The first Dynasty Warriors game came out in 1997 for the PSOne, and it pioneered the musou genre. Instead of fighting a dozen enemies, these games let you fight hundreds of bad guys at once!
One of the genre's most popular games is the 2001 release of Dynasty Warriors 3. To celebrate the game's 25th anniversary, Koei Tecmo has released Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered. The game is out now on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2.
What new features does this remastered version include? Find out in our full review of Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered below.
Graphics
Probably the biggest upgrade is that Dynasty Warriors 3 looks and performs far better on modern platforms compared to the ancient PS2 hardware capabilities. The PS2 version tapped out at only 480p, and the framerate was only maxed out at 30fps. Not to mention, there was a lot of distance fog and a limited number of visible enemies on screen.
The Switch 2 version is a huge improvement because the visuals are 1440p while docked and a decent 1080p undocked. The only problem with the Switch 2 version is that it has an inconsistent framerate between 30fps and 60fps. I noticed the game ran fast in some areas, but slowed down a lot with heavy enemy density.
If you are playing on PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X, the framerate is capped at 60fps and runs at a maximum resolution of 4K. If you own any of these devices, this is the best way to play the game if graphics and performance are important to you.
New features
Since Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is a rerelease, there are tons of new features that have been added that weren't present in the PS2 version. For one thing, the game adds an evasion technique that allows you to avoid enemy attacks. The rerelease also adds a parry maneuver that can stun bosses during a combo.
The game adds a weapon fusion system allowing you to discard unwanted weapons and fuse them with materials to improve skill stats or elemental properties. Not to mention, it includes new endgame scenarios and a bonus playable officer named Ziluan, originally from Dynasty Warriors: Origins.
The biggest improvement is the addition of mid-stage saves and checkpoint rewind. In the original game, there were no checkpoints, so you had to restart a level from the beginning even though you invested 30 minutes or more of gameplay.
Here in this game, when your character dies, the game allows you to go back to many different points to start over without redoing everything from scratch. This was really helpful to me because there were many times I was low on health during a boss fight and died. Restarting to a previous checkpoint made my experience far less frustrating.
Lastly, the game allows you to toggle between Normal and Classic settings. Normal settings allow you to use the more modern gaming mechanics such as evasion and perfect parrying. The Classic setting reverts the game to the original settings and control mapping for purists.
Gameplay
One of the coolest things about Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is that it has 42 playable characters. The game starts off with nine playable officers, but the rest of the characters can be unlocked by playing through the Musou mode campaigns.
Each character has different weapons, including swords, spears, fans, blades, and more. Some characters also have bows and arrows so they can kill enemies from a distance. You can also wield new weapons if you find them on the battlefield hiding inside crates.
As for the gameplay itself, you're inside a square-like battlefield with the goal of killing hundreds, if not thousands, of enemies. Most of the infantry are easy to kill because they have low health bars and rarely block your attacks.
The only enemies you have to watch out for are bosses and sub-bosses. These types of enemies have full health bars and will often block your attacks. Thankfully, every character has a special move called a Musou Attack, and this deals a lot of damage if your special meter is full!
Since the maps can be fairly large, every character has a horse so you can travel to the next boss location quickly. You can even attack enemies on the horse, although you can fall off if the enemies hurt you and the horse at once.
Another thing I forgot to mention is that the game launches with two-player offline co-op. In January 2027, an update patch will be released to allow online co-op.
Some flaws
The only major flaw I can find with Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition is that the Switch 2's inconsistent framerate will deter some gamers. The game runs fine most of the time, but the slowdown when facing hundreds of enemies is very noticeable and annoying.
Not to mention, some gamers may find the gameplay loop to be highly repetitive. Most of the missions are the same because you're just roaming around the large maps trying to kill as many bosses as possible. In one stage, I fought the same boss five or more times because he kept running away!
Closing thoughts
If you plan on buying Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered, I recommend you purchase it on PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X. The Switch 2 version isn't bad, but the graphics are inferior, and the framerate is an issue. However, this is still the best version of Dynasty Warriors 3 you can play thanks to the new features and quality-of-life improvements.