Industry News
Dynasty Warriors: A Hack & Slash Cultural Phenomenon
Feb
Dynasty Warriors is a hack-and-slash series from Koei that started in 1997 and has continued throughout the years, having a strong impact on the gaming scene by helping bring this type of game to the forefront of popular gaming genres. The series was highly successful for several years, with its peak in 2008. Today, the series has been rebooted as the 7th, 8th, and 9th games did not receive a positive reception like the others. Let’s review the ups and downs of the series and the impact it’s had on gaming.
The Dynasty Warriors series is a spin-off of the Romance of the Three Kingdom series, which are all based on the same Chinese novel, and the concept of one man vs 100, taking character inspiration from real-life historical figures. While this series is not the first hack-and-slash game ever made, it has had a huge impact on the enjoyment of this gaming style and stands as a leader in the genre. The first game was not directly connected with the rest and is not recognized as the start of the series in Japan, but when localized in North America, the series was numbered together, so each game was one number higher than in Japan.
A Series Breakdown
The series continued over the years, making it up to 9 games (plus expansions) before rebooting the entire franchise as it had lost significant popularity. Some came out back-to-back, riding off the popularity of the previous installment, while others had large gaps between releases. Below is a quick breakdown of the game’s release dates and other information.
- 1997: Dynasty Warriors – Released on the PlayStation, titled Sangokumusou in Japan
- 2000: Dynasty Warriors 2 – Released on the PS2, titled Shin Sangokumus? in Japan
- 2001: Dynasty Warriors 3 – Released on the PS2 and Xbox with an expansion called Xtreme Legemds, titled Shin Sangokumusou 2 in Japan
- 2003: Dynasty Warriors 4 – Released on the PS2 and Xbox with two expansions called Xtreme Legends and Empires, titled Shin Sangokumusou 3 in Japan
- 2005: Dynasty Warriors 5 – Released on the PS2 and Xbox, titled Shin Sangokumusou 4 in Japan
- 2008: Dynasty Warriors 6 – Released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 with one expansion called Empires, titled Shin Sangoku Musou 5 in Japan
- 2011: Dynasty Warriors 7 – Released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 with one expansion called Xtreme Legends, titled Shin Sangoku Musou 6 in Japan
- 2013: Dynasty Warriors 8 – Released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 with two expansions called Xtreme Legends and Empires, titled Shin Sangoku Musou 7 in Japan
- 2018: Dynasty Warriors 9 – Released on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, titled Shin Sangoku Musou 8 in Japan
- 2025: Dynasty Warriors: Origins – Released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Over time, some of the games have become available on other consoles, PC, or handhelds. Several spinoffs came from the series as well, such as Dynasty Tactics, the Samurai Warriors series, Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers, Dynasty Warriors Mahjong, and many more. There is also a film inspired by the series that’s available for streaming.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins
The latest edition in the series, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, comes 7 years after 9, with strongly positive reviews and focusing only on a portion of the story instead of the whole. This allows the series to reboot and take more time spinning the tale while maintaining the familiar fighting styles and aspects of the previous games fans loved.
- Act fast as the unprecedented size and scale of enemy armies overwhelm the battlefield.
- Coordinate with allied armies and deploy battle tactics in real time while slicing through waves of soldiers in the most tension-filled fights in DYNASTY WARRIORS history!
- For the first time in a DYNASTY WARRIORS title, the storyline will be told through the eyes of a “nameless hero”
- English (Playback Language)
- English (Subtitle)
Even with poor reviews for some games, the series has remained strong in the gaming community as one of the best hack-and-slash series, inspiring so many spin-offs and battle combat for various games. As the series has been rebooted, we can expect new games coming out with better visuals and new storylines!
