It’s been 25 years. Who would have thought it? My first contact with Dynasty Warriors was with its first real installment, the fighting game Dynasty Warriors for the original PlayStation. It wasn’t the best game in the franchise, and at a time when there were dozens of fighting games, it didn’t make a significant impact. Everything would change when the PlayStation 2 console was released.
The PlayStation 2 launch lineup seemed unspectacular at the time, a time when we were, without a doubt, much more demanding than we are now. Sony’s console had great games, but we wanted more. For a gamer like me, a fan of Japanese games, who had spent years with imports for the original PlayStation, including Tokimeki Memorial, Advanced Variable Geo, Captain Tsubasa, and Asuka 120%, there were some titles that were especially interesting. Along with Orphen: Scion of Sorcery, which was a somewhat uneven RPG but which I completed from start to finish, my attention focused on Dynasty Warriors 2.
The game not only boasted an attractive cover, unafraid to admit that it was immediately eye-catching, but also offered gameplay with no room for error: fighting, button mashing, and conquering. Best of all, it was spectacular due to the number of enemies that could be gathered on screen, practically “waiting” to be defeated. Until then, despite its international fame, the story of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was not exactly the most well-known among gamers. That changed in 2000.
In Dynasty Warriors 2, you could play as up to 28 different characters, including key heroes in the franchise’s history, such as Zhao Yun, Sun Shang Xiang, and Guan Yu. The narrative was powerful, but the core of the experience was eliminating soldiers and conquering territories. Its impact on the Japanese market was notable, selling 300,000 units in its first six weeks of availability. Famitsu gave it a score of 31 out of 40, and abroad his style attracted attention, although the game also failed to captivate the international press in a crash that would end up becoming a tradition.
Over the years, Dynasty Warriors has continued to grow. Year after year, installment after installment, it has been in stores for players to mash buttons and defeat thousands of soldiers. Fans have seen the series introduce new features, making changes, and rewrite certain elements. We’ve fought the battle of the Yellow Turban Rebellion more times than we can imagine. In fact, it’s quite possible that many of us know the history of ancient China better than we do some of the history of our own country. This isn’t surprising, given that Koei Tecmo has repeatedly rehashed the same events until characters like Lu Bu, Diao Chan, and Cao Cao have become like family. If you ask a Dynasty Warriors fan what the three kingdoms are, they’ll quickly tell you they are Shu, Wei, and Wu, and they’ll even tell you the color that represents each of them.
Dynasty Warriors has innovated and sought to explore other forms of gameplay. This led to the creation of several spin-offs that have complemented the numbered installments. For example, the spin-offs Empires and Xtreme Legends. The former are conquest games with a superior tactical component, without emulating the gameplay of Kessen, but with a superior background. They were the answer for those who appreciated the gameplay of Dynasty Warriors but wanted a bit more complexity. Meanwhile, Xtreme Legends arrived to round out each numbered installment with more content, characters, and possibilities.
With so many games on the market and its obligatory annual return, Dynasty Warriors became known as “the FIFA of action.” This led to the press not always appreciating it accurately and, in most cases, failing to appreciate the game for what it represents. As with other franchises, its fans are the ones who truly know what they’re looking for in each game.
Over time, Dynasty Warriors welcomed Samurai Warriors, its younger brother, which adapted Japanese feudal history as a complement to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms saga. This provided a bit of a respite for the Koei Tecmo title, something that would later expand thanks to the Orochi Warriors crossovers. In addition, the Warriors universe has also spawned a multitude of licensed games based on all kinds of franchises and series, from The Legend of Zelda with Hyrule Warriors to Dynasty Warriors: Gundam and One Piece: Pirate Warriors, to name just a few. This has proven how essential Warriors’ gameplay is, and the many possibilities it has to win over more and more players.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, we’re grateful to Omega Force and Koei Tecmo for all the fun we’ve had defeating soldiers over the decades. We look forward to continuing to do so for another 25 years.
