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 fundamentally altered the game's combat encounters.
Programmed to "Go and Kill the Player"
In an interview with PlayStation.Blog, Sho revealed the reasoning behind the increased enemy difficulty. The goal was to inject a greater sense of realism into the battlefield. The developers aimed to portray the struggle not just from the player's perspective, but also from the viewpoint of the opposing soldiers and generals, who are also fighting for survival.
While significantly increasing the challenge, Sho emphasized a commitment to balanced difficulty. The intention wasn't to create an unnecessarily frustrating experience, but rather to provide satisfyingly difficult encounters that reward player skill and perseverance. He aimed to create a game where even less experienced action game players could find success through learning and strategic play, fostering a sense of accomplishment. Balancing the series' signature "musou" exhilaration with the added realism of a brutal war setting proved a significant challenge.
Returning to its "Origins"
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 franchise's history.
This "Origins" moniker reflects the game's 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 in a 2024 Tokyo Game Show interview with TheGamer, this concentrated approach allowed for a more thorough and intense portrayal of this crucial period in the story.
Arriving seven years after the last main installment, Dynasty Warriors: Origins continues the series' adaptation of the classic Chinese novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The game introduces an original protagonist, the Nameless Hero, who embarks on a journey through a war-torn China, navigating the conflicts between various vying factions.
Released on January 17th, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is now available on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Check out Game8's review of the game below!
