Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Review (Xbox Series X|S)
Reviewed on Xbox Series S
Are you looking for a challenge? A simple yet addictive gameplay loop? Combat that features a full display of how the parrying mechanic is one of (if not the best) mechanics ever to grace gaming.
Look no further than Team Ninja’s Wo Long Fallen Dynasty! Released on March 3rd of this year Wo Long has bolstered and supported the value of Game Pass substantially.
The Han Dynasty
Set during a fictionalized period of the Han Dynasty, Wo Long gets right to it from the very beginning of the game. After a cinematic cut scene in which your character sacrifices his body to save a blindfolded boy, the game begins. The blindfolded boy is able to heal you and bring you back using a special talisman that becomes a key piece for you throughout the entire playthrough.
Throughout the rest of the level, you learn the basics of the gameplay. It teaches you about combat, using spirit attacks, how spirit works in general, and then also about morale which is very important to understand and get a sense for.
The game is naturally difficult due to its “souls-like” nature. If you die you lose utility such as morale, and items used, as well as the enemy getting stronger. You cant save anywhere in the game, the are flags that are used as checkpoints to upgrade your character as well as heal and reset the area if desired.
At a certain point in the game, you can summon help for areas and bosses and also clear through levels with friends. These subtle nuances enhance the combat which on its own was the strongest aspect of the game.
Get Good
Let’s talk about where the game shines, its combat. Very fast-paced, very rewarding, and skill dependent. It’s not the most difficult game by any stretch, but it’s not a walk in the park either. You must learn enemy patterns, be able to parry effectively, and be aware and control your surroundings at all times! Combat is also where the morale we mentioned earlier really comes into play.
Enemy morale level determines how difficult it will be for you to do damage and ultimately kill them. Your personal morale level also determines how much damage you can mitigate and give in return as well.
You can gain and lose morale and it’s a tricky balance that adds risk and reward to each level of design.
The flags you use as save points also give you a minimum morale level that will not go below their threshold, no matter what. This increases the importance of finding these checkpoints but also the risk and reward “is it worth it” factor, depending on where you are in the level.
Parrying enemy moves and punishing them by performing critical blows never got old. There is something special about parrying all 6-7 moves on an enemy combo that leads to their demise. You get this feeling non-stop and it always feels rewarding. Whether its against a boss or a basic enemy, you will have to utilize the parry effectively to advance in the game.
If you aren’t the best at parrying, you do have other abilities and utility to aid you. You have elemental abilities that help you heal, do more damage, and mitigate damage. The elements are wood, fire, earth, water, and metal. Each element has a corresponding strength/weakness to the others.
These powers add a layer of depth to the combat because now strategy becomes involved, it’s not just how good you can be mechanically (though obviously, that helps a ton). You can form a game plan to take on a boss that you’ve been struggling with or to help get through an area. This adds diversity to how every player can take on the game.
Along with the elemental aspect, you have weapon variety as well. You can wield a sword, spear, heavy hammer-type weapons, dual weapons, and even ranged items. Adding even more nuance to tackling certain enemies.
My favorite weapon set was the dual weapons because of the pressure and speed that you could apply to certain enemies. I recommend giving some time to each weapon style because they all have their pros and cons. I could write a whole piece about the combat alone – I enjoyed it that much, but that’s not all this is about!
Less Is More
At first, I was not a fan of the level design. You select the level you want to play from a list of them. They have descriptions that give you the back story behind the point of the mission. Some missions are side content and some advance the story like any other game. It was not a big deal but something really bothered me about the way stages were presented compared to most action-adventure games of today.
It’s not a new design, but for this story and the essence of the game, it felt off. As time went on I came to like the simplicity. You can see your level compared to the recommended, you can judge how long it will take, and it really took off the pressure you can feel sometimes being in the middle of a playthrough & trying to judge a good point to stop.
Hop in a level, clear the enemies, find flags, squabble with the boss or bosses and then rinse and repeat. It’s not the fanciest gameplay loop out there but it got the job done. This however could impact the enjoyment of your playthrough depending on what progression style you prefer.
Let’s end this by talking about some of the bosses. Wo Long has some of the most busted broken bosses of any game I think I’ve played, but they were wildly fun to play against! Don’t get me wrong, I was not singing praises all my boss fights but overall, the uniqueness of each boss and the pace of the fights all provided significant enjoyment.
Now for some, broken, busted-up bosses does not sound appealing at all and that is fair. Just keep the morale high and bring a couple of comrades with you and everything will be alright. The bosses aren’t any more difficult than the ones in Elden Ring or Sekiro if I had to compare. They just do funky things at times but that’s ok (at least it is now that I’m done…).
Final Thoughts
Wo Long Fallen Dynasty is a solid title to have released this year. My only complaint with the game is the story. The story was hard to follow and really provided no real significance to anything. If the story was better this game would be a must-play.
Its combat and mechanics truly carry the game. I can’t ignore that no matter how much it may not have mattered to me. An appealing story is what takes games like these to the next level, and that’s what was missing.
If you are subscribed to Game Pass then please do not sleep on this game. You will get your value worth and have another game that you can play alongside friends and share a great experience. I’ll be going back to play more Team Ninja games as well after my experience with Wo Long. They produced a solid, challenging, and fun title. I respect their efforts and work on this game.
