Dynasty Warriors: Origins' Brutal Design Mandate Revealed

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 instruction 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"

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

In an interview with PlayStation.Blog, Sho explained the reasoning behind the increased enemy 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.

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

While aiming for a more realistic challenge, Sho emphasized that the game wouldn't be unfairly difficult. The increased difficulty is designed to be rewarding, offering a satisfying sense of accomplishment upon overcoming obstacles. He aimed to balance the classic "musou" exhilaration of mowing down hordes of enemies with the grittier realism of a warzone, stating, "Even if you're not that good at action games, if you learn them in order, you can play comfortably and feel a sense of success."

Returning to its "Origins"

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

A notable 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 non-numbered title in the series.

This title also reflects a focused narrative scope. Unlike previous installments that covered the entirety of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Origins concentrates solely on the first half of the novel, culminating in the pivotal Battle of Chibi (Battle of Red Cliffs). As Sho explained at the 2024 Tokyo Game Show (via TheGamer), "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."

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

Seven years after the last main installment, Dynasty Warriors: Origins arrives as a fresh entry in the long-running franchise based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Featuring an original protagonist, the Nameless Hero, players journey through Han Dynasty-era China, navigating the conflicts between warring factions.

Released on 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!