Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty review: Sekiro, Dark Souls, and Chinese myth

One of the best things about Wo Long: Fallen DynastyI was able to remove its first boss Zhang Liang, who is a formidable commander. After a series of futile attempts to stop him, he stubbed me with a massive mace that wiped out almost a third my health every time it touched my skin. Within seconds, the battle was over, a dull red washing over the graceless sight of my crumpled, defeated body, and the Chinese phrase for “crushing defeat” was emblazoned across the screen. My actions were not only unwise, but extremely inelegant. It was obvious I was running headfirst into the battle, wielding a fragile sword while hacking recklessly, in hopes that my mistakes would be remembered.

Wo long has zero patience for ineptitude — a refrain you probably expect if you’re familiar with NiohOder Nioh 2, Team Ninja’s soul-crushingly brutal games set in feudal Japan — as well as an unwillingness to tolerate negligence. For example, my fight with Zhang Liang could not be won until I fully understood his moves and attacks. This included a jump into the air, followed by the dropping of his mace onto it. Then came several heavy swings of the weapon that made me feel like a light twig. To achieve victory, I need to be familiar with the game’s key maneuvers of quick ripostes, dodges, and magical spells, and be able to perform them at This is exactly the right moment — before my enemy seizes the upper hand. This seemingly impossible fight should be understood by me. And just when I think I’m done, I should steel myself for an even more difficult second phase.

You need this practice to endure the difficult encounters. Wo long. The adventure takes you through the fantastical Chinese countryside. You spend your time collecting loot and recruiting friends in the form military generals or mythical allies. BloodborneThe most important is: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Just as it was for in Nioh and its sequel, Team Ninja demonstrates a deep understanding of what makes the “Soulslike” genre tick, and it deploys those learnings with an expert hand in its most ambitious project yet.

Image: Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo

Perhaps even more amazing is Wo long’s meticulous, borderline reverential approach to its narrative source material, at least in the chapters I’ve completed so far (I’ve spent around 14 hours with the game). It’s a marvelous retelling of The Wizard of Oz. Romance of the Three Kingdoms saga — one of the most well-known Homeric epics of Chinese literature — Wo long The story begins in a small village that is rife with violence, the Yellow Turban Rebellion. As a nameless hero gifted with a mysterious power, you’re unceremoniously thrust right into the thick of action. You explore deserted foothills, dilapidated palaces, and grassy plains and lakes nestled among towering mountain peaks — much like a pilgrimage across both pastoral and war-torn scenes of medieval China.

Wo long Avoids the awkward heavy handedness that is typical of games inspired from Chinese literature. Instead, random Eastern-looking symbols are used as a symbol for otherness. With a combination of supernatural power and physics-defying, swashbuckling actions, you can defeat your enemies. Along with companions that speak of righting wrongdoings using their steel and swearing to eternal loyalty, these companions will also help you make lifelong pacts. Mythical creatures — like the Zhu Yan, a monster plucked from the pages of the Chinese text on mythic beasts, Classic of Mountains and Seas — make frequent appearances. The Three Kingdoms story is reimagined in wuxia. This Chinese style features swordsmen bound to a chivalrous code. Wo longIt borrows extensively and effectively from the lexicon.

Wo long’s backstory may be rich and expansive, but so is its elaborate system of combat rules. Combat revolves around the rotation of your weapon loadout. It could include a combo of sword, colossal, or elegant halberd. As you collect new armor and other items, aggressively carving your way through the fleshy body of your foes.

Image: Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo

Still, there’s a fine line to tread here; carelessness can be met with lacerations and heavy wounds, and even lowly foot soldiers can send you to a premature death. The other side is the opposite. Wo longYou can be rewarded for consecutive wins with the feature of morale rank. This temporarily grows with each enemy that you kill. However, this is not the end of the story. The game takes as much as it gives. You can also see which enemies you have, and how they rank in morale. Along with the stats of your equipment loadout, your morale rank — as it relates to your enemy’s — directly affects how much damage you deal and receive. At the same time, there’s also a way to regain your lost morale: by seeking vengeance on the same enemy that killed you. It’s an inventive spin on the Soulslike formula, as it indicates how challenging a particular match will likely be from afar — without you having to die multiple, needless deaths by plunging headfirst into random encounters.

There are experience points, too, in the form of what the game refers to as “genuine qi.” (This, by the way, is a bit of an odd translation choice; a similar Chinese phrase, “essential qi,” is frequently invoked in wuxia stories and has roots in traditional Chinese medicine.) The Qi is a tool that can help you level up your character and unlock points for five elements. Wood, fire, earth and metal are the most common. These further affect your hero’s passive stats, from strength to vitality, but also grant new active abilities and magical powers. The game’s wizardry spells, which are based on those five elements, can mostly be used to augment your melee attacks and inflict status effects on your enemies — for instance, one creates an area-of-effect earthquake, while another creates a poisonous puddle at its place of impact. They feel more like flourishes in the beginning chapters, but melee combat is still the main focus of the game.

Image: Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo

A single mechanic could be what makes a difference. Wo long’s intense combat, it’s the deflect move. In fact, so many of the game’s encounters are contingent on this one balletic motion that victories can feel almost out of reach if you simply can’t get the hang of the timing. This is also true in SekiroDodging, guarding and protecting against attack Wo longIt is temporary, but it will give you some time to rest, heal and cast spells, as well as better understand the combat. Your defense against a sudden flurry will fail, leaving your body vulnerable to more attacks. Your health bar will quickly notify you if your defense is compromised by an attack that was too late or early.

Make sure you time your deflection correctly. Wo long gives you ample space and time to retaliate, even allowing you to perform a powerful “fatal strike.”

Image: Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo

A microcosm of this is the parry maneuver. Wo long’s high-risk, high-reward ethos. It is equally focused on immersing players in the thrilling flow of a long duel as well as introducing them to a dangerous and detailed mythical world based around the Three Kingdoms story. Publisher Koei Tecmo’s extensive portfolio in Three Kingdoms games — from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms strategy wargames to the Dynasty Warriors series — is perhaps why Team Ninja was afforded the space to refine its world and its mechanics equally.

Surviving the natural disasters Wo longIt takes hours and hours of hard work. The reward is in the ability to skillfully execute demons and enemies alike using only a few quick movements of your finely tuned limbs. The complex combat system combined with the beautiful settings make this a truly memorable game. Wo long is a journey worth embarking on — even if it means devoting three more hours to your next boss fight.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty The game will release on March 3, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC. Koei Tecmo provided a prerelease code for PC review. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions for products sold via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.