Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Critic Reviews

The best way to describe how Wo Long feels is if you combined the visuals and swordplay of the Dynasty Warriors and Nioh games with a pinch of Sekiro. What then happens is that you have a game that is quite difficult, but oh-so-rewarding when you conquer the seemingly impossible.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.