Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

 Xbox Series X
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 507 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 409 out of 507
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 507
  3. Negative: 77 out of 507
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  1. SimonExMachina
    Mar 6, 2023
    6
    An average mix of Nioh & Sekiro that comes nowhere near the quality of its peers. Main takeaways:

    - combat can be fun but just like Sekiro - there's only one right way to play, not much room for different styles & builds. - boss fights are cool and interesting visually - presentation looks early PS4 era, worse than Nioh 1 - story is pure trash - it's confusing / nonsensical, badly    An average mix of Nioh & Sekiro that comes nowhere near the quality of its peers. Main takeaways:

    - combat can be fun but just like Sekiro - there's only one right way to play, not much room for different styles & builds.
    - boss fights are cool and interesting visually
    - presentation looks early PS4 era, worse than Nioh 1
    - story is pure trash - it's confusing / nonsensical, badly written and poorly acted
    - level design is bland and uninspired, with little in way of worldbuilding or sense of discovery
    - there's a lot of loot and RPG mechanics, but most of it feels meaningless, with little impact on gameplay (no matter your build & gear it's a parry-counter game)
    -game's cleary made on a smaller budget: production values, enemy variety, weapon/armor/gear & environmental design all suffer
    - halfway through the only reason to keep playing are the bosses - exploration becomes boring and combat extremely repetitive because you're fighting the same rehashed enemies over & over again

    It's still fun and exciting at times to fight in Wo Long but after Nioh 1 & 2 I expected much more from Team Ninja... and honestly can't they hire a good writer to tell a decent story?    … Expand
  2. powL
    Mar 10, 2023
    5
    What a mediocre and boring game. Combat is way way overrated and feels like something that was fun 20 years ago… style and speed is fine. But game design is just bland and bad. Look up builds of people playing. Rating this over 8 is delusional fanboism.
  3. DrZomboid
    Apr 2, 2023
    7
    Very difficult game, low on story, too much loot, mediocre graphics. Annoying bosses. Good gameplay.
  4. Ottalaus_saus
    Mar 10, 2023
    6
    I love this game in almost every aspect.

    But when I grind to get high enough morale for a boss and I fail a parry on a heavy attack, I lose one morale that I wont ever get back. After enough failed attempts I have to go back and grind for morale again which just ruins it for me. Why couldnt you have gotten that one morale he took from you back with all your other morale he took when you    I love this game in almost every aspect.

    But when I grind to get high enough morale for a boss and I fail a parry on a heavy attack, I lose one morale that I wont ever get back. After enough failed attempts I have to go back and grind for morale again which just ruins it for me. Why couldnt you have gotten that one morale he took from you back with all your other morale he took when you died...

    Bad graphics though, if you care.    … Expand
  5. Glowguy
    Mar 17, 2023
    5
    Pretty disappointing. I played through and enjoyed the Nioh games but the Studio has taken a step back with Wo Long. First off - the voice acting is awful (at least the English version) and the characters are not very interesting - I'm glad the player character does not speak at all. The story seems too similar to Nioh 2 at least so far - I doubt I'll finish the game. The gameplay isPretty disappointing. I played through and enjoyed the Nioh games but the Studio has taken a step back with Wo Long. First off - the voice acting is awful (at least the English version) and the characters are not very interesting - I'm glad the player character does not speak at all. The story seems too similar to Nioh 2 at least so far - I doubt I'll finish the game. The gameplay is fun at times and some of the bosses are cool but it's a blatant rip off of Sekiro and not nearly as well done. I much preferred the combat in the Nioh games. I was hoping they would tone down the loot drops but they went in the opposite direction and dump so much loot on you that it's a chore and really detracts from the game. I had high hopes for this game but I think I'm going to leave it for now.… Expand
  6. d3uzZ
    Mar 20, 2023
    7
    Мне лично игра зашла, но есть очень много "но", которые очень долго расписывать и они максимально субъективные, напишу поверхностно. Я не любитель жанра соулс в принципе, но эта игра завлекла, ибо это смесь слешера с соулслайком. Ядрёная смесь двух жанров, которая играется в принципе неплохо.

    Понравилась: боёвка, боссы, разнообразие локаций, простая система прокачки, наличие помощи от    Мне лично игра зашла, но есть очень много "но", которые очень долго расписывать и они максимально субъективные, напишу поверхностно. Я не любитель жанра соулс в принципе, но эта игра завлекла, ибо это смесь слешера с соулслайком. Ядрёная смесь двух жанров, которая играется в принципе неплохо.

    Понравилась: боёвка, боссы, разнообразие локаций, простая система прокачки, наличие помощи от ботов и настоящих игроков (игра очень френдли в этом плане)

    Не понравилось: система лутинга, апгрейд арсенала, мега затянутый и скучный сюжет который душит не хуже местных боссов, игра слишком быстро скатывается в самоповтор и не предлагает ничего нового    … Expand
  7. Nataraja
    Aug 22, 2023
    6
    Incredibly poor game design. The entire game is gatekept by a single, reflex related ability - deflect. If you cannot get the deflect down you can not progress out of the tutorial. If it was just defeating a single phase boss, fine. But to have two phases that rely on reflexes ONLY is a really, really poor game design choice. The only reason why it is not receiving a 1 from me is thatIncredibly poor game design. The entire game is gatekept by a single, reflex related ability - deflect. If you cannot get the deflect down you can not progress out of the tutorial. If it was just defeating a single phase boss, fine. But to have two phases that rely on reflexes ONLY is a really, really poor game design choice. The only reason why it is not receiving a 1 from me is that it was made available on Game Pass so at least all I was out was time and space on my SSD.

    I was able to get to the second phase multiple times but the pace of the deflects changes drastically. Also the deflect window is inconsistent and the hit boxes for the first boss are obscene, making any dodging impossible. The same is true of the second phase. If it were a single phase I could understand it.

    After beating the first and second boss, the game really relaxes and is more fun to play, However I am retaining the original score, despite beating the game. It was very poorly designed in many respects which is a shame because once it relaxes the game play becomes fun. The story is very poorly voice acted, the music is either very similar to or exactly the same as Nioh, the stats on equipment and weapons are practically meaningless in their randomness, etc. Just a badly designed game. Add to that the technical issues with the game when I am literally pounding on button with a positive Qi state and the game refuses to let me heal. I could dodge, deflect, etc. but no healing. The stealth is also broken. I have 40 pints in water so my stealth is very high and when I slowly approach mobs some will randomly become aware of me or it won't, randomly, register the the stealth fatal strike key press. Lastly, in one of the big final cut scenes, it freezes, pops up the very start screen with the nameless warrior, so I got to listen to it but not view it. Just technical mess on series X using performance.

    I think I will stick to From Soft games. At least there I can find multiple ways to progress from the beginning and enjoy it in its entirety..    … Expand
  8. guiletheguiles
    Apr 25, 2023
    6
    Wo Long is a very entertaining game with a clumsy execution. It's funny because it works flawlessly at times, but when it doesn't, it's awkward and heavily frustrating.

    Wo Long's story is extremely forgettable and its presentation is... uh... bad, to put it simple. Also, I played it on Series S and by god that console struggled to deal with the most simples things. Nevertheless, the    Wo Long is a very entertaining game with a clumsy execution. It's funny because it works flawlessly at times, but when it doesn't, it's awkward and heavily frustrating.

    Wo Long's story is extremely forgettable and its presentation is... uh... bad, to put it simple.
    Also, I played it on Series S and by god that console struggled to deal with the most simples things. Nevertheless, the game is ugly and its environments are sort of repetitive. Without interesting characters and an engaging tale to keep you hooked, fun factor was foun in other things.

    While the environments are dull, the level design can be pretty clever sometimes, with some main missions and sidquests being very well structured. I'm a sucker for shortcuts and hidden places and Wo Long is filled with them. It all comes to a full circle by the end of a level, as long as you don't miss out on anything.

    Characters are very bland, but the way they help you during combat and their design is just really nice. Hero or villain, they look cool as **** Hell, even the armors and weapons you get look super slick. The Divine Beasts are impressive as well but, unfortunately, not all of them are very useful. Monsters and bosses look nice too, but variety is UTTERLY low, killing the element of surprise.

    But where Wo Long shines (and sometimes falters) the most is in its combat. I'm going to make the obvious comparison because there's no other way around it: this game tried to be Sekiro. Sometimes it nailed it, but sometimes it failed.

    Fighting styles are sharp, every weapon is useful and has its own perks and strenghts, your character is highly customizable, learning damage partterns from enemies and bosses can be extremely fun, most spells are pretty sick and I loved the different kinds of martial arts you learn. This is where more than half of the fun in Wo Long lies and, like I said, when it works, it's amazing.

    The problem is, it lacks a certain level of polishment, I think. From enemy placement to boss fights. In fact, ESPECIALLY in boss fights! This game really knocked it out of the park with bosses like the final one, Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo and Zhang Liang. Then completely dropped the ball with others like Aoye, Zhang Rang, Liu Bei and that weird demonic dragon. It is fun, yes, but also absolutely inconsistent.

    I also feel like Koei keeps repeating the same mistakes since the first Nioh. An unnecessary amount of repetitive loot, too many systems and mechanics that could totally be cut from the game, the morale system can be quite inconvenient and the game feels bloated. The side quests aren't that good and rewarding as they can be very repetitive sometimes. So why keep it going for so long?

    It may seem like Wo Long is a bad game from everything I wrote, but it's not. It's just... complicated. It is also a game that made me appreciate Sekiro even more, for inspiring more fun parry based combat systems like this, but also for how well it executed its original intricate formula.

    If you're a fan of games like that, then do give it a go. Just do not expect anything near perfection.    … Expand
  9. AleksB911
    Jul 19, 2023
    7
    Wo long: Fallen Dynasty это добротный подражатель souls like жанра. Разворачивающийся в древнем Китае с вкреплением фэнтези.
  10. Hulsee
    May 22, 2023
    5
    Red dot flashes - Time to deflect. That sums the game up. It is a poor version of Sekiro and a slap on the face of Nioh2.

    It's a fun game - for about 10 hours. Mechanics are horrible. No option to change running option from l3 on controller. I can feel the l3 on pain on my thumb and a wearing controller. In a fast paced game you have no options to change the controls which could    Red dot flashes - Time to deflect. That sums the game up. It is a poor version of Sekiro and a slap on the face of Nioh2.

    It's a fun game - for about 10 hours.

    Mechanics are horrible. No option to change running option from l3 on controller. I can feel the l3 on pain on my thumb and a wearing controller. In a fast paced game you have no options to change the controls which could have been done better like nioh. They did no do that or give that option as they did not want it to look like a copy paste.

    No warehouse options, magic is weak and spells last a few seconds. Moral system of the game is busted. Everytime a new chapter begins they want you to fight the common enemies first. It's their way of saying you cannot rush to the boss.

    Flashy redights become an eyesore, constant companion system takes away fun from the game, spells are a lesser version of earlier games, weapons are not 10 or 12 but essentially around 6 with the rest having same movements.

    It deserves a half price- about 30 dollars which is the worth. Invasion sucks with no rewards and a unbalanced system. Online co-op takes ages to summon as I think they have grouped players into timezones. For a new game the co-op is resting or just waiting. No options to change or select which chapter I want to co-op in. No storehouse, No new spells unless Earth is your spells to choose.

    Bosses are forgettable except Lu Bu. It seems a copy and paste of years of junk collected.. No intricate mechanics to adjust or reshape your character traits like nioh2. It's a kiddy game where your weapon, attire, spells actually don't matter. Just deflect and press square... and keep pressing on that l3 button till your thumbs go numb.

    Wait for a sale and enjoy the game. You will get bored quickly. It's fun but not for the price it is sold at.

    Lastly I am seeing a pattern in most famous souls like you tubers. They have started hiding from genuine feedback to there subscribers. Most of these guys has jobs and now have become full time you tubers. They are just pushing content now. Not a single honest opinion or feedback from any tuber about the drawbacks of the game.

    I still thank Team Ninja for giving a free Demo so we could decide to buy. Us souls players are gullible for games like these whether good or bad. But it won't last long if it continues in this direction...

    Godspeed to All...    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

40
#40 Best Xbox Series X Game of 2023
12
#12 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Movies Games and Tech
    Mar 5, 2024
    85
    Wo Long Fallen Dynasty Complete Edition is a cruel and challenging souls-like experience. However, it is more forgiving than its peers. As such, this could be a great place to start for newbies. Alongside this, it is as good alone as it is with other gamers.
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  2. MondoXbox
    Apr 2, 2023
    80
    Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty stakes everything on its combat system, a fascinating setting, and excellent game structure. However, the game remains hampered by an underwhelming technical realization and balancing problems. Still, these minor flaws do not prevent it from offering a viable option for all gamers looking for a spectacular action game.
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  3. BaziCenter
    Mar 27, 2023
    80
    The latest game by Team Ninja may not be a full fledged AAA title by today’s standards, but it throws everything it has into the gameplay and the final result can easily take us back to the good old days of Ninja Gaiden games. The future looks bright for Team Ninja and I’m super excited for their upcoming game, Rise of the Ronin.
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