Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Review

Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja’s next big game is finally here, and it should come as no surprise that it’s a challenging one! Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a soulslike through and through, and anyone that has played some of Team Ninja’s previous titles will know they excel in crafting brutally unforgiving videogames. But does this action RPG breathe new life into the genre, or is it best left fallen to the wayside?

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is set in 184 AD, and the once prosperous Han Dynasty is on the brink of collapse. The game begins with an army known as the Yellow Turbans attacking a small village, when your created character suffers a fatal blow trying to fend off the soldiers. After quickly being resurrected by a mysterious young man who accompanies you through the ruins of the once idyllic mountain village, the nameless hero sets out to rid the land of both demons and the Yellow Turban army set on overthrowing those in power.

That’s about the long and short of the narrative. It’s not too in-depth, and I never found myself wanting to find out what happened next. You’ll meet many characters throughout your journey, some are out for your blood, whilst others will temporarily join forces with you to assist you through a level. I never cared about any of these characters, and mainly used them to hide behind when things got rough. There are bits of lore surrounding each character that unlock as you progress, and it’s worth taking the time to read these short pieces if you want to understand more about what exactly is going on.

Wo Long has a similar graphical style to Team Ninja’s previous soulslike series; Nioh. At first glance the two games could be mistaken for one another, with things such as lighting and particle effects looking very similar. Thematically, though, they’re vastly different as Fallen Dynasty has its own unique aesthetic steeped in historical Chinese culture, specifically the Three Kingdoms period. It offers a decent-looking world, and character designs loosely based on actual historical figures; if you’ve played any of the Dynasty Warriors titles, you’ll be sure to recognise some names of that franchise's mainstays.

With this dark and twisted take on one of the more notable periods of Chinese history, the melancholic soundtrack is dramatically beautiful. A great deal of care has been taken to ensure era-appropriate music, with deep percussion instruments mixed with the almost floaty sounding nature of lutes to stunning effects. The voice acting, however, was a huge let-down. Lines are delivered with odd pauses and don’t feel natural, and lip-synching is laughably non-existent. There isn’t an abundance of dialogue, though (especially with the main character being silent), but it’s enough that I would wholeheartedly recommend switching to Chinese audio, and it’s surprising that this isn’t the default setting.

Starting off, the character creation offers a robust number of choices to create your ideal warrior. I was pleasantly surprised to see that amongst the usual hair, voice, and other standard customisable features, players are able to edit a character's pronouns, which was a nice touch. Also included is a very useful way to quickly see how your current character looks compared to how they looked before you started playing around with a specific slider; it saves time going back and forth adjusting the smallest details, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Getting into the actual gameplay; those familiar with Team Ninja won’t be surprised to hear that Wo Long is tough. Really, really tough. It’s fast-paced, ruthlessly unrelenting, and stylish combat will please long-time fans of the developer, as well as those yearning for a new title to test their gaming prowess (and sanity!). It follows the usual method of entering a new area, being beaten down by new enemies and bosses whilst trying to learn their attack patterns, before finally getting that oh-so-exhilarating win. That’s the gameplay loop in its simplest form, and in fact the combat is quite a bit more robust, to the point where it feels like there's almost too much to think about whilst avoiding enemy attacks that will drop you in two or three hits.

Aside from the standard light and heavy attacks, you’re also equipped with weapon-specific skills that leave you vulnerable, but can decimate an enemy’s health bar if it connects successfully. You’ll also be able to learn a wide variety of offensive and defensive Wizardry spells, from a simple fireball all the way to summoning thorns from the ground to absorb some of your opponents' health to restore your own.

Perhaps the most useful skill to master, however, is parrying. Any attack can be countered with a well-timed parry, which then leaves your opponent vulnerable to a quick series of follow-up strikes. This helps to lower an enemy’s spirit gauge, which when depleted, will allow you to perform a powerful Fatal Strike manoeuvre. If you’ve played Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, you’ll be familiar with the concept, but if not, just know that it is incredibly well-executed and will certainly be your main form of defence. Finally, there are the Divine Beasts, devastating attacks that are usable once a meter has been fully charged. They summon a mystical beast that deals a tonne of damage and can be a turning point in some of the tougher boss battles. You have your own spirit gauge as well, which can be depleted by performing too many special attacks or getting hit one too many times. But it isn’t the usual stamina meter, so you can run around, evade, and pull off as many quick attacks as you like without fear of screeching to a halt to catch your breath.

What’s unique about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is its Morale Rank system. This gives both the player and each enemy a number to indicate their current strength. You’ll start each level at 0, and killing enemies along the way will raise this — with higher level enemies raising it much faster, should you manage to slay them — whilst falling to a foe will lower it. What’s great about this system is that it ties in with exploring the levels; each area will have Battle Flags (thinkDARK SOULS’ bonfires) which, aside from restoring your health and giving you a chance to level up your stats using Genuine Qi (a currency gained by defeating enemies), will also increase your Fortitude Rank. Your Morale will never go below that of your current Fortitude, so if you’ve banked up a high Morale Rank, it’s best to hunt out these flags to make sure you don’t lose it, if and when you are defeated.

The Morale Rank doesn’t dictate your character's strength, but rather how they may fare against enemies when comparing ranks. It certainly encourages exploration and becomes a fantastic risk and reward system that makes putting yourself at risk a potential benefit later on for that stage's bosses. The added verticality to stages means it’s more than just running down various corridors to find a hidden path, and there are often multiple ways to approach any given combat situation. Run along rooftops and get the jump on enemies with a sneak attack to give you an edge (especially useful if they have a higher Morale Rank than you) and more often than not you’ll spot an area you’ve yet to explore, which usually grants some new equipment or a Battle Flag to claim.

To say Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a difficult game would be an understatement, however, it never felt like I was cheated. Each death was a learning experience that made me rethink how to approach an enemy, before jumping back into the incredibly smooth and precise combat. It’s certainly comparable with Nioh, but also has the fast-paced fluidity of the Ninja Gaiden series. With a wide variety of weapons, Wizardry spells, and more, each player will craft their own character to fit a specific style of play. It’s frantic, vicious fun, and whilst the story and audio aren’t the best, this is certainly a worthy title for a genre known for its punishing, yet rewarding gameplay.