Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered Switch 2 Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
My introduction to the Dynasty Warriors series was actually the original Dynasty Warriors 3 on PS2. I was immediately hooked by the Musou-style gameplay, slashing my way through literally thousands of enemies as I fought across massive battlefields. Now, Dynasty Warriors 3 returns in a Complete Edition Remastered, aiming to preserve the gameplay that made the original so memorable, while bringing in quality-of-life improvements and a fresh lick of paint with Unreal Engine 5. What’s It Like? Sharpen your sword, saddle your horse, and prepare for all-out war as we review Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered for Nintendo Switch 2.
Set during the final years of the Han Dynasty, Dynasty Warriors 3 throws us into a period of ancient Chinese history where warlords, generals and rival factions battle for control of China. While the game draws heavily from the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you don’t need to know the history of the period to jump in and start swinging. The story is told through a series of large-scale battles, with famous names from the Three Kingdoms era taking centre stage. From Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo, to Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Jian, you’ll encounter a huge cast of characters as the conflict between the various factions begins to unfold.
Initially, you’ll only have a handful of Musou officers to choose from, but as you play, you’ll unlock 41 officers in total, each with their own campaign to complete. Some of these campaigns overlap, meaning you’ll occasionally revisit the same battles, but experience them from an entirely different perspective. My first playthrough was with General Xiahou Dun, and after unlocking the powerhouse that is Lu Bu, I decided to play through his campaign as well. While I recognised some of the same battles, seeing them from the perspective of a different faction gave them a very different context. Later, I jumped into another campaign with pirate general Gan Ning, and this one was almost completely different. In fact, his campaign throws you straight into the final battle right from the beginning, before taking you back through a different series of events. It’s this variety that makes playing through the different campaigns so interesting, as you’re not simply replaying the same story 41 times.
This remaster doesn’t mess with the established formula that makes the original version so fun. Instead, it adds a handful of new elements, like an evasion system and perfect guard for combat, making split-second actions help turn the tide of battle. It also introduces challenge scenarios, which can be incredibly difficult, as well as adding a weapon fusion system. This system allows you to take specific skills from looted weapons on the battlefield and add them to your own, which helps make you feel even more powerful. These new additions felt great to play, and the classic Musou combat is still just as fun. Sure, it can be repetitive in nature, and gamers who want a bit more depth to combat may find the simple strong and light attack format lacking, but I had such a blast playing Dynasty Warriors 3 that, after completing about six or seven campaigns, I’m pretty keen to keep going and play some more.
I think that’s going to be the best deciding factor in whether Dynasty Warriors is worth your time and investment. If you like the series, or enjoyed the Hyrule Warriors games, there’s plenty to love here, and it felt great for me personally to go back and see where my love for the franchise all began. There’s such a great sense of satisfaction in smashing your way through hordes of enemies, and as you progress and get stronger weapons, extended combos and special moves make it all the more enjoyable. You do have to take enemy and ally morale into account, decide which positions to capture on the map, and formulate some kind of battle plan instead of rushing headfirst towards the final general, but Dynasty Warriors 3 is a game where you don’t have to put a lot of thought into it. You can simply smash away and enjoy the experience.
The biggest part of the remaster is obviously the visual overhaul, which brings the game to Unreal Engine 5 on the Switch 2, giving a lot of additional detail to your Musou officers. Unfortunately, the PS2 roots still show here, with environments often looking simple in terms of geometry and detail. Enemies, which can number in the hundreds on screen at a time, still look rather generic, but when you’re cutting your way through crowds, it doesn’t really matter. I did notice animation detail popping in quite close, though, and this would be my biggest complaint with the remaster. Seeing animations load in as you’re moving around the battlefield takes some of the shine off what is otherwise a great visual overhaul. When it comes to performance, Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered aims for a 60fps target, but can dip into the 30s during particularly hectic fights. I did notice some minor hitches, particularly during Musou attacks, but these rarely impacted the gameplay experience. On Switch 2, there is also a fairly long loading time when loading into levels, which might frustrate some players, but apart from that, it feels like a polished package.
For my Generals looking into accessibility, there are a few options here, like being able to automatically pause when important battle information is displayed, lock-on and camera controls, and a few gameplay toggles that might make your time more comfortable on the battlefield. As always, I recommend further research into finding out if Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered suits your accessibility needs. Thankfully, there is a free demo on the eShop, so you can try before you buy… and take on the invincible Lu Bu if you dare.
At $60 AUD, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered comes with plenty of campaigns to play, a new character, and a lot of challenges to add to the replayability for those who don’t mind the hack-and-slash gameplay, which could wear thin for newcomers to the genre. It also includes the Xtreme Legends expansion, which has seven more campaigns to enjoy. It’s a package built with the fans in mind, and I really enjoyed what was on offer here.
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is a great package, touched up with a fresh coat of paint. It adds some welcome new features and gives the game a fresh visual overhaul, but thankfully, it never loses sight of what made the original so much fun. This was the game that introduced me to the series all those years ago, and after spending dozens of hours cutting my way through its battlefields again, I can still see exactly why I became hooked in the first place. Sure, some graphical elements still manage to show the game’s age, and the depth of the combat might not be there for newcomers to the series. But for those of us who fought on these battlefields all the way back when it was initially released, it is a great reminder of why this series became so popular in the first place.
So, What’s it Like? Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered is like Classic Dynasty Warriors, with some modern touches.
In the interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by the publisher, but this doesn’t influence my score.
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