Ahead of the January 16 release of Dynasty Warriors Origins, Koei Tecmo has launched a demo of the upcoming Musou on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The enormously prolific Dynasty Warriors series has entered a somewhat experimental phase since 2013’s Dynasty Warriors 8, as Dynasty Warriors 9 embraced a divisive open world structure that clearly wasn’t well received by fans. So for those burned by this series before, the demo for Dynasty Warriors Origins is a good way to see if you’ll like what the developers at Omega Force are cooking up this time.
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Pre-order Dynasty Warriors Origins: Amazon | Best Buy
Judging from this demo, Dynasty Warriors Origin seems to emphasize diverse combos and perfectly timed dodges and blocks alongside the large-scale battlefields the series is known for. If that sounds up your alley, here’s what you can expect from this newly released slice of gameplay.
How Long Is The Dynasty Warriors Origins Demo?
Photo: Koei Tecmo Games / Kotaku
About an hour.
The demo is relatively short, all told. After a few short cutscenes and some battle preparation, the demo will take place entirely in the “Battle of Sishui Gate” mission. A single run through all the demo content shouldn’t take longer than an hour, but this may extend longer for reasons we’ll get to later.
That said, the demo does have some replay value. You can equip your protagonist with different weapons and special moves before going into battle, so hardcore fans may get some mileage out of trying different playstyles ahead of the game’s launch.
Does The Demo Carry Over To The Full Game?
No.
The demo is its own standalone experience, and there’s no prompt to save since it consists of a single mission. The demo also contains a disclaimer that “some scenes and elements may differ from the final game.” In other words, the way events unfold in the demo may not actually reflect the full game.
Can You Enjoy The Dynasty Warriors Origins Demo If You’ve Never Played Dynasty Warriors Before?
Screenshot: Koei Tecmo Games / Kotaku
Kind of.
For someone who has never played a Musou before, you may feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information this demo throws at you. But the game isn’t impossible to understand, especially if you stick with your default setup and follow the onscreen warnings and tutorials as you play. But if you’ve never played a Warriors game before, you might find the Zelda spinoff Hyrule Warriors to be a better introduction to the series.
If this is your first Warriors experience, I’d recommend starting on the easier “Historian” difficulty and trying the demo again on a higher difficulty once you’ve got a handle on the core game mechanics.
While the demo will run you through all the mechanics and systems you need to know, there is one moment at the end of the demo that we do need to talk about. While it’s not a huge plot twist or anything, consider this a spoiler warning if you’d prefer to experience this moment firsthand yourself.
Okay, Is that Lu Bu Fight For Real?
Screenshot: Koei Tecmo Games / Kotaku
It sure is.
Lu Bu is the final boss of the demo, and you need to approach him like he’s a boss in a soulslike. He can easily drain your health from full in two hits, and what remains of your army will be ground to dust if Lu Bu so much as brushes their shoulders. He’s quite hard.
That said, there’s no secret reward or hidden cutscene for defeating Lu Bu. You get to see your fight time against him on the results screen, but that’s about it. So if you get to this point of the demo and decide you don’t want to deal with him, you aren’t missing anything. The only reason to defeat Lu Bu is your own satisfaction.
How To Defeat Lu Bu
Given this is Dynasty Warriors, there may be some strategies to cheese Lu Bu fans will undoubtedly unearth in due time. That aside, your only real recourse is to learn Lu Bu’s attack patterns and time your dodges just right so you can pull off perfect evades. By default, your protagonist will use a sword that makes perfect evades easier to pull off, which should help you learn Lu Bu’s attacks. Otherwise, my advice for you would be as follows.
- The boss fight begins right after you clear the large force on the northwest side of the map. The better condition you’re in before this encounter, the better off you’ll be against Lu Bu. Before you challenge that aforementioned large force, take some time to clear out the enemy bases around the map so you can break pots and replenish your stock of Meat Buns. Ideally, save the pots inside the two bases closest to the northwest side of the map.
- Try to put up as strong of a fight as you can to Lu Bu right out the gate. Your allies will probably get wiped out in a single hit, but they can at least serve as distractions while you score some hits. If you immediately retreat, your allies will probably bite the dust before they can offer you any benefit.
- When (or, optimistically, if) your nearby allies get wiped out and you find yourself low on health, retreat to one of the nearby bases. You can get some emergency healing under your belt, and if you have command over the bases, you’ll gain some new troops to help you out as well.
- Have patience! You probably won’t clear this fight on your first or second try, but as long as you prioritize evasion and score hits when you have clean openings, you can whittle Lu Bu’s health down. It’s a tough fight, but the glory of victory is worth the struggle.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins releases on January 17, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
Pre-order Dynasty Warriors Origins: Amazon | Best Buy
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