Game: Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remaster
Genre: Action, RPG, Strategy.
System: Nintendo Switch 2 (Also on Steam (Windows), PlayStation and Xbox)
Developer|Publisher: Omega Force | KOEI TECMO Games
Age Rating: EU 16 | US Teen
Price: US $39.99 | UK 32.99 | EU € 39,99
Release Date: October 1st, 2026
Review code provided with many thanks to KOEI TECMO Europe.
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered – A Trip Back To The Three Kingdoms
There are some games that immediately transport you back to a particular time in your gaming life, and Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remaster is definitely one of those for me. I’ve been a fan of the series for years, but Dynasty Warriors 3 was one of the games that really hooked me back on the PlayStation 2. I even remember playing the demo from a PlayStation magazine and repeatedly jumping into the Nanman campaign, complete with elephants and all the chaos that came with it. So, yes, there is a rather large nostalgia-shaped elephant in the room here.
Coming back to it after all these years, and after playing the much more recent Dynasty Warriors: Origins, was interesting. This is very much a game from another era, but it’s also surprisingly easy to see why it became such an important part of the series.
Back To Basics
If you’ve played a Dynasty Warriors game before, you’ll know roughly what to expect. You pick an officer, head into battle and proceed to turn hundreds of unfortunate soldiers into a rather impressive K.O count. The basic combat remains straightforward but incredibly satisfying. You have standard and charge attacks, your Musou super duper attack when the meter charges, a block, and even the rather underwhelming bow and arrow. The remaster does add some useful improvements, including the ability to move while firing your bow as well as being able to summon your horse to ride at any moment.Â
There are also clearer telegraphs for enemy officer attacks, giving you a chance to dodge or even counter them. These additions can make things a little easier than I remember, but they can be toggled, so purists can get closer to the original clunkier experience if preferred. The simple power fantasy still works. There’s something wonderfully silly about charging into a huge crowd of soldiers and watching your officer absolutely dismantle them.
Every Officer Has A Story
One of the things I particularly like about Dynasty Warriors 3 is that the campaigns don’t simply send every character through the same collection of battles. You choose from officers representing the Three Kingdoms, and each character has their own route through the story. Battles can overlap, but your chosen officer’s journey feels like its own little campaign.
There’s a good mixture of huge battles and smaller encounters, with objectives generally kept simple. Most of the time, you’re there to defeat the opposing forces, although you’ll occasionally be asked to escort someone for a retreat or save some officer’s butt who may be in a spot of bother mid-battle. It’s uncomplicated, but that simplicity is part of the appeal.
A Few Modern Conveniences
The Complete Edition includes the original game and Xtreme Legends, so there’s an enormous amount here to get through. With more than 40 officers, additional stories, weapons, items and different modes, this is not something you’ll finish over a quiet weekend. There are also some welcome quality-of-life improvements. Weapon fusion lets you combine weapons and keep the traits you actually want, while the game now gives you information about how certain items can be unlocked before entering battle. That saves you from having to spend half your life searching for an old strategy guide online. You can also unlock the protagonist from Origins but sadly he has no unique campaign.
Split-screen co-op is also still here, which is fantastic to see. Online co-op isn’t available at launch, although that is apparently planned for the future.
Old School Looks, New School Engine
The game has been recreated in Unreal Engine, and technically it runs very well on Switch 2. I mainly played handheld and found it stable, clear and responsive. However, visually, I have mixed feelings. The character models look good, but many environments still feel very much like Dynasty Warriors 3 underneath the new coat of paint. Some battlefields look great, particularly the more open areas, while others can feel surprisingly bland. The Battle of Chi Bi is a good example. I remember thinking the ships looked like interconnected wooden platforms back in the day, and somehow the remaster still gives me exactly that impression. It’s not ugly, but there were moments where I wondered if a little more visual dressing could have gone into making the environments feel as epic as the battles themselves.
The Cheese Is Still Delicious
Thankfully, some things absolutely did not need changing. The wonderfully cheesy English voice acting is still here, alongside the Japanese option, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The soundtrack also brings back those memorable guitar-heavy tunes that instantly reminded me of playing this on the PlayStation 2. Even the end-of-battle statistics and wonderfully silly credits remain. These little details are what make the remaster feel like a genuine love letter rather than a complete reinvention.
Conclusion: Old But Still Great
I came into Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remaster slightly unsure about how well this old favourite would hold up. After playing Origins, the comparatively simple combat and presentation can certainly feel like a step backwards. But I ultimately came away really happy with it. This is a remaster that largely understands what people loved about the original and doesn’t try to turn it into something else. The quality-of-life improvements are useful, the complete package is packed with content, and the option to switch some of the newer additions off is a particularly nice touch.
If you’re completely new to Dynasty Warriors, this is still a great introduction to the series’ roots. If you’re coming directly from Origins, it may feel considerably more basic. But if, like me, you have fond memories of the original, there’s something rather special about seeing it return to modern hardware. For me, this was the nostalgia trip I needed. A free demo is also available on eShop.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up.
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