Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Wo Long is a really majestic epic, and a stunning new interpretation of a book that has already been interpreted so many times in video games. It’s a compelling telling of the story, backed up with one of the fastest and most entertaining takes on Soulslike combat that we’ve seen to date. Just make sure you've got your energy drinks to hand. You're going to need some serious focus thanks to the speed and precision that this game demands.

Wo Long: Fall Dynasty is a near flawless game and what I hope is just an intro to this fantastic world. Team Ninja have crafted a game that takes the basic structure of Nioh and other Souls-likes and creates their own unique, rewarding, and brutally challenging experience. In its almost forty hour campaign I was constantly surprised by the amount of new locations, creative boss fights, and sheer ambition of the game. It may be early in the year, but I’d be surprised if any game beats Wo Long for the top of my year-end list.

Almost every aspect has improved from Team Ninja's previous work. The fantasy-infused story based on the Three Kingdoms complements core gameplay almost perfectly. On top of that, Its combat system has a distinct charm that entices players to turn their consoles back on immediately after turning them off.

Like Sekiro and Team NINJA's Nioh games, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty demands a lot from the player, specifically persistence, creativity and let's be honest, decent timing and reflexes. In lots of key areas it's a pretty traditional Soulslike, with all the challenges and rewards that come with the genre. Wo Long's particular brilliance lies in its new mechanics and the way they flow in and out of every encounter. While some moments and fights can seem like insurmountable, immovable walls, getting around, through, or over them is never boring. Wo Long both honors the genre and pushes it forward in an exciting way.

With gorgeous settings and a beautiful rousing score that fit the epicness of the battles I faced and a satisfying combat style, I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the genre or just a fan of traditional martial arts.

An evolution of Nioh 2, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an action-packed ride through history and dark fantasy that stands out in a post-Elden Ring world. [Issue#26, p.88]

A beautiful take on the ancient Chinese story, Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have joined forces to create something magical. Wo Long is a tour de force, with its only issue being that it tries too many new things that will largely be ignored. At its core, it’s a solid Souls take and gorgeous game to add to an action fan’s library.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an impressive iteration for Team Ninja. It’s a more accessible title without sacrificing the challenge intrinsic to its success, it features one of the developer’s most satisfying combat systems to date, and it accomplishes this in levels that sport more verticality and exploration than ever before. It falters more than it probably should with regard to storytelling and graphical presentation—a somewhat consistent shortcoming in Team Ninja games—but it’s an exceptionally easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys more tasking action RPGs.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a dark fantasy take on the Three Kingdoms. The difficulty is high, almost seeming insurmountable at first, but part of what makes Wo Long great is how the difficulty isn’t unfair. The gameplay is structured where players are rewarded for learning the fighting style of their enemies and using their mastery of their own skills against them. It can be frustrating and requires patience to master, but it’s such a great feeling to finally overcome a strong adversary. Challenge alone does not make a game great, but Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty excels in every area from artistic design to gameplay mechanics. Watching nameless warrior execute their different moves is akin to a ballet of brutality. The gameplay mechanics are are smooth and responsive as the game is challenging, making it a joy to invest the time in mastering the battle system. This isn’t the Three Kingdoms setting we were expecting, but it is the Three Kingdoms game we needed.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an excellent action RPG that offers an even more hardcore take on the increasingly popular Soulslike formula. It's fast, frenetic, and hits like a truck, with one of the most mesmeric combat systems we've ever had the pleasure to master. It might scare off more casual players, but those looking for a challenge, well — you can stop looking.

I want to stress that Wo Long is not going to be for everyone. It can be extremely punishing, especially if you're butting heads with the parry system. But the setting, the aesthetics, and action sensibilities from a learned team made it all worth it to push through and get over that hump.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty doesn't try to reinvent Nioh's formula, but manages to bring together its main elements and make specific changes, which allow it to be enjoyed by different types of audiences. And even with a combat system that may feel random at times, it's still able to provide a great feeling when overcoming its challenges. The setting is excellent and its engaging storytelling makes the future of this new franchise very promising.

Even though the infamous Nioh title is absent in the Team Ninja’s newest soulslike experience, there is no doubt that it possesses the very same qualities as its predecessors. Visceral and hardcore combat mechanics are used against the most horrific of demons. Our nameless hero will explore the chunks of a wonderful world inspired by the Romance of Three Kingdoms whilst trying to bring peace to a war-torn feudal China. This cryptically epic horse ride will surely confuse you, make you cry with rage and mostly teach you the art of parry timings.

The blend of combat, RPG elements, platforming, and a much more serious and interesting narrative makes for an engaging romp through the ancient lands of China, and aside from some small AI hiccups and design choices, there really isn't much there to dampen my revitalized love for all things Romance of the Three Kingdoms. All hail the newest and most polished Soulslike to come out in a while.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is much more than a soulslike. It’s full of action and epic boss fights, with a fast and fun gameplay, making it a dynamic experience with a really cool Chinese setting. The best part about it is that it can be satisfying to both the hardcore souls fans and also to newcomers. Team Ninja did it again. Authenticity, new ideas and a fresh formula to the genre.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty pushes the boundaries of a Souls-like game by introducing refreshing and unique takes on otherwise overused formulas. The emphasis on deflecting and the new morale mechanic makes for a challenging and rewarding combat system only to be further enhanced by the dramatic backdrop of the Three Kingdoms.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a powerful action game that introduces a new gameplay experience with its core combat mechanism of parrying. This game reinterprets the history and characters of the Three Kingdoms period, providing a surprising experience for Chinese players. However, the game's map design has some flaws, and the endgame content is also lacking. These issues prevent Wo Long from being a perfect gaming experience. However, we hope that future DLCs will fill these gaps and address the shortcomings in the game's content.

Even as its second half failed to match what came earlier, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a finely honed delight. Its action is precise and responsive, and learning the intricacies of each adversary is exceedingly fulfilling. While I wish its back stretch was either pared down or had a wider variety of foes, this is a rare title that induces trance-like focus and euphoric moments of victory. It may not quite reach the heights of the works that inspired it, but it’s not far off.

I had a great time playing Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and I strongly recommend the game to anyone who loves games like Nioh. It’s a lot easier and has some interesting new mechanics that are definitely worth exploring.

Its morale rankings, experience you get from fighting enemies, and generous way to customize your favorite pieces of armor give you the tools you need to take on some tough foes that will kill you, yes, but will also provide you with over 30 hours of satisfying punishment. There is no denying Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has a high learning curve, but as many Chinese proverbs will tell you, patience, practice, and some great parrying skills will get you far.

A seasoned and streamlined Nioh successor that also wants to get newcomers into the junk. The snappy fights tie you to the gamepad, even if the strangely balanced level of difficulty sometimes gnaws at your nerves.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is much more than "Team Ninja's Sekiro": the parry is a core mechanic, yes, but also the clever ability system and the way it encourages exploration. Combine this with the ever flawless gameplay of the studio, and the result is a great action game and an even greater first step for a new IP.

Despite Team Ninja falling into the same pitfalls suffered by prior titles, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is another deeply satisfying Souls-like. A steep learning curve and frustrating amounts of loot don't do much to keep Wo Long back from offering another finely tuned combat system, blended with a unique setting and new systems that break new ground in the subgenre.

After Nioh, Team Ninja once again proves its great mastery of action-RPG with Wo Long Fallen Dynasty. Admittedly, the copy is not perfect (bestiary not provided enough, rather disappointing endgame, side missions which take up areas already visited) but the gameplay is so solid that we are ready to excuse almost everything! Here, it's all about parry, martial arts and spells, in a novel approach for the genre. Most of the atmospheres are successful, there is plenty to choose your path as a warrior and everything is even more accessible than the studio's Japanese Souls-like. An excellent pickaxe.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is going head-on from the start. The new soulslike from Team Ninja returns to sign a solid, addictive combat. It is the hallmark of the team. Risk has its reward. Mechanics added to the formula, such as the morale system, influence the development of the levels. From the moment you enter a mission, you activate the chip to achieve everything and destroy everything that comes your way. It's hard not to recommend it to fans of the genre. Only the limitation of the bestiary and the uninteresting loot system keep it from going one step further.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty features some really cool ideas – unusual mechanics related to combat, a rich array of spells or a reputation system that rewards exploration. Its outdated, linear level design trails behind Dark Souls, not to mention Elden Ring, and sometimes I was annoyed with uneven difficulty level but I still believe every soulslike enthusiast should at least take a closer look at Team Ninja’s game.

Team Ninja’s latest action RPG is equal parts challenging and exhilarating, with unique mechanics that help even the odds in even the toughest of battles. A perfect new addition to a genre already stacked with quality titles.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is unlike any other action game. Its unique battle system encourages high-level character customization to make the action approachable no matter your history with the genre. It's terrifyingly brilliant as it tests your understanding of enemy attacks through a rhythm-based deflect feature making each encounter as enjoyable as it is difficult, especially in its online modes. Although messy enemy placement and cheesy maneuvers can slow the pacing, the Three Kingdoms story has never looked better.

Distilled from the composite parts of developer Team Ninja’s prior efforts, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty opts to delve deep into the fundamentals of high-stakes combat and delivers a pulse-pumping experience that rewards anyone willing to step up to the plate.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a superbly fun action RPG that'll put your parry skills to the test. Throw in rewarding exploration and so many mechanics that it'll make your head spin and you're left with a wonderfully engaging full-fledged adventure.

The game is tightly designed and the boss battles and combat are up there with Team Ninja's very best; what relatively few minor gripes I have with the game are somewhat alleviated by the precison with which the game has been designed and the developer's willingness to experiment with the formula and create their own unique spin on the soulslike genre.

Nearly as fast as Sekiro dye, but still with a lot of tactical options in its duel-based fights, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty delivers a unique mix of different Soulslike attitudes. If the first boss wasn't a little too hard and the difficulty curve flattening more and more afterwards, Wo Long maybe could have beaten Nioh 2. That way it's not outstanding, but just a well done action RPG that can easily be recommended to any fan of the genre.

In time, however, it is the parry system that reveals itself to be the game's core point of difference and strength. [Issue#383, p.100]

Wo Long is a good start into soulslikes. The first boss may seem too difficult at first, but will turn out to be a great teacher. Wo Long has lots of well balanced action and has an interesting tempo. The new moral system offers a clear structure that helps beginners get into the genre.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty isn’t a perfect game. The beautifully tweaked combat system is let down by a few useless weapons and some duff level design, but when it does everything right, it feels like a diamond in the rough. This certainly isn’t Nioh 3, but it’s the perfect masocore experience for both new players in co-op, and for those that need something to tide them over until we get Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Wo Long Fallen Dynasty is the latest Team Ninja game and it is a good counterpart to Nioh games even if its more Sekiro than Dark Souls. Brutal combat and good level design are there but some caveats are going to be thorn in the eye for the veterans of the genre.

If you asked me a week ago, I would've been really down on Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. The game's uneven difficulty delivers a tough introduction before settling into something more comfortable. Whilst the game doesn't explain itself well, there are many systems here you can prod and tinker with. Hopefully this will provide some varied playstyles. Combat really shines, despite the simplistic movesets. Navigation between missions feels clumsy but those levels are smartly designed. Moving through the world has been compelling and enjoyable, even if I do find the storytelling to be rather hokey.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty suffers from a lack of focus, but it's plenty enjoyable if you can meet the game on its own terms. It's also got forgiving co-op that can make its fights far more approachable. If you like this kind of fluid and occasionally punishing action game, Wo Long may be just the thing to tide you over until the Elden Ring DLC drops.

Although it may not be as inventive and thoughtfully designed as its inspirations, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty thrives on gameplay that’s satisfying and intuitive enough to win over newbies, while providing enough challenge to keep Soulslike veterans engaged and happy.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty doesn't reinvent the wheel, but what it does, it does right and continues Team Ninja's trend of delivering well-polished action games that reward their player base for sticking with it when things get tough.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty shares some elements with Team Ninja’s Nioh games, such as randomised loot and challenging combat, but ultimately it feels very much like its own game. It’s faster-paced, has a unique morale system, and pushes players to deflect enemy attacks in order to succeed. What lets it down ever so slightly is that some of these new features often feel poorly explained and a little underdeveloped. Otherwise, this is fresh take on the Soulslike formula.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is "simply" a well-packaged soulslike, extremely derived from the previous work of Team Ninja, very unbalanced in terms of mechanics, but still fun and satisfying. An operation almost tending to experiment with some new mechanics that are not always perfectly blended with the rest of the game grammar, speaking more to the regular users of Souls, rather than to newbies. Fun and with a difficulty that rewards only towards the end but, all in all, it's a properly packaged game.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. It's a distinctive game, and the morale mechanic changes how you approach combat. It suffers a bit from the world being less exciting than Sekiro's world, and the loot system feels a lot more stapled on than it was in Nioh, but those are both minor complaints. It's fresh enough that I didn't feel like I was playing Nioh 3, and it kept enough of the core mechanics that it retains its own flavor.

Team Ninja delivers a new hardcore ARPG with some unusual but solid new features that change what we are getting used to. Wo Long Fallen Dynasty is a real breath of fresh air in a genre that count many new titles now.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a challenging romp through a dark fantasy version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and works well as a Soulslite. Each level is a bite-sized Souls experience to be conquered and moved past. The tight, challenging combat will thrill fans of the genre, but the lack of an interconnected world might turn off those that love the thrill of exploration.

Team Ninja has created a challenging and engaging action game in a fantasy version of Three Kingdoms China. The combat mechanics are intuitive and all work together, making strategy and consideration of each next big boss fight vital. However, those same systems can be overly complex with a flurry of gauges, ranks, and stats to consider all at once. Even with a few difficulty spikes and balancing issues, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is still a fun adventure with creative bosses and exciting battles.

Wo Long Fallen Dynasty looks like a star that shines at times, suspended between bright peaks of gameplay and technical hiccups. In general, for those who want to test themselves, Team Ninja's latest effort is unmissable, also thanks to its debut on Xbox Game Pass, which will appeal to all subscribers. We are sure that the epic clashes staged in this epic will be able to stimulate you for hours, rewarding your efforts with a solid playful sector, held back only by a few choices born of a conservative mentality. We hope that in the future the collective will decide to abandon some of the stylistic features that distinguish the titles of this genre, so as to be able to take it to the next level definitively, also thanks to the power of the current generation consoles.

Ultimately, though, no matter how many times you stare into the eye of the tiger, what counts most here is, well, the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of your rivals. When you meet the largest or most fearsome foe head on, remain steadfast then push aside their best combo like a martial arts master, before spearing them through the gut, it's irresistibly exhilarating. Wo Long's cocktail of measured inputs and furious blows alone should keep the focused warrior going to the end. Keep calm and parry on.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an excellent action game, and a tightly-focused, well-executed example of why Team Ninja is often mentioned in the same breath as FromSoftware. Razor-sharp combat that wields the power of momentum with deft ease, supported by intricate and well-designed levels, against the backdrop of an over-the-top historical fantasy? It’s just a shame about the quality-of-life aberrations that constantly chip away at your morale.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s combat plays very differently from Team Ninja’s own Nioh games – more in the mold of Sekiro than Dark Souls – and yet it manages to excel and falter in just about the same areas. When it comes to the clashing of melee weapons, Wo Long is among the best in the genre, full stop. Its action is fast and thrilling, the options for taking down its ferocious enemies are many and immensely rewarding to master, and its deflection-heavy combat is one of the most satisfying since Sekiro. All of those strengths outweigh an overbearing loot system, poor storytelling, and even a disappointing lack of variety in enemies. If not for that, Wo Long might’ve been one of Team Ninja’s greatest achievements – as it is, it’s simply a great one.

Wo Long is a game that I suspect is going to be truly adored by the usual crowd of people who get very excited about games that secretly hate them and want to see them die. If you love Nioh, Sekiro, or indeed Ninja Gaiden, you’ll eat this adventure up. As for everyone else? Well, it’s very much a hardcore action game in the old school mould, and that simply means it’s not for everyone.

Team Ninja shows its best side. In Wo Long there are still some of its common problems, but the result is a remarkable Soulslike.

Wo Long’s dance-like battles and refreshing twists on the Soulslike formula make it one of the most effective forks of the genre, even if it falls far short of the subtle world building expertise seen in FromSoftware’s games.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty almost looks like a spin-off from Nioh, from which it recycles most of the assets and from which it candidly copulates most of the game systems. The most important additions are the morale system, the sorceries and the spirit bar (in turn very similar to the posture already seen in Sekiro), which all in all work great and also manage to guarantee a good variety in the adventure . However, Team Ninja must look beyond and experiment with something new, because it has been continuing to offer us essentially the same basic game for six years, with small and not so relevant improvements.

This is a soulslike that borrows some elements from Sekiro and also adds its own ideas to the mix, but feels a bit watered down compared to other similar titles.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a lovechild between Sekiro and Nioh games with some Chinese mythos and history sprinkled on the top. It is a truly great combat experience that is drawn back by somewhat convoluted storytelling, lackluster decisions to simplify magic and attributes and severe optimization problems. With that said, it is a really fun experience that any fan of the genre will surely love.

Wo Long has an addictive combat system, but also has trouble in finding the right balance: the new RPG from Team Ninja leans too much in the player's favor, while reducing the sense of challenge.

Wo Long is another solid entry into the hardcore hack and slash RPG genre, but some wonky difficulty and questionable enemy AI spoil some of the design nuances and mean it doesn't quite hit the heights of Team Ninja's previous efforts.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's shaky story and reliance on grinding let down one of the most satisfying soulslikes on the market. This proves Team Ninja is more than just the sum of its parts, even if it may need a sequel to get the most out of it.

A disappointing follow-up to Nioh, that has most of its same qualities but, unfortunately, almost exactly the same flaws; with two few new ideas to make up for the lack of advancement.

Wo Long packs in some novel gameplay mechanics, but it might not be the hardcore experience fans of the genre are seeking.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an engrossing, dense, and hard-fought slog, but nevertheless a slog weighed down by some heavy recycling and inconsistent difficulty.

The graphics are awful but underneath the surface you’re going to find a perfectly designed combat system, fun gameplay, and brilliant level design. The bosses are a bit bland, however, as is the loot. And please, give us the option to change the difficulty!

Wo Long is a good starting point for soulslike newbies and some needed breather for more experienced players. They won't break a sweat, but their time won't be wasted. Wo Long has a really well-designed combat system. Pity that nothing else is as good.

If another Team Ninja Soulslike focused on parrying and inventory management sounds like a great time, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will certainly deliver, but a lack of mechanical polish and an inflated inconsistent campaign may be a hard sell to the uninitiated.

No matter how disappointed I am with the game and myself after each "Crushing Defeat," I find myself wanting to go back and play again, even if it's just to build up relationships with Liu Bei and Sun Jian, unlock their armor sets and weapons, grind for levels and new spells and, maybe some day, finally get to use that wizard's house key. It doesn't excuse the faults, and I will die (quickly and repeatedly) on the hill that it would be vastly improved by adding difficulty settings, but if you're a fan of the Three Kingdoms and (not or) extreme difficulty, Wo Long may be a good fit for you. And if it's not, Hell, there's always Dynasty Warriors.

Wo Long exists at an intersection between Nioh and Sekiro, and unfortunately falls short of both and fails to establish an identity of its own. While I enjoyed my time with Wo Long, and had a fine experience, it passed from my mind almost as soon as I was done with it. I still sit and wait patiently for the day that From Software announces a follow-up to the perfection that was Sekiro, and an opportunity to try out Nioh 3 is something I would not pass up. Wo Long simply fails to impress in the ways those games do, and ends up planting itself firmly in the “Good but forgettable” category.

Bosses are fast, aggressive, tough. They hit you two times and it's over. But they all have the same mechanics and just different timing. So inexperienced players may feel frustration, while for experienced souls it won't be major problem to get through the game without a scratch. [Issue#326]

On a basic level, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a decent game, but it doesn't stand out from Nioh in any way, which makes it hard to recommend without some small print. It will be appreciated by people who didn't play Nioh before - or by gamers who can't wait for more of the same.

While it features some interesting new ideas and a stunning new setting, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty fails to live up to the brilliance of Nioh and Nioh 2. A lot of effort has gone into developing the game’s spirit and deflection systems, but it leaves a feeling that Team Ninja has lost what makes titles in this genre fun – even difficult and punishing ones...While Elden Ring expanded the appeal of this style of game, it feels like Wo Long does the opposite and is only for the most committed. If you enjoy the Soulslike formula, especially the Nioh series, then there’s a lot to like in Wo Long if you’re willing to put in the time, but this really is a game for hardcore fans of the genre only.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a lazy game, devoid of ambitions. It copies and superficially applies the Souls' recipe, in a way unworthy of the studio to which we owe Nioh. It is a generation or two behind graphically, and its poor gameplay, unbalanced on many levels, doesn't make you want to dwell on it. There are some interesting ideas in the package, but they were so under-exploited that they might as well not exist.

More of a side-step than an evolution from Nioh 2, Wo Long is inventive and an adventure worth taking even if it’s technically suspect on PS5, but won’t live massively long in the memory once you’ve slain your final boss.