Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered, the review

Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered, the return of a great musou from the past

A lone hero, against thousands of opponents. Of these, however, only a few are truly capable of putting him in difficulty, while all the others are mowed down in a few blows, like a child beating grass with a stick. This, in a nutshell, is the philosophy of musou games, and Dynasty Warriors 3 was, back in 2001, an excellent example of the genre, receiving widespread acclaim on PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Today, as its 25th anniversary approaches, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered arrives, and you are reading the review of the PlayStation 5 edition. Also releasing on Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and Xbox Series X/S, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition takes the original title in its Xtreme Legends edition and re-proposes it with some small additions and a significant graphical overhaul.

Without bothering too much to be particularly accurate, the plot draws inspiration from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which recounts the events that spanned China between 169 and 280. Wu, Wei, and Shu are the three dynasties fighting to conquer dominance of the nation. We will be able to experience their respective campaigns, choosing one of the many available officers, each with their own role in the various missions. The gameplay system sees us moving on maps where opponents, comrades, and points of interest appear. From time to time we have objectives to achieve, which can be defeating a given enemy, saving someone, conquering specific areas, and so on, with dynamic objectives that can evolve or change during the game. In addition to simple soldiers, we will encounter officers of different ranks, up to challenging the unique characters who represent the most formidable obstacle.

Our protagonist evolves by leveling up and can collect temporary bonuses that, for example, increase attack or defense. Furthermore, many weapons will be found, although each selectable character is tied to a specific category of them. Compared to the original, the ability to fuse found weapons has been added, allowing them to be combined: the new sword has a high attack value but you want to continue using the bonuses of the one you've wielded until now? No problem, by combining them we can achieve exactly the desired effect. There are also many items to equip, and it must be said that, from this point of view, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is an extremely rich title in terms of loot. There are also various mounts, very useful for shortening travel times from one point of interest to another.

Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered, gameplay and modes

Speaking of gameplay, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered has received some improvements, but we are still talking about a title with 25 years on its shoulders, years that are all felt, especially if you love the musou genre and have tried its latest exponents like Dynasty Warriors: Origins and Samurai Warriors 5, both capable of remaining in the hearts of fans and showing that even a historical formula can be modernized, albeit not revolutionized. Normal attacks, strong attacks, and special moves to unleash once the appropriate bar is charged, this is the basic recipe of the game. Parry and dodge are added, two options that can give important advantages if used at the right time, but it must be said that in such a frantic gameplay system it is very complicated to get the timing right. To be honest, apart from some situations where I challenged an opposing officer and we didn't have too much crowd around, activating the extra hit after a perfect dodge seemed more like a stroke of luck than actual skill on my part. 

In short, some moves to try to "modernize" the gameplay have been made, but we are talking about marginal elements, such as the revision of the bow's use, now simpler and more immediate. There are difficulty levels suitable for everyone, but be careful: even at the medium level you will have to pay attention to how you move on the field, because even basic soldiers, given their large number, could create some problems for you. If you are a novice, my advice is not to be overly reverent, lower the level to "easy", get familiar with the game system and level up the character that inspires you the most confidence. Among other things, the available fighting styles follow the same rules, but the speed and heaviness of the blows vary from protagonist to protagonist, making Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered extremely replayable.

Speaking of modes, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is only playable offline and multiplayer is also only available locally for two players. For the rest, you can play in Musou mode, the main one, where you choose one of the many officers and face the campaigns of the three houses, which can keep you busy for up to fifteen hours each. In Free Mode you can use any officer in already unlocked missions (and accumulate experience), in Challenge Mode you can test yourself with specific challenges, and in Versus Mode you can challenge a friend in the aforementioned local multiplayer. The offering is quite basic, but the fact of having more than forty playable characters is appreciable.

Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered, technical aspects and final comments

Technically speaking, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered exists in a graphical limbo. Without a doubt, a decent job has been done to improve the game's graphical impact, but the result still shows that the foundation suffers from the weight of its age, even in the cutscenes. If the visual impact isn't overly satisfying, at least there's almost perfect fluidity, an element not to be underestimated in a musou. As is traditional, unfortunately the cameras have some problems, and near walls and edges, you risk seeing very little of the action. The game does not have Italian localization, but displays text and voices in English, Chinese, Korean, or Japanese. The prog-metal soundtrack returns, a hallmark of Omega Force productions.

Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is offered at a budget price of 39.99 euros in its base edition and is recommended for those who love the saga and want to take a trip down memory lane to replay a piece of musou history and Omega Force's flagship brand, but if you are new to this world, I recommend looking at more modern installments. It's impossible to deny that the formula still has its charm, but time passes and 25 years can really show. As a fan of the saga, I definitely had fun, but some limitations restrict the overall value of the work.