If there’s one thing the Dynasty Warriors series is known for, it’s watching one person battle literally thousands of soldiers and somehow come out the victor. But if there’s a second thing the series is known for,

In the doldrums of winter, I’ve reached for comfort media — which, for me, means Chinese historical dramas. And while the elaborate costumes and overly sweet romances are enjoyable, sometimes a girl wants something with a little more teeth. Dynasty Warriors: Origins has given me exactly what I needed.

Origins is a classic Musou game through and through, featuring high-energy rock music, and legions of grunts to cut down as easily as blades of grass. That said, Origins is far from a by-the-books Dynasty Warriors game.

Put simply, players will need to alter the fate of certain characters if they want to unlock all of the true endings in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, although this can sometimes end up being a lot easier said than done.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins may not have the huge amount of movesets that the previous games in the franchise did, but the nine weapons it does have are all incredibly fun and have a lot of depth. Not only does each weapon have fun combos and a unique gimmick, but each one also has several unique battle arts to cause pure chaos on the battlefield.

Origins evolves the long-running series, meshing its hack-and-slash core with an action-oriented slant that enhances its extravagant warfare.

Dynasty Warriors Origins is a far more successful attempt at reformating the series’ action-based gameplay, but it sacrifices much of its uniqueness in the process.

Origins takes the long-running Musou games series in a new direction, with refined RPG mechanics and a character-focused story.