Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is the ultimate B-tier game. It never feels as epic and all-encompassing as, say, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [ゼルダの伝説 ブレス オブ ザ ワイルド] or Elden Ring, but that hardly matters because it’s just so much damn fun to play. It knows what it wants to be and executes with spellbinding precision.

As we’ve come to expect from Team Ninja, combat is central to the experience. The big innovation here is the Spirit Meter. It’s functionally similar to a stamina bar but the difference is in how you fill it. Dodging, blocking, heavy attacks, and spellcasting drain the bar, as you might expect. Filling it, though, is done by connecting with normal attacks and parrying enemy attacks. The result is that you’ll want to get up in the enemy’s face and push the pace, slashing and deflecting until you’ve gathered enough spirit to deliver a knockout blow. Aggression is the name of the game.

One reason why the game feels so great to play is because Team Ninja boldly decided to bind dodge and deflect to the same button. One tap deflects; two taps dodges. What makes this so brilliant is that it actively encourages players to deflect. I don’t know about you, but when I play Dark Souls or Elden Ring I never use the parry mechanic. It feels too risky – why expose myself when I can dive out of the way or turtle behind a shield instead? Wo Long, in contrast, quickly taught me that deflecting was the way of a true warrior. There’s nothing more rewarding than deflecting a boss’s critical blows only to immediately respond with a finisher of your own.

Visually, Wo Long more than holds its own. Camera work is impeccable, with seamless zooms and pans intensifying the impact of criticals and finishers. Environmental design is varied, featuring lush jungles, bloody battlefields, toxin-drenched sewers, and everything in between. And it’d be a disservice not to mention the character creator, which offers an incredible amount of customization options. You could spend hours fine-tuning just your hero’s cheekbones.

Yes, there is still plenty to grumble about. There are heaps of mostly useless loot to sift through. Enemy variety is on the paltry side, and by the end you’ll be wondering what’s up with Imperial China and burning hedgehogs. The story, meanwhile, is neither good nor “so bad it’s good.” Romance of the Three Kingdoms fans may appreciate it, but as someone who is unfamiliar with the story, I found the large cast of characters and their shifting alliances hard to follow.

But these are minor quibbles. Wo Long is an amazing game, one that kept me completely engaged from beginning to end. Usually by the time I finish a game I’d glad for it to be over, but in this case I absolutely want more. Let us all pour one out for Lu Bu as we await the DLC.