Some may argue that a video game must be historically accurate before it can be called a history game. What is the point of playing a history game if it contains misleading facts or exaggerated stories?

However, you should understand that other sources that inspired the game tend to version the game. To create drama and ensure entertainment value, developers change the story to enhance the flavor.

Dynasty Warriors is a Japanese hack-and-slash video game developed by Omega Force and Koei. Before we judge how historically accurate this game is, let’s look at the chain of its inspiration: the longer the chain, the more likely changes will occur during the transition.

Chain of Inspiration

This incredible hack-and-slash game series is inspired by Toei’s previous turn-based strategy game, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The title of this strategy game is taken from the classic novel of the same name by Luo Guanzhong, one of the four great masterpieces of traditional Chinese literature.

Surprisingly, the chain doesn’t end here. The story is inspired by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a Chinese historical book from the late Eastern Han Dynasty by the historian Chen Shou.

Therefore, despite the strong epic aspects, the basis of the story is firmly anchored in reality. Even the names used come from historical documents. But it is fair that the creators took maximum creative liberties to make the game more appealing to a wider audience.

Concept

The central concept of the series was to put the player in the shoes of a “one man army” battling thousands of enemies in ancient China. Although scholars agree that battles between two generals were extremely rare, Koei included exaggerated action.

Recreate the legendary battles you’ve read about and experience what it was like to be the greatest warrior of the time. This was undoubtedly unusual at the time. Even today, action games usually only allow you to fight a few rivals at the same time.

With simple commands, players can perform superhuman actions comparable to those of heroes from ancient mythology. Dynasty Warriors does a fantastic job of putting you in the shoes of legendary warriors and witnessing their epic victories.

You’ll never have to hear or see the records of Zhao Yun’s battles against Cao Cao’s army hordes again – now you can fight and win armies on your own.

Characters

Characters are an essential part of any story. The authenticity of a story depends on how realistically the people involved are portrayed. The Dynasty Warriors game series is based on historical figures, but is notorious for altering the depictions of certain historical figures in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and ancient documents.

Zhang He was not the big, egotistical man he was portrayed to be in Dynasty Warriors. However, he lacked other characteristics, such as Xu Huang’s axe, so Koei turned him into a crazy character with no resemblance to the real person. However, while new characters were continually added to the roster, such characterization made some characters stand out.

Some protagonists, such as Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, and Zuo Ci, can use magic in their attacks, adding a touch of mystery to the plot. Young women who are not involved in the conflict in the text or in reality (except Zhu Rong and Wang Yi), are depicted as dangerously strong women with exceptional fighting skills and weapons.

Another example, Lü Bu: Koei portrays him as the most powerful fighter of all, a terrifying and powerful figure that everyone fears. Sources say he was an undignified and cunning man who made several disastrous political and military decisions. As far as I remember, there is no mention of him being a great fighter. In fact, he is portrayed as more of a fool. That’s quite a change.

This is basically what they do with most of the characters. Most of them are only briefly explained or not explained at all in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. So Koei gave them unique attitudes and unexpected cool traits. Of course, it would be very boring if everyone looked and acted the same.

This video game may be based on a historical text, but it’s still a video game. To gain an audience and popularity, it needs strong, bold characters with personalities that users like.

Conclusion

Dynasty Warriors is a great game for kids to learn about Chinese history. It allows them to think critically about why historical events unfolded the way they did and allows them to consider alternative endings. This will encourage them to read and research more about history than a textbook lesson would.

One thing to keep in mind about Koei’s historical simulations is that they don’t claim to be absolutely accurate. The purpose of the game is to stimulate historical interest. To know more about the real story behind Dynasty Warriors, parents can have their children read the following books: