Dynasty Warriors: Origins Dev Team Was Instructed to “Go Kill The Player”

Dynasty Warriors: Origins delivers a significantly more challenging experience, thanks to a direct order from producer Tomohiko Sho to his development team: "Go and kill the player." This directive resulted in tougher, more aggressive enemies throughout the game.

Programmed to "Go and Kill the Player"

In an interview with PlayStation.Blog, Sho explained the reasoning behind the increased difficulty. The goal was to inject a greater sense of realism into the combat. The battlefield isn't just a playground for the player; enemy soldiers and generals are fighting for survival, too. While significantly increasing the challenge, Sho emphasized a commitment to balanced difficulty, ensuring satisfying challenges that players can overcome with skill and practice. He aimed for a design where players, even those less experienced with action games, could progress and feel a sense of accomplishment. Balancing the series' signature "musou" exhilaration with the realism of a brutal war was a significant challenge, he admitted.

Returning to its "Origins"

A notable departure from previous entries is the absence of a numerical title. Instead of Dynasty Warriors 10, the game is titled Dynasty Warriors: Origins, marking the first non-numbered title in the franchise's history. This reflects the game's focus on the first half of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, specifically ending at the pivotal Battle of Chibi (Battle of Red Cliffs). In a 2024 Tokyo Game Show interview with TheGamer, Sho clarified this choice, explaining the desire to thoroughly and intensely depict this crucial period of the story.

Arriving seven years after the last main installment, Dynasty Warriors: Origins continues the series' adaptation of the classic Chinese novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The game introduces an original protagonist, the Nameless Hero, whose journey unfolds amidst the warring factions of Han Dynasty China.

Released January 17th, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is now available on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Check out Game8's review of the game below!