's very incentivized to try and take part in as many side activities as possible.
If you're worried about performance on the Switch 2, fret not: it's incredible. Even visually, which is usually the department in which Switch ports tend to suffer the most, the game holds its head high against the likes of the PS5 version. The game targets a variable 60 FPS, and it succeeds heavily. There are some dips here and there, particularly when things get too hectic, but nothing that would ruin your experience. A great quality-of-life feature is that Omega Force added an FPS toggle, so if you prefer to play at a completely rock-solid 30 FPS, you can do so.
Sadly, the lack of any co-op, both local and online, might be a detriment to some. While I do admit I was a little disappointed with this, particularly seeing how much I loved the gameplay, I understand why the developers opted to focus on a highly polished single-player experience first.
Overall, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a fantastic package that every Nintendo Switch 2 owner should look to own, especially if they're even slightly interested in very stylized action games with incredible performance both in docked and handheld modes.
A code was provided by the developer for the purpose of this review.
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