"Dynasty Warriors: Origins Team Told to 'Kill the Player'"

In Dynasty Warriors: Origins, the waves of enemies are more challenging than ever before, thanks to a bold directive from producer Tomohiko Sho: "This time, go and kill the player." Discover how this change impacts gameplay in the latest entry of the long-running series!

Dynasty Warriors: Origins Enemies Are Tougher To Beat

Programmed To "Go And Kill The Player"

Dynasty Warriors: Origins raises the intensity with significantly stronger enemies, as producer Tomohiko Sho intentionally pushed for a more aggressive experience. He gave his development team a clear instruction: “This time, go and kill the player.” This directive was aimed at enhancing the realism of combat—making every battlefield encounter feel like a true life-or-death struggle.

In an interview with PlayStation.Blog, Sho explained the creative vision behind the game’s increased difficulty. By making enemy soldiers and generals more formidable, the developers sought to reflect the brutal reality of war, where both sides fight desperately to survive. However, Sho emphasized that the goal wasn’t to frustrate players but to offer rewarding challenges. He noted, "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."

Balancing the iconic "musou" gameplay—where players mow down hordes of enemies—with a heightened sense of danger was no small task. But according to Sho, it was essential to modernize the experience while staying true to the spirit of the franchise.

Returning To Its "Origins"

One notable shift in Dynasty Warriors: Origins is its departure from the traditional numerical naming convention. If following past patterns, this title would have been labeled Dynasty Warriors 10. Instead, the decision to name it Origins marks the first non-numbered installment in the series' history.

As explained by Sho during an interview at the 2024 Tokyo Game Show with TheGamer, the word "Origins" reflects the game’s narrative focus on the early chapters of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Unlike previous entries that covered the entire saga, Origins zeroes in on the story up to the legendary Battle of Chibi (Red Cliffs), one of the most pivotal moments in the tale. Sho 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."

As the first major Dynasty Warriors release in seven years, Origins dives deep into the fictionalized historical events of Han Dynasty-era China, blending fact with legend from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Players step into the boots of the Nameless Hero, navigating a fractured land where rival factions vie for dominance.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins launched globally on January 17th and is now available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Check out Game8’s review on the game below!