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

Dynasty Warriors: Origins delivers a significantly more challenging experience, thanks to producer Tomohiko Sho's directive to the development team: "Go and kill the player." This instruction resulted in tougher, more aggressive enemies, a key departure from previous entries. Let's delve into the details of these impactful changes.

A Deadlier Battlefield: Increased Enemy Difficulty

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Dev Team Was Instructed to “Go Kill The Player” The heightened enemy strength in Dynasty Warriors: Origins isn't just a random increase in stats. Sho's goal was to inject a greater sense of realism into the combat. The developers were tasked with creating a more believable war scenario where both player and enemy characters face genuine peril.

In an interview with PlayStation.Blog, Sho explained the design philosophy behind this shift. While aiming for realism, he also emphasized the importance of balanced difficulty. The challenge, he stated, was to create satisfying encounters that players could overcome with skill and persistence, fostering a sense of accomplishment. His aim was to ensure that even players less experienced with action games could progress and feel a sense of success. This involved carefully balancing the "traditional exhilaration" of the musou genre with the increased realism of a brutal battlefield.

A Return to Roots: The Significance of "Origins"

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Dev Team Was Instructed to “Go Kill The Player” The absence of a sequential number in the title – a first for the series – is a deliberate choice. Instead of Dynasty Warriors 10, the game is titled Dynasty Warriors: Origins, highlighting its focus on a specific period of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

As revealed in an interview with TheGamer at the 2024 Tokyo Game Show, Origins covers only the events leading up to the Battle of Chibi (Battle of Red Cliffs). Sho explained this decision as a commitment to a more detailed and intense narrative experience within this pivotal historical period. The developers prioritized depth of storytelling within this crucial segment of the source material.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Dev Team Was Instructed to “Go Kill The Player” Following a seven-year gap since the last main installment, Dynasty Warriors: Origins marks a significant return for the franchise. Based on the classic Chinese novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the game introduces an original protagonist, the Nameless Hero, navigating the power struggles of Han Dynasty China.