It’s amazing what a different marketing approach can do for a game.
Earlier this year, Koei Tecmo announced the long-in-development Dynasty Warriors Origins, a full reboot of one of their oldest action RPG franchises. The last “full” installment came out way back in 2018, with the last Empires spin-off launching in 2021. That might not seem like it was all that long ago when compared to other game release schedules from other companies, but Koei is infamous for quick turnaround times on their major franchises. The Warriors IP and its many original and licensed spin-offs represent one of the most prolific series in all of gaming, with some years containing as many as seven different unique installments.
So it’s kind of weird that the main Dynasty Warriors game series and its huge Romance of the Three Kingdoms-derived cast of characters have all been on the sidelines for five years. Some of that might have to do with the mixed reception of those last installments. Dynasty Warriors 9 is perhaps the most polarizing game in a series that already has a somewhat-niche and entrenched audience. It made big changes to the established hack-and-slash formula, trying to blend in some modern open world design ideas and a sprawling over-written story with unique narratives for each of…
