The great years full of video games just keep coming, and it’s always exciting when you play the first big title in those early months. In 2025 for me it was Dynasty Warriors: Origins, a game which evolved my beloved Musou genre in new and exciting ways. I’ve been singing the praises of various Warriors titles for the best part of a decade now, fighting back against the hordes of naysayers who hadn’t seen the recent growth of the series. Even so I wasn’t quite prepared for how good this newest game would turn out to be, and it set me up for a hell of a year. Now twelve months later I’m playing it all over again, but this time on the Switch 2.
For those unfamiliar with Dynasty Warriors, it’s a ridiculously over the top action series set during the Three Kingdoms era of ancient China. In most of the video games you’ll play as various big names and fight your way through all sorts of vaguely historically accurate battles, but to change things up you play as an unknown amnesiac warrior in Origins. Don’t worry though, you’ll still be starting by taking on the Yellow Turban rebellion and later joining one of the coloured factions of fighters. It’s a more accessible introduction to Dynasty Warriors, and one that tells the tale of war and betrayal rather well.
Really, though, what you should be playing Dynasty Warriors: Origins for is the combat, which sees you taking on thousands of enemies across vast battlefields. Most of these enemies are pretty much cannon fodder (or I suppose spear fodder?) and with traditional combinations of light and heavy attack you’ll perform spectacular feats that blow dozens of foes away at once. Where things really get interesting though are when you have to take on a general, who will happily smack you around if you aren’t paying attention.
These more serious enemies require more effort on your part, with blocking, evading and parrying essential to overcoming their attacks. Once they’ve finished flailing their swords around you can rush in to deplete their shield meter, which when empty will allow you to launch a powerful assault attack for huge damage. It’s a consistently satisfying loop, only made better by all the other new combat options.
You have a selection of special attacks you’ll need to use your Bravery (a meter that builds up) to unleash, and some of these interrupt powerful officer offense. There’s also of course the massive Musou attacks, which are big ole finishing moves that are the best of the bunch. You’re always building up some sort of bar that’ll let you pop off against enemy armies, and I could keep on slicing through fools for hours without getting bored.
As fun as fighting hundreds and thousands of unnamed dudes is, it’s the scale and structure of combat that really make Musou games special. Especially in the larger battles you’ll find yourself rushing back and forth between bases to ensure the morale of your army stays high, and saving your important allies in the process. Before long you’ll turn the tide and get to experience an adrenaline pumping charge, where your whole army rushes into the fray together ready to slice, stab and bash their way to victory in a mighty crescendo.
Whereas most Warriors games feature a host of characters to switch between, Dynasty Warriors: Origins keeps the variety by adding different weapons with hugely different abilities. The starting sword is about as basic as it gets, but before you know it you’ll have a spear that boasts charge attacks, gauntlets that allow you to change forms for new combos, and wheels which deal more damage if you time catching them right. There are ten of these in total which are all a joy to use, and you’re encouraged to switch up your gear constantly to level up your proficiency.
As you progress through the ludicrously long campaign of Dynasty Warriors: Origins you’re always getting stronger, be it by filling out skill trees or grabbing stronger gear. You’ll do most of this in the open world, where you’ll travel across the lands from an isometric perspective. On this map you’ll find small skirmishes, larger side missions, and important characters you can befriend and receive training from. You’ll even get extra rewards for bringing peace to various provinces, which will delight and upset completionists in equal measure.
Those of you with impeccable taste will already know how great Origins is, and are probably waiting to hear about the Switch 2 version of the game. Thankfully it runs incredibly well, sporting the option of a locked 30fps or an unlocked framerate that might occasionally dip. I went for the latter in my playthrough, and in combat especially I rarely noticed the changes at all. The overworld was, oddly, more of an issue, but with no action taking place as you trot around on your horse it’s not really that big a deal. The biggest surprise of all though is how little it feels like the visuals are affected in this version of the game, especially playing on a smaller screen in handheld mode. I would happily play all my Musous on the Switch 2 if they run this well, and for such a visually intensive genre that’s a damn impressive statement.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is still the best Musou game on the market, and my new favourite place to play it is the Switch 2. Its issues are still particularly minor (like the open world lacking guidance to find newly unlocked side missions) and its spectacular combat and wealth of content more than makes up for this. Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the Musou game that everyone should try before passing over the genre, and the Switch 2 is a wonderful place to do so.
