Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 & PC)

I’ve countless fond memories of Dynasty Warriors—the power metal ballads, the vigorous hack-and-slash movement, the seemingly endless campaigns and the ever-famous words “do not pursue Lu Bu” that, even after twenty-five years, still hold a special place in the back of my head. And yet, even with two decades of experience and numerous retellings of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms period, it still feels as if there is so much left to learn about the warring factions and the epic battles over the vast provinces of China. And, as history has proven time and time again, Dynasty Warriors is one of the few sagas that can squeeze blood out of a stone. Naturally, we know the story, as do we know the origin of Wei, Wu and Shu. Yet, there is always something that brings us back to the root.

Sure enough, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is a lot more than mere cannon fodder for Origins’ claim to fame. In any other case, I’d wager that it would have served as a bit of extra padding—a complementary side note to underscore the franchise and its gradual evolution from a campy hack-and-slash saga into a modern-day marvel. And yet, that just isn’t the case here. While remaining true to the gradual evolution of the Warriors anthology, the third chapter does a lot more than lean into new habits; it retains the beating heart of its source, and it does all in its power to service Musou veterans with a superb love letter that reads, plays, and acts like the perfect homecoming gift.

Rather than tiptoeing in the shadow of Origins and its modern-day ideologies, DW3:CER opts to retain a lot of the signature aspects that made the original special. Sure enough, it keeps ahold of the original costumes, the comically bad dialogue, the weighty campaigns, and the sickeningly satisfying button-mashing combat that, true to the spirit of a Warriors title, was always going to be the centerpiece for its mantel. And yet, it doesn’t just add a bit of polish to the existing model in the hopes of establishing a quick and easy hot fix. No, DW3:CER has far more weight to it, with a vast array of quality-of-life improvements, slicker combat with responsive AI, cleaner visuals, and, above all, a fresh batch of plot beats, to boot.

Of course, Dynasty Warriors has always been a fan of significantly beefier campaigns, and so, you can still expect to claim a staggering amount of content in the overhauled version. As before, the game comes fully loaded with over forty officer campaigns, just short of ninety stages, as well as all of the content from the Xtreme Legends expansion, which in itself includes a host of alternate scenarios, with the “Other” section adding even more material, characters, and plot beats to the overarching narrative. The point is, DW3:CER isn’t your typical one-and-done affair; it’s a massive epic that spans dozens of unique characters’ stories and perspectives across The Romance of the Three Kingdoms timeline. Don’t expect to sweep it beneath the rug in a single sitting, basically.

As I said, a significant chunk of technical polish has been added to the infrastructure here, too. Where you would expect tens of thousands of motionless drone-like soldiers, DW3:CER ensures that every battle has a continuous flow of action. Naturally, the soldiers fight back, as do the generals and officers make more of an effort to lean into their roles as fighters rather than meager punching bags for your blade. And that’s a big thing here, too, as Dynasty Warriors is no stranger to mindless NPCs and one-sided battles that favor the allied forces over the opposition. At least in this world you have more of a level playing field to work with.

The fact DW3:CER keeps a firm grip on the bits and pieces that made the original so universally popular is the icing on the cake here. Rather than toeing the line and emulating a lot of the features that fleshed out the likes of Origins, the remaster holds onto its primary look, warts and all. But, that isn’t a bad thing. While the voice acting remains a little comical and the battle mechanics retain that ever-famous swashbuckling-like feel, it does all mesh together to create a spiritual experience that bodes well with both older blueprints and significantly better ideas.

Of course, there’s always the option to slip back into old habits with a game like DW3:CER; the fact that you can choose between a Classic version and Normal means that you can, in theory, experience the best of both worlds at the touch of a button. And it’s worth checking out both versions, too, as the Classic mode gracefully pays homage to the original with a lot of the dainty presets, whereas the Normal mode allows you to unveil a formula that’s slightly more in sync with Origins’ way of laying the groundwork.

Given that you have a whopping campaign (as well as the full length of Xtreme Legends and its booster pack scenarios and characters), DW3:CER clearly flaunts a strong backbone and all of the feathers, to boot. While it still falls beneath a rather niche structure, it’s fair to say that, whether you’re a hack-and-slash fan or a die-hard Warriors enthusiast, the Complete Edition Remastered is definitely going to give you something to write home about — again.

Verdict

Dynasty Warriors: Complete Edition Remastered serves its purpose as an ideal homecoming gift for die-hard fans of the Musou saga, with a powerhouse of a multi-layer campaign, a huge chunk of bonus content, and more than enough quality-of-life upgrades that, while still actively modernizing the original formula, retain the beating heart of the source. With a fresh lick of paint, a host of fresh plot beats and features, as well as a trove of general technical overhauls, it all makes for an excellent successor that, frankly, every fan of the rolling anthology is going to adore, warts and all.