The Enduring Appeal of 'Dynasty Warriors'

Dynasty Warriors is a series of video games published by Tecmo Koei and developed by Omega Force that has spanned generations of consoles and appealed to the hearts of a contingent of loyal fans. Yet, although the franchise has developed a cult following among its devotees, many design decisions have prevented the hack-and-slash experience from ever fully realizing its mainstream potential. While the technology of the underlying hardware has continued to propel itself into the future, the core mechanics within these games remain largely unchanged, save for a few quality of life improvements. And while each iteration has grown progressively more expansive and involved, the gameplay formula continues to boil down to a few simple yet satisfying button commands.

Dynasty Warriors’ humble beginnings date back to 1997 when the first game was published for the original PlayStation home console. This entry exists as a one-off fighting game a la the Tekken series, and although it deals with the same prominent historical figures that would become more defined in later installments, the game bears little resemblance to the tried-and-true recipe that would be used for all of Omega Force’s future games; This discrepancy is more conspicuous in Japan as the enumeration of the series starts with the Shin Sangokumusou a.k.a Dynasty Warriors 2 in the west. Along with the launch of the PlayStation 2 console in October of 2000, Dynasty Warriors 2 was one of a handful of software titles that was made available for purchase. While I didn’t have the privilege to acquire this game when it was hot off the presses, as I was unaware of the greatness therein, I have since gone back and revisited all of the legacy games and can only imagine how impressive of a presentation it must have been in the fall of 2000. Dozens of enemies litter the screen (a feat that could only have been accomplished with the superior specs of the PlayStation 2) as the player takes on the role of a general from the Three Kingdoms’ period in a quest to unify the warring territories of China. Generally, the dramatized narrative takes a backseat to the gratuitous slaying of enemy peons and officers that comprise the majority of the arcade style combat. Nonetheless, the story is related to the players through a series of cutscenes and a bevy of mid-action dialogue that engross one in the trials and tribulations of the members of the Wei, Wu, Shu, and Jin factions.

Flash forward to 2018 and Dynasty Warriors 9 has been released to less than stellar reviews. Amidst the eight preceding titles and the innumerable spinoffs, the series has gone through critical organic crests and troughs that are endemic to any longstanding serial, particularly regarding the polarizing 6th and 9th titles. As the years have gone on, Omega Force has tried to lure in additional followers through an emphasis on partnerships between popular IPs “i.e. Gundam, One Piece, Zelda, Fire Emblem, Attack on Titan, and Fist of the North Star” to varying degrees of success. However, the sales of these games have never made much of a blip on the radar of the average consumer. Anecdotally, speaking with even the most seasoned of my gamer friends on the topic of the Dynasty Warriors is liable to yield a listless shrug of indifference. Why is it that the stamina of this series has not been commensurately met with any measure of fanfare in the west? Could it perhaps be that our growing demand for online multiplayer experiences has blunted the response from gamers who prefer their activities to be more solitary? Or is it maybe that many seem to disparage the fact that the systems of play are not innovative enough to warrant the purchase of more than one volume? If the latter were true, the derivative success of the “one-a-year” Call of Duty and professional sports titles would have to be called into question years ago. What seems to be a solid schematic for an engaging and enjoyable session of simple yet fulfilling combat does not translate to the sales figures that I believe this diamond in the rough deserves.

If you find yourself reading this article, being a newcomer or someone who’s only dabbled in the enigmatic once or twice, I would encourage you to see what you’ve been missing with the subjectively most refined title, Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Complete Edition. The superficially simple and intuitive gameplay masks the deeper elements of continued play that reward displays of personal fortitude. Along the way, you’ll find yourself growing attached to an increasingly large body of cast members, each with their own unique personality traits that are further bolstered by their idiosyncratic styles of combat. While I’ve mentioned that the story is merely a means to progress the combat at front-and-center, that’s not to say that the fictionalized interpretation of the famous Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms is to be ignored. Dynamics between characters play out in an over-the-top, soap opera style which leaves viewers feeling more empathetic toward the dramatic struggles of each individual combatant, tenuous though their ties to the actual non-fictional events may be. Perhaps if people were more open to the idea that the Dynasty Warriors series wasn’t just a copy and paste, throwaway title, we would see more of a following in the western hemisphere. It is this consequence of hearsay that I believe truly prohibits the series from realizing its full potential. Though I treasure the fact that I have remained a loyal fan of this hidden gem for nearly two decades, I yearn for the day when the world can share in my enthusiasm for any and all upcoming Dynasty Warriors games. Until then, I will wait with bated breath for the next title that Omega Force decides to dispense to the world.