Dynasty Warriors: Origins: Brutal Player-Killing Design Revealed

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 dramatically alters the game's combat encounters.

Programmed to "Go and 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 battlefield. The developers weren't just focusing on the player's struggle for survival; the enemy soldiers and generals were fighting for their lives as well.

While significantly increasing the difficulty, Sho emphasized a commitment to balanced challenge. The game aims to provide satisfyingly difficult encounters that reward players' skill and perseverance, fostering a sense of accomplishment. He stated, "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." This reflects a conscious effort to reconcile the traditional "musou" exhilaration of overwhelming enemies with the heightened realism of a brutal war setting.

Returning to its "Origins"

A notable departure from previous entries is the absence of a sequential title number. Instead of Dynasty Warriors 10, the game is titled Dynasty Warriors: Origins, marking the first non-numbered title in the franchise's history.

This title also highlights the game's focus on the first half of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, unlike previous installments which covered the entire narrative. In a Tokyo Game Show 2024 interview with TheGamer, Sho clarified that Origins concludes with the Battle of Chibi (Battle of Red Cliffs). He explained, "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."

Seven years after the last main installment, Dynasty Warriors: Origins arrives as the latest entry in the long-running franchise, based on the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The game features an original protagonist, the Nameless Hero, embarking on a journey through war-torn China.

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

Check out Game8’s review on the game below!