Dynasty Warriors 2 is a very important title for the Dynasty Warriors series. It established many settings and systems that have become traditions within the series, but for players, the game itself is quite old. Therefore, after the announcement of Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered, many players were highly anticipating it; and when it comes to such "remasters," the primary concern for everyone has always been staying true to the original.
At Tokyo Game Show 2026, Koei Tecmo brought a demo of Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered. We were fortunate to be invited and met the game's producer, Mr. Zhuang Zhiyan, for a pleasant and in-depth interview.
Through our interview with Zhuang Zhiyan, we can basically confirm that there is no need to worry about the authenticity of Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered. In fact, we might instead need to worry whether this "authenticity" will be acceptable to modern players.
Here are the details of the interview:
Q: This game adds a "Classic Mode." When "Classic Mode" is enabled, will there be balance adjustments to the behavior of soldiers and enemies on screen? How are player and enemy capabilities matched across different modes?
Zhuang Zhiyan:"Classic Mode" largely preserves the original difficulty and atmosphere, allowing players to recapture the feeling of the past. However, in this mode, we have made relative adjustments to enemy AI behavior, rather than leaving it completely untouched.
Q: Although this work was announced as a "remaster," looking at the actual content, there are significant changes to the graphics, action system, and many gameplay mechanics. How does the development team define the boundary between "remaster" and "remake"? What do you consider absolutely unchangeable?
Zhuang Zhiyan:This time, we still wanted to recreate the original game as completely as possible. But now that hardware performance has improved, the total number of soldiers on screen has increased significantly compared to back then, and we naturally made corresponding adjustments in this area.
We wanted to preserve the original challenge—meaning we kept even those aspects that might seem unreasonable by today's standards. For example, just when you're gaining momentum, suddenly getting hit by a stray arrow from an archer—we intentionally kept these frustrating moments to recreate the original experience.
Q: From the currently revealed content, you mentioned referencing Dynasty Warriors: Origins during the modernization process. Which designs from Dynasty Warriors: Origins had the most profound impact on this title?
Zhuang Zhiyan:This is the effect we aimed to achieve—allowing players who previously played Dynasty Warriors: Origins to smoothly pick up the controls for Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered.
To give two specific examples: First, the newly added "Dodge" action was adopted from Dynasty Warriors: Origins; second, "Precision Stable Defense." In the original, you could only defend against enemies directly in front, but this time, defense covers both front and rear—this is also a system carried over from Dynasty Warriors: Origins.
We hope that players of Dynasty Warriors: Origins can play this title without any barriers.
Q: It has been confirmed that the new mysterious character is Zi Luan, the protagonist of Dynasty Warriors: Origins. Will he have any new storylines? Could you share some information about him?
Zhuang Zhiyan:Zi Luan will not appear in "Musou Mode" and has no exclusive storyline. However, his dialogue lines are significantly more numerous than before—during battlefield combat, such as when defeating enemies or supporting allies, there will be many lines that reflect his personality.
Q: You previously mentioned that players have long wished to play older titles pre-dating Dynasty Warriors 5 on modern platforms. If this "remaster" of Dynasty Warriors 2 proves successful, does it mean that Dynasty Warriors 3, 4, or other classic titles might also return in this manner?
Zhuang Zhiyan:If sales are ideal, we certainly want to continue. As mentioned earlier, I am also very interested in Dynasty Warriors 3, 4, and 5. So if everyone's support leads to strong sales for this title, company executives will likely find it easier to approve future "remaster" and "remake" projects.
In short, we count on your support.
Q: You have consistently emphasized preserving the original game's experience—the original Dynasty Warriors 2 had a distinctly heavy feel to its action, whereas many modern action game players prefer faster, more intense combat. How did you balance these differing demands during the development of Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered?
Zhuang Zhiyan:We provided numerous adjustable options to allow players to get closer to the original atmosphere. But honestly, perfectly balancing "modern" and "legacy" aspects to a single point isn't realistic. Therefore, we tried to cater to players from different eras and with different preferences, leaving the choice in their hands.
In terms of specific development, our approach was to first implement all new elements and then go back to adjust the balance. After layering the original systems with the new ones, we spent a significant amount of manpower and time making various balance adjustments.
Feedback from internal playtesting illustrates this well: some players who hadn't played the original started directly in Modern Mode and still found it very difficult; while some veterans who enabled all classic systems found it very easy. Thus, achieving this balance was quite a challenge for the entire production team.
Q: In the original Dynasty Warriors 2, there were noticeable differences in strength between officers, with some being strong and others weaker. Will the "remaster" change the original character balance? Or will it remain completely authentic?
Zhuang Zhiyan:Complete recreation, preserving the strength differences between characters from the original.
As for archers, a design that tormented players back in the day, we made it an optional toggle in Classic Mode. Based on internal playtesting, players who experienced the original strongly requested that the archers' original difficulty be preserved, but new players found this level of difficulty hard to adapt to. Therefore, we made this an optional setting, allowing everyone to try it out and choose their preferred style.
Q: Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered introduces a Bodyguard Editing system, which was a highly representative feature in the original. However, by today's standards, its gameplay feels quite retro. During the development of this "remaster," did you consider adding more modern elements to it?
Zhuang Zhiyan:Regarding this point, we followed the original completely—whether it's custom editing or the role and performance of bodyguards, Everythinggj remains true to the original without modernization.
Q: Currently, weapon attributes and skills can be transferred through synthesis. How do you plan to preserve the rarity and uniqueness of the original secret weapons? Additionally, in a previous interview, you mentioned that hints for obtaining secret weapons were still undecided. What is the final decision on this?
Zhuang Zhiyan:We want players to judge for themselves which weapon suits them best, rather than broadly strengthening a certain category or specific weapon across the board. We prefer players to find the weapon that feels most comfortable for their chosen officer and actively engage in weapon synthesis.
Some might say, "Why not just strengthen the previously weaker secret weapons?" But from the start, our principle was to completely recreate the original experience, so we made no changes to the inherent strength or stats of the weapons. Ultimately, we want players to use synthesis to customize weapons that suit their playstyle.
As for hints on obtaining secret weapons, we will provide appropriate guidance during the stages where players acquire weapons.
Q: This title is built using Unreal Engine 5. What was the biggest technical challenge encountered during development? Additionally, how did you balance the performance between the number of characters on screen and visual quality?
Zhuang Zhiyan:This time, we indeed faced many challenges using Unreal Engine 5—since this was the ω-Force team's first time using Unreal Engine, having previously relied on proprietary engines, we had to overcome numerous technical issues along the way.
As for the number of characters on screen, we adopted the system from Dynasty Warriors: Origins and reformed it based on that to achieve the current on-screen effect. One aspect that satisfied us after switching to Unreal Engine 5 was the improved visual fidelity—including atmospheric presentation and overall texture quality—which represents a significant upgrade over the original. This was exactly the goal we aimed to achieve.
Q: Why did you decide to re-record the Chinese voice acting for Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered?
Zhuang Zhiyan:Because the original translation contained quite a few errors and areas needing improvement. Moreover, with the growing number of Chinese players in the Dynasty Warriors series, we wanted to present high-quality localization to our audience.
Although rewriting scripts and re-recording voice lines incurs significant costs, and our investment in this area was substantial, the ultimate reason is that the voice acting quality from the original version doesn't hold up well by today's standards.
Q: Compared to Dynasty Warriors: Origins, Dynasty Warriors 2 is a much older title, yet it determined many key systems of the modern Dynasty Warriors series (such as progression systems) in a certain sense. So, when deciding to remaster this title, what did the production team most want to preserve and recreate?
Zhuang Zhiyan:What we most wanted to preserve and recreate was the concept of "tactical action"—a focus that was somewhat diminished in certain entries after Dynasty Warriors 5. This is something established by Dynasty Warriors 2 that should never have been discarded. Therefore, while modernizing the game, we kept this as our core focus. Starting with Dynasty Warriors: Origins and this Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered, I hope to make "tactical action" the central pillar of the future Dynasty Warriors series.
Q: During the development of Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered, were there any designs that felt outdated back then but now seem necessary and valuable? Additionally, were there any ideas or concepts proposed by younger developers that were ultimately implemented in the game?
Zhuang Zhiyan:There are actually quite a few examples. For instance, we tried to preserve the original stick controls and many underlying systems. We did consider overhauling the stick controls and action system entirely, but that would have deviated from the concept of a "remaster," so we kept the original action system intact. After testing, we found that modern players can adapt to it just fine.
As for new ideas, there weren't many. Only the newly added "Weapon Synthesis" feature was a concept proposed by this game's director. Other than that, we strictly followed Dynasty Warriors 2 to develop an authentic experience.
Additionally, personally speaking, I wasn't particularly keen on making a "remaster"—after all, redoing content that has already been created doesn't feel particularly meaningful. If possible, I would prefer to create entirely new works. However, we received numerous requests from players wishing to experience older titles in a more modern way, so we did our best to make it happen. Of course, this title also includes some content to help new players get started, but overall, we strove to maintain consistency with the original.
Q: Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered still retains split-screen co-op. However, more and more action games are shifting towards online multiplayer. Why does the team insist on keeping local split-screen? Have you discussed adding online co-op modes in the future?
Zhuang Zhiyan:Of course, many members of the development team suggested adding online play. However, split-screen co-op is intended to let players feel the offline joy of squeezing onto the same sofa together, revisiting the nostalgia of playing side-by-side back in the day—that was the mindset we adopted when producing the split-screen co-op feature.
As for whether online co-op will be added in the future, the team is actively discussing it internally.
Editor's Note:During the drafting of this interview, Koei Tecmo officially confirmed that Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered plans to add online two-player co-op functionality via a free post-launch update, scheduled no later than January 2027.
Q: During the production of Dynasty Warriors 2 with Xtreme Legends Remastered, was there any part where you felt modern elements should be added but ultimately decided against it?
Zhuang Zhiyan:Mainly the CG cutscenes interspersed within battle scenarios and certain stage completion conditions. While revisiting the original, I couldn't help but wonder, "Why was it designed this way back then?" and considered making improvements. However, I ultimately returned to the original experience—aside from optimizations in a few specific areas, most stage conditions and narrative transitions remain aligned with the original direction.
Q: Many veteran players believe that the design in Dynasty Warriors 2, where allies could advance alongside the player and help break encirclements, was very interesting. How will the "remaster" preserve these features? Additionally, summoning horses is now much more efficient and faster; how will time-limited rescue missions be handled?
Zhuang Zhiyan:Regarding ally AI behavior, we basically left it unchanged to match the original experience. As for the horse system this time, much of it was inherited from Dynasty Warriors: Origins—whether it's movement speed or the convenient one-button mount mechanic, these are indeed new additions. We also made minor adjustments to stages with time limits.
Q: During this production process, have you established a methodology, production workflow, or SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) that can be applied to other older titles in the future?
Zhuang Zhiyan:Actually, Dynasty Warriors 2 is a somewhat special case and cannot serve as a complete reference for future projects. Because it is so old, much of the relevant source code and data could no longer be found, so we essentially started the "remaster" from scratch, which was a very arduous process. However, titles from Dynasty Warriors 3 onwards still retain a lot of old data and archives, so to some extent, remaking games from Dynasty Warriors 3 onwards will be easier than Dynasty Warriors 2.
Q: Over the years, what has been your secret to staying young?
Zhuang Zhiyan:(Laughs) Of course, it's playing lots of games. Also, I practice Tai Chi and Tai Chi swordsmanship (laughs).
Q: Finally, is there anything you'd like to say to the players?
Zhuang Zhiyan:Back in the day, there might have been fewer Chinese players who experienced Dynasty Warriors 2, but thanks to the recent Dynasty Warriors: Origins, more Chinese players are being introduced to the Dynasty Warriors series, with a large increase in first-time players. Through this "remaster," we hope modern players can also experience the charm of the past—such as the unique experiences offered by different officers and the well-known systems from that era.
This time, we put tremendous effort into re-localization, and we hope everyone will support us in this regard. We hope that the experience gained here will lay the foundation for future remasters of Dynasty Warriors 3, 4, and 5, or sequels to Dynasty Warriors: Origins.
Please continue to support us! Thank you!