Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors ( 真・三國無双:Shin Sangoku Musou in Japan and 真•三国无双: Zhen Sanguo Wu/Moshuang in China; literally meaning, 'Real Three Kingdoms Hit and Miss/Unrivalled' respectively) is a series of video games created by Koei based loosely around the Romance of the Three Kingdoms epic, and is a spinoff series of ROTK ( Sangokushi/Sanguo Yanyi )
Games in the Series
The games in this series are as follows:
- Dynasty Warriors (Sangoku Musou) [1997]
- Dynasty Warriors 2 (Shin Sangoku Musou) [2000]
- Dynasty Warriors 3 (Shin Sangoku Musou 2) [2001]
- Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends (Shin Sangoku Musou 2 Moushouden) [2002]
- Dynasty Warriors 4 (Shin Sangoku Musou 3) [2003]
- Dynasty Warriors 4 Xtreme Legends (Shin Sangoku Musou 3 Moushouden) [2003]
- Dynasty Warriors 4 Empires (Shin Sangoku Musou 3 Empires) [2004]
- Dynasty Warriors for PSP [2005]
- Dynasty Warriors 5 (Shin Sangoku Musou 4) [2005]
- Dynasty Warriors Advance [2005]
- Dynasty Warriors 4 Hyper for Windows (Shin Sangoku Musou 3 Hyper) [2005]
- Dynasty Warriors for Nintendo DS [2005]
- Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends (Shin Sangoku Musou 4 Moushouden) [2005]
Game Characteristics
The first game was an obscure fighting game that was released in 1997 on the PlayStation. This game was not released under the 'Shin Sangoku Musou' title in Japan which is why there is a discrepancy in title numbers. From Dynasty Warriors 2 onward, a general is chosen as a playable character and they play through a number of levels representing certain conflicts in the time of the three kingdoms eventually defeating both of the other kingdoms and becoming the ruler of China. In Musou Mode (a gameplay mode in which the Three Kingdoms story is played out from one kingdom's perspective), the generals are usually chosen from one of the three kingdoms (Wu, Shu or Wei; however, from Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends onwards, independent generals can be selected as well). Dynasty Warriors 3 had two secret characters, Nu Wa and Fu Xi, that are not playable in Musou Mode.
Both Dynasty Warriors 3 and Dynasty Warriors 5 have individual Musou Modes for each character. Dynasty Warriors 4 has a single Musou Mode for an entire Kingdom. For example, all characters aligned with Wu play through Wu's Musou Mode. This allows for characters to be interchangeable during level breaks.second player could only pick anyone on games 1 to 3 and 5 but in 4 they could not.
The levels themselves follow a third-person beat-em-up format, where the camera is behind the player and they go around killing the enemy forces, while avoiding both the player's own death and one or more other loss scenarios (usually involving the death of the player's own superior, the loss of a critical ally or fortification, or the escape of an enemy leader). Unlike the more realistic Sangokushi series, the playable characters in Dynasty Warriors have superhuman abilities and can send enemy soldiers flying through the air with a single swipe from his or her weapon, if not killing them instantly. Certain generals can fire magical projectiles from their hands or pound the ground to create massive shockwaves. Thus, it is possible for one general to kill hundreds of enemy soldiers and defeat their commander without the aid of any AI controlled allies.
The order of events in a full (Musou) game for Dynasty Warriors 3 and 4 is as follows:
- Put down the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
- Defeat Dong Zhuo.
- Defeat the 'other' member of the alliance against Dong Zhuo (i.e. not Wu, Shu or Wei, however, this varies depending on the Kingdom).
- Defeat one of the other three kingdoms.
- Defeat the last remaining other kingdom.
Each of the main three kingdoms has additional levels that deal mainly with internal problems. Since Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Lü Bu, and Meng Huo are all defeated in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, their Musou Modes do not follow the book nor history and are pure fiction.
Dynasty Warriors 5 introduced a more realistic Musou mode. Instead of fighting in the above set of events, a general will only participate in battles they would have been alive for. Because of this, generals start off at different points in time and some generals will never encounter one another. Inbetween stages are drama scenes in which the general will discuss the battles and their feelings on what is happening. This has given the game more of a personal view as well as kept the player up to date with what has happened in the story. Dynasty Warriors 5 also deviates from the goal of taking over China. Not all characters are interested in the conquest and a general's Musou mode may end just after their kingdom is established instead of after the last kingdom is defeated.
Because of this, some events such as saving Sun Jian's life are not possible. While you can save Sun Jian from dying in the battle, he will pass away immediately after.
The Dynasty Warriors series are known for their far-fetchedness in the portrayal of its characters (although in many cases the portrayal is rather accurate). For example, some generals wield weapons that are rather anachronistic - Ling Tong's nunchaku, Zhou Tai's katana, and Sun Ce's tonfas. Also, passive characters that were mentioned in the stories or in history were made fighters. Finally, the issue of mysticism is touched upon with laser beam-like powers possessed by Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi and the tornados unleashed by Pang Tong.
Playable Characters
There are 48 playable characters as of the release of Dynasty Warriors 5 (Not including Nu Wa and Fu Xi), Most of the characters were real figures from the era of the Three Kingdoms. Although some half-fictional characters were also included in the roster such as Xing Cai and Zuo Ci. Minor female characters from history has been placed on the battlefield by Koei, although aside from Zhu Rong they never fought in any of the battles.
The characters below has been sorted by the kingdom they are serving. All ultimate weapons are 4th weapons, therefore weapons from Xtreme Legends will not be included.
Wei (魏)
- Cao Cao (曹操) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Wrath of Heaven
- Cao Pi (曹丕) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 5
- Weapon: Double Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Chaos
- Cao Ren (曹仁) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 4
- Weapon: Buckler Blade
- Ultimate Weapon: Roc
- Xiahou Dun (夏侯惇) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Scimitar
- Ultimate Weapon: Kirin Fang
- Xiahou Yuan (夏侯淵) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Scimitar → Battle Rod (Since Dynasty Warriors 4)
- Ultimate Weapon: Demon Fang → Enforcer Rod
- Sima Yi (司馬懿) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Black Feather Fan
- Ultimate Weapon: Dark Feather
- Xu Huang (徐晃) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Pole Axe
- Ultimate Weapon: Marauder
- Pang De (龐徳) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 5
- Weapon: Twin Halberd
- Ultimate Weapon: Heavenly Halberd
- Zhang He (張郃) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Claws
- Ultimate Weapon: Phoenix Talon
- Zhang Liao (張遼) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Bisento
- Ultimate Weapon: Gold Wyvern
- Zhen Ji (甄姫) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Flute
- Ultimate Weapon: Dark Moon Flute
- Xu Zhu (許褚) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Mace
- Ultimate Weapon: Stone Crusher
- Dian Wei (典韋) Intruduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Handaxe
- Ultimate Weapon: Mad Bull
Shu (蜀)
- Liu Bei (劉備) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Gold Moon Dragon
- Guan Yu (関羽) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: guandao
- Ultimate Weapon: Blue Moon Dragon
- Zhang Fei (張飛) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Serpent Spear
- Ultimate Weapon: Viper Blade
- Zhao Yun (趙雲) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Spear
- Ultimate Weapon: Fierce Dragon
- Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Feather Fan
- Ultimate Weapon: Peacock Feather
- Ma Chao (馬超) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Spear
- Ultimate Weapon: Stallion Fury
- Huang Zhong (黄忠) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Oracle Sword
- Pang Tong (龐統) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Staff
- Ultimate Weapon: Tornado Staff
- Jiang Wei (姜維) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Trident
- Ultimate Weapon: Blink
- Wei Yan (魏延) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Double Voulge
- Ultimate Weapon: Comet Strike
- Yue Ying (月英) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 4
- Weapon: Pick
- Ultimate Weapon: Oblivion
- Guan Ping (關平) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 5
- Weapon: Reverse Grip Blade
- Ultimate Weapon: Young Dragon
- Xing Cai (星彩) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 5
- Weapon: War fork
- Ultimate Weapon: Ambition
Wu (呉)
- Sun Jian (孫堅) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Savage Tiger
- Sun Ce (孫策) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon:Twin Tonfas
- Ultimate Weapon: Overlord
- Sun Quan (孫權) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Master Wolf
- Sun Shang Xiang (孫尚香) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Chakram
- Ultimate Weapon: Sol Chakram
- Zhou Yu (周瑜) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Ancients Sword
- Huang Gai (黃蓋) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Club
- Ultimate Weapon: Black Shadow
- Gan Ning (甘寧) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Broad Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Sea Master
- Taishi Ci (太史慈) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Twin clubs
- Ultimate Weapon: Tiger Slayer
- Zhou Tai (周泰) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 4
- Weapon: Katana
- Ultimate Weapon: Dusk
- Lu Meng (呂蒙) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Pike
- Ultimate Weapon: White Tiger
- Ling Tong (凌統) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 5
- Weapon: Nunchaku
- Ultimate Weapon: Dragon Fury
- Lu Xun (陸遜) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Dual Short-swords
- Ultimate Weapon: Falcon
- Da Qiao (大喬) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Twin Fans
- Ultimate Weapon: Qiao Beauty
- Xiao Qiao (小喬) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Twin Fans
- Ultimate Weapon: Qiao Grace
Others (他)
- Lu Bu (呂布) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Halberd
- Ultimate Weapon: Sky Scorcher
- Diao Chan (貂蝉) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors
- Weapon: Dual Maces
- Ultimate Weapon: Diva
- Dong Zhuo (董卓) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Horror
- Fu Xi (伏羲) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3, but has been taken out of Dynasty Warriors 4 and Dynasty Warriors 5
- Weapon: Bastard Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Fu Xi's Sword
- Nu Wa (女娲) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3, but has been taken out of Dynasty Warriors 4 and Dynasty Warriors 5
- Weapon: Rapier
- Ultimate Weapon: Nu Wa's Rapier
- Yuan Shao (袁紹) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Sword
- Ultimate Weapon: Sword of Kings
- Zhang Jiao (張角) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2
- Weapon: Staff
- Ultimate Weapon: Volcano Staff
- Meng Huo (孟獲) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Gauntlets
- Ultimate Weapon: King of Beasts
- Zhu Rong (祝融) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3
- Weapon: Boomerang
- Ultimate Weapon: Inferno
- Zuo Ci (左慈) Introduced in Dynasty Warriors 5
- Weapon: Deck
- Ultimate Weapon: Trump Deck
Stages
This stage list will be based mostly on Dynasty Warriors 5, partially on Dynasty Warriors 4.
The Yellow Turban Menace
Last seen in Dynasty Warriors 4, this stage is often the first stage people will start out on. In Dynasty Warriors 4, it featured all three kingdoms in their earliest forms uniting under the banner of the former Han empire, led by Huangfu Song. In this stage you were up against the forces of Zhang Liang, who was probably third in command under Zhang Jiao.
The Han Forces version, this stage consists of you running around to the east, south and west sides of a large castle and taking out the officers there, which in turn opens up each door they were guarding. After this happens, Huangfu Song leads the charge out of the castle, however he is stopped by a sudden rain storm (summoned by Zhang Liang) and ambushed; if the player does not save him, it is likely that Huangfu Song will die. After that menace is taken care of, Huangfu Song will be ambushed again on the north side of the castle as he exits, at which point the player will have to come to his aide again.
The player can end the stage at virtually any time by simply heading to the very northernmost point and taking out Zhang Liang.
The Yellow Turban side simply consists of you running around to each officer and killing them one by one; the stage ends when all are dead.
The Yellow Turban Fortress
Not appearing in Dynasty Warriors 5, in Dynasty Warriors 4 this stage was a siege on a small castle that was taken captive by Zhang Bao, probably second in command under Zhang Jiao. Again, the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu would unite in their earliest forms under the unified banner of the former Han, led once again by Huangfu Song.
In the Han Forces version of this stage, the player has two paths they may take towards Zhang Bao. One path consists of a small base wherein a phantom army of soldiers that cannot be hurt (but can hurt the player) will appear, and it is the player's job to take out two large magical cauldrons inside the base. This will stop the magic, however the player will also have to kill an officer in order to exit the other side.
The second path leads to a small valley where mysterious winds start to blow the player backwards if he is not constantly running forward. Continuing forward along this path reveals several large fans that must be destroyed so that the army can continue its advance.
After either path is complete, the player can choose to take the other path for more kills, or head straight for the castle Zhang Bao has taken over to do him in. There is one officer that waits outside the castle doors for anyone who might try to invade, after that it's just Zhang Bao who must be killed.
The Yellow Turban side simply consists of you running around to each officer and killing them one by one; the stage ends when all are dead.
The Yellow Turban Rebellion
Seen in every Shin Sangoku Musou game, this stage consists of the final assault on the Yellow Turbans by the allied army of the former Han empire.
In Dynasty Warriors 5, Han Forces version, you have three paths to take, starting with the one on the left, Zhang Bao on an altar who will start a rockslide that you must navigate through to get to the officer, and after killing him the rockslide will be halted. The middle path takes you to Zhang Man Cheng who, if left unchecked, may eventually brainwash Sun Jian's army and turn them against you. The right path has an altar with Zhang Liang, who calls a very large tornado to sweep up your troops. Defeating Zhang Liang will halt the tornado.
After taking any or all of these paths, the player will gain access to a small castle in the top right corner of the map, and after taking out one of two officers guarding the seperate entrances, will be able to go inside and fight Zhang Jiao himself. However, as a last resort, Zhang Jiao will call the Phantom Army seen in Dynasty Warriors 4's Yellow Turban Fortress. There are four magical cauldrons on a platform inside the castle, once those are destroyed the Han army's advance will continue and you may walk up a flight of steps to get to Zhang Jiao himself.
The Yellow Turban side simply consists of you running around to each officer and killing them one by one; the stage ends when all are dead.
Notes
Koei released a new series called Samurai Warriors(Sengoku Musou) that is instead based on the Sengoku Period of Japanese history. Also made by Omega Force, Samurai Warriors uses the same engine and design as Dynasty Warriors making the gameplay similar yet different at the same time. However, Samurai Warriors has a very limited cast of characters (19, including Xtreme Legends) compared to the 48 Dynasty Warriors.
Koei released 2 spin-off games to the Dynasty Warriors series: Dynasty Tactics and a sequel, Dynasty Tactics 2. The original was released in 2002 and the sequel was released in 2003.
Blunder
The English voice-over of Dynasty Warriors series wrongly used a straightforward English pronunciations for the romanized pinyin names. One most unfortunate example is the pronunciation of Cao Pi in Dynasty Warriors 5.