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

Dynasty Warriors: Origins ups the ante with significantly more challenging enemy encounters. Producer Tomohiko Sho's directive to the development team? A simple, yet impactful, "Go and kill the player." This article delves into the design choices behind the game's increased difficulty.

A New Level of Challenge

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Dev Team Was Instructed to “Go Kill The Player” The heightened difficulty in Dynasty Warriors: Origins stems directly from producer Tomohiko Sho's instruction to make the enemies far more aggressive and powerful. In an interview with PlayStation.Blog, Sho explained that this design choice aimed to inject a greater sense of realism into the battlefield. The struggle for survival isn't limited to the player; enemy soldiers and generals fight with equal ferocity.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Dev Team Was Instructed to “Go Kill The Player” While significantly harder, Sho emphasized a focus on rewarding challenges rather than frustrating difficulty. The goal was to create a sense of accomplishment, even for players less experienced with action games. He acknowledged the difficulty of balancing the series' signature "musou" exhilaration (defeating hordes of enemies) with the added realism of a brutal war setting.

A Return to Roots: Origins

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Dev Team Was Instructed to “Go Kill The Player” A key departure from previous entries is the absence of a sequential number in the title. Instead of Dynasty Warriors 10, the game is titled Dynasty Warriors: Origins, marking the first unnumbered title in the franchise's history.

This "Origins" designation highlights the game's focus on the first half of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, unlike previous installments which covered the entire narrative. In an interview at the 2024 Tokyo Game Show with TheGamer, Sho clarified that the story concludes with the Battle of Chibi (Battle of Red Cliffs). The decision to focus on this pivotal point allowed for a more detailed and intense portrayal of this crucial period.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Dev Team Was Instructed to “Go Kill The Player” Arriving seven years after the last main installment, Dynasty Warriors: Origins stays true to its source material, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a blend of historical fact and fiction chronicling the Han Dynasty. The game introduces an original protagonist, the Nameless Hero, who navigates the power struggles of ancient China.

Released on January 17th, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is currently available on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. For a detailed review, check out Game8's assessment.