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.

Programmed to "Go and Kill the Player"

In an interview with PlayStation.Blog, Sho explained the reasoning behind this design choice. The goal was to inject a greater sense of realism into the combat. The battles aren't just about the player character's survival; enemy soldiers and generals are fighting for their lives as well.

While significantly increasing the difficulty, Sho emphasized a commitment to balanced challenge. The game aims to provide satisfying, achievable goals, fostering a sense of accomplishment even for players less experienced with action games. He acknowledged the difficulty in balancing the traditional "musou" exhilaration of mowing down hordes of enemies with the desired realism of a brutal war setting.

Returning to its "Origins"

A notable departure from previous entries is the absence of a numbered title. Instead of Dynasty Warriors 10, the game is titled Dynasty Warriors: Origins, marking the first unnumbered title in the series' history. This reflects the game's focus on the first half of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, unlike previous installments which covered the entire story. In a 2024 Tokyo Game Show interview with TheGamer, Sho clarified that the narrative concludes with the Battle of Chibi (Battle of Red Cliffs). He stated, "We really wanted to be thorough and intense in telling this story; it’s one of the epic points, so we’re only focusing on up until that point."

Arriving seven years after the last main installment, Dynasty Warriors: Origins remains faithful to the source material, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a blend of historical fact and fiction detailing Han Dynasty China. The game introduces an original protagonist, the Nameless Hero, whose journey unfolds amidst the conflicts of warring factions.

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

Check out Game8’s review of the game below!