Fans of pressing square repeatedly are in for a bit of a treat tomorrow - or possibly even today, with the time zone confusion - as a multiplayer Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce demo makes its way to the Playstation Network. The demo was announced today and was accompanied by a dramatic trailer and some interesting comments on the game's production from KOEI producer Kenichi Ogasawara.

Download Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Trailer #2


Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce's PSP-friendly features, particularly the four player wifi action - have been commented on, but one aspect of the game's development that has been largely overlooked is its differentiation from the venerable Warriors series, even on top of the significantly off-putting but admittedly mostly cosmetic update to the franchise seen in Dynasty Warriors 6, the character models and animations of which Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce draws for its basic aesthetic.

" ... the longer you continue a series, the more conservative some elements become when you are making the game system and the game world. Our aim this time was to overhaul everything: new system, new visuals, new action ... With Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce we shifted the focus of the series on PSP to 4-player multi-play ... We still felt we needed something huge ... Monsters! Yes!"

An overhaul? Even lovers of the series will be reeling in shock, while detractors are likely completely incredulous. The addition of enormous bosses and teamwork aren't the only updates KOEI feel make a difference, though:

" ... we created the “Fury” transformation. There were two big reasons for this. The first is that we loved the idea of having these high-speed battles where the characters could fight in the air. In order to realize this concept we really needed something revolutionary, a power that these warriors never had before.

The other is that the team wanted to break the rules of traditional characterizations. Many of you know that the Dynasty Warriors characters are all based on their historic counterparts, so we are fairly limited to what we can do with their design. With the Fury transformations, we gave the characters more uniqueness and freed them from these fixed designs as much as we could."

Really, given the flamboyant character designs in Dynasty Warriors 6, I'm surprised to learn the designers ever felt restricted by piffling historical accuracy claims, but it's nice to know that the transformation of China's heroes - and gods - into Hong Kong action stars complete with mid-air combat has done more for the series than just up the awesome value. On the awe-inspiring bosses and historical inaccuracy, Kenichi commented:

" ... [the] idea behind adding monsters (like Bi Xie, the giant stone tiger you’ll see at the Battle of Hu Lao Gate) is that we wanted players to have the same reaction that actual warriors would have when going up against massive fortresses. ... In the end it was decided that visually Bi Xie would be the best way to portray the frightening nature of the Hu Lao Gate (which in Chinese translates to “Tiger Cage” Gate)".

Also promised in this iteration is an enormous increase in the number of stages, updated level design, and a genuine focus on (lag free) strategic multiplayer action, with the appearance of Lu Bu (known hereabouts as Lu Bu All That And A Bag Of Chips) together with the gigantic stone lion boss apparently ensuring that if you have no PSP-owning friends who like to press square, your chances of completing the demo are slim.

Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce arrives on local PSPs in mid May.

Kenichi Ogasawara spoke to the U.S. Playstation Blog.