Is Dynasty Warriors: Origins Open World? Explained

For most of the series’ history, Dynasty Warriors has been a fairly linear hack-and-slash franchise, but recent installments, like Dynasty Warriors 9, opted to include an open world. So that begs the question: Does Dynasty Warriors: Origins also have an open world?

Does Dynasty Warriors: Origins Have An Open World?

No, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is not an open world game.

In recent years, most major AAA releases have pushed this mentality that having an open world automatically makes it a high-quality experience. But that isn’t always the case. Probably one of the best examples of a franchise that never needed an open world that actively hurt it was Dynasty Warriors with Dynasty Warriors 9. It was rightfully lambasted for having a massive world that had virtually nothing in it. Not only that, but the expansiveness of the level design also made some of the grander setpieces feel hollow with how spread out these massive battles were. It was a classic example of a mechanic being shoehorned into a game that didn’t need it.

So, naturally, fans of the series were wondering if that trend would continue in Dynasty Warriors: Origins given the somewhat more experimental nature of the title. Thankfully, there is no open world within the game. Instead, there is an overworld for players to navigate.

In between missions, players are able to explore a condensed map of ancient China, with players traveling from town to town to purchase weapons and items, as well as rest at inns. These maps are fairly small, with players able to cross to the other side of the map in less than a minute. There is a fast travel option, though personally, I never once used it on my playthrough given how tiny the map was. It’s here that people can interact with NPCs to begin sidequests, discover items like Pyroxene and Old Coins, select optional battles to boost proficiency and gain new soldiers, as well as begin cutscenes to progress the game’s story. This format feels perfunctory and doesn’t add much to the game, but it’s way better and simpler than having a massive open world with nothing to do.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is now available on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.