Developer: Koei Tecmo Games
Publisher: Koei Tecmo Games
Platform: PC, PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered – Review
We felt like Dynasty Warriors: Origins was somewhat of a soft reboot for the Dynasty Warriors franchise after the recent main series entries were met with mixed reviews by both critics and players. Origins showed us what a modern Dynasty Warriors game could be like in terms of visuals, narrative, and gameplay mechanics, even though we did miss the option to play as one of the many other characters. Now, however, it seems we go back in time to 2001’s Dynasty Warriors 3, which is getting a second lease on life with the Complete Edition Remastered. We were lucky enough to give this blast from the past a go, and we were quite impressed with what Koei Tecmo has done with this classic.
Story
As always, Dynasty Warriors is pretty much about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where the Wu, Wei, and Shu factions duke it out until only one is left standing. You can choose a scenario to play through, and you’ll get treated to quite a few short cinematics that help with the story setup. As the Complete Edition also includes the Xtreme Legends content, you’ll also be able to play character-specific storylines, which add a bit of additional story content to the mix. Truth be told, while the narrative is interesting enough to keep you entertained, we reckon most players here will care more about the actual gameplay than the stories that unfold.
Graphics
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered has not just received a new lick of paint; it has pretty much been remade from the ground up. The game has never looked better and actually looks a lot more like a modern iteration of the series. Of course, there are some beauty flaws here and there, which often have to do with the original stage designs and other limitations. Even so, we loved how everything looked; the characters looked amazing, and we did appreciate that the developers kept quite a few of the original outfits intact as well. Performance was buttery smooth on our PlayStation 5, and with modern technology, more enemies were able to spawn compared to the original on PlayStation 5. Things didn’t get as hectic as a lot of other modern iterations of Dynasty Warriors, however.
Sound
For the most part, the sound design of Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is identical to that of the PS2 release back in 2001. You’ll be treated to rather catchy and upbeat rock music during the battles, and the extremely cheesy English dialogue remains untouched. We actually loved the overall soundscape back then, and we still love it today. The battle grunts have received a small update by mixing in some more modern grunts from more recent Dynasty Warriors entries.
Gameplay
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is the remastered version of Dynasty Warriors 3, which was released 25 years ago. This installment of Dynasty Warriors is widely considered one of the franchise’s better ‘classics,’ and many fans hoped it would get a second lease on life. This remastered version still offers the iconic 1 vs 1000 experience we have come to know and love from the series. You basically pick a mode, the character you wish to play with, and you’re good to go. This updated version of Dynasty Warriors 3 doesn’t come with too many bells and whistles, and you’ll just be able to enjoy the updated visuals with minor gameplay tweaks here and there.
Truth be told, outside of the modes which offer different scenarios and minor gameplay variations, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered feels like a modern release, albeit with some of the old gameplay mechanics intact. These tried-and-true mechanics have been polished a bit more to give the game a more modern feel. Even so, everything here is straightforward: you just kill enemies, the battlefield keeps evolving no matter where you are on the map, you can choose different bodyguards, and so on. There’s nothing really too complex here, and this is one of those Dynasty Warriors games that’s really accessible for newcomers as well. The remastered version does introduce the option to fuse weapons in the camp menu, and you’ll also be able to perform complex evades and guards that give you an advantage against stronger opponents.
While we absolutely had a blast with this ‘rerelease’, we did notice that a few of the original design flaws irked us quite a bit at times. Getting absolutely stunlocked is still an issue in the game, where enemies can basically play a balancing act with your ragdolled body until they are interrupted or until you die. This was also a huge issue when playing the game in Versus mode with a friend, where our NPC allies would just juggle a player for long periods of time, allowing the opposing player to wipe the floor with them. Ranged weapons are still kind of overpowered, but this still didn’t bother us as much as the stunlock issue.
Conclusion
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is a great addition to the library of genre and franchise enthusiasts who want a slightly more straightforward Dynasty Warriors experience. Meaningful upgrades have been made to give this classic a second lease on life, not only making it look better but also play better than the original while still keeping the core experience intact. We hope in the future that other entries in the series will also get a remastered version, allowing newer fans of the franchise to experience these classics for themselves.
No Comments