The Dynasty Warriors series, traditionally a linear hack-and-slash experience, saw a departure with Dynasty Warriors 9's open world. This raised questions about whether Dynasty Warriors: Origins would follow suit.
Does Dynasty Warriors: Origins have an open world?
No. Dynasty Warriors: Origins does not feature an open world.
The recent trend in AAA games to incorporate open worlds hasn't always been beneficial. Dynasty Warriors 9's open world, for example, was criticized for its emptiness and how it negatively impacted the scale of battles. This highlights how a feature isn't inherently superior simply because it's present.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins, thankfully, avoids this pitfall. Instead of an expansive open world, it offers a condensed overworld map of ancient China. Players navigate this smaller map to visit towns, purchase items, rest at inns, and interact with NPCs to trigger side quests and cutscenes. While functional, this overworld is minimal, allowing for quick traversal (fast travel is available, but rarely needed). This streamlined approach is a significant improvement over the largely empty open world of Dynasty Warriors 9.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is currently available on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.