Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, the game that’s the product of two developers who shaped the market on their own, fused their babies. The team behind Nioh and Bloodborne allied to create Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. A game that combines multiple aspects of these previously mentioned top-games and makes it its own. Seems difficult you might say? Let’s talk about it!
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a dark-souls type of game set in the eastern part of the world and of course uses the known mythology to create these amazing boss fights and environment. The game tries to harness different aspects from different dark-soul types of games and tries to come up with its own style of progression and uniqueness. In a way, the game truly succeeds in becoming a version that stands on its own and it may be unfair to the game to constantly compare this game to Sekiro for example. Sekiro was a tremendous game that created this open world filled with challenges to overcome, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is kind of the same but it’s a bit more linear which isn’t a bad thing. Open-world types of games might feel overwhelming and the chances of not completing the game, are very high. Choosing the path to become a more linear game might be the type of game that players, who favor the playstyle of Elden Ring or Dark Souls but don’t have the time to invest, need in their life. Especially when the game is keen for the eyes and has its own story to tell.
“You can also either block attacks or try to deflect them.”
One of the aspects that players will love, is the deflecting mechanic that’s also included with Sekiro. You fight enemies filling up an action bar that can fuel one of your most important strikes. Deflecting will be a lot more rewarding because it also helps to fill up your action bar. Once the action bar is filled up, you can strike the enemy with a critical strike. Not only do you have your standard combat skills to deal with enemies, but you will also be able to perform special moves that use another type of energy. Performing these special moves in combination with “perfect” deflecting, will result in an easy win when confronted with an enemy. Don’t get me wrong, the mechanics will help you score the win but I can assure you that there will be challenging boss fights along the way because, in the end, that’s what it’s all about!
Along the way, you’ll find multiple weapons. Not all of these weapons are worth mentioning but I do think it’s still worth it to explore and find as many of these weapons as you can. Different weapons mean different play styles and these play styles are important to make the game enjoyable. Experimenting with different playstyles is quite easy in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty as you will be able to equip 2 close-ranged and one long-ranged weapon. With only the push of a button, you’ll switch between these different weapons and this can help you against multiple enemies.
“Most of the time, you’ll be able to rely on your companions that join the fight.”
Just like Sekiro, you’ll be able to plant a Battle Flag and rest there to reset the world around you. This means that resting will give your health and energy back but enemies you’ve conquered will also be respawning. In the beginning, you might find this mechanic bad but these respawn enemies will help you with the grind towards the next level. Becoming stronger to overcome the end bosses is one of the goals of the game. It’s good to know that smaller enemies might respawn but bosses won’t return to the battlefield. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty isn’t exactly an open-world type of game, the game consists of different levels that include different pathways to the same road. Along the way, you might find shortcuts to unlock. This is very helpful because after being revived, you might have to walk a long way before you can battle the boss again. Finding these shortcuts will ease the pain because you won’t be bothered by all of those despicable smaller enemies that stand between you and the boss. Confronting these smaller enemies might heighten the chance of losing a lot of your health and this will definitely give an advantage to the boss monster.
Talking about advantages, you will also have some advantages as well when you’re battling monsters. Most of the time, you’ll be able to rely on your companions that join the fight. Companions are characters you’ll meet along the way and tag along towards the boss fight. These companions can come in handy to divert the attention of some boss monsters but these characters aren’t doing a lot during the fight, other than being a bit of a nuisance. They’ll quickly become downed or get in the way. There is already too much happening on the screen, so you don’t need more visual clusters on the screen.
“It doesn’t always have to be too hard to make a game enjoyable.”
So the boss fights are amazing to watch and can be challenging for some. I do have to mention that all of these boss fights almost have the same counter window. Noticing the same patterns with these different bosses might feel amazing in the beginning but in the end, the challenging status might wear off. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather play these types of games than the (almost) invincible boss monsters in other Dark Souls-like games. The difficulty level in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is lower than Elden Ring for example but that’s okay. It doesn’t always have to be too hard to make a game enjoyable. I mean it’s still a game and not your life’s work.
As I mentioned before, you’ll be able to perform special abilities and these are linked to the different elementals: Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, and metal. All of these abilities can be unlocked in the talent tree of a certain elemental. Not every ability seems worth but it’s interesting to know that these elements can influence the battle with a challenging boss. Some enemies have a specific elemental as a weakness, so try to make use of it.
“A lot of areas differ in their presentation which makes the journey more enjoyable.”
Technically speaking, the game runs fluently and has some decent scenery. A lot of areas differ in their presentation which makes the journey more enjoyable. I do think that the smaller enemies could use a bit more differentiation but most of the time, the game offers a decent amount of differentiation. The game sounds are also top-notch and it has a beautiful soundtrack. Story-wise, the game is ok but I don’t think it will last for a long time in my memory.
Conclusion:
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is the game for you when you don’t have much time on your hands but you do like the game mechanics of dark souls- like games. You will sink in a couple of hours for the game’s gameplay but you probably won’t remember much of the story after you’re done. The combat feels fluent and interesting due to the use of a magic talent tree (based on the elementals) and interesting block/ counter mechanics. There is nothing like an awesome critical blow when you’re battling a challenging monster. The game runs fluently and has a great presentation. If you’re up for the challenge, try the game out!
