Outside of World War II, the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history is probably one of the most-played historical periods in games. If the name does not sound familiar, think of the Dynasty Warriors games, all about the battles and wars of this time.
But Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty looks like it will show these events in a very different way than those muso-style games. In those games, you cut through hundreds and hundreds of fodder enemies in simple but satisfying ways.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is made by Team Ninja, which just made the hugely popular Nioh games, and other team members worked on Bloodborne. It looks like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is also based on the Souls formula, but it also has a lot of fantastic elements.
Many parts of this game have not been shown yet, so if you are ready to jump into ancient China, here’s everything we know about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Release date
The current plan is for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty to come out in early 2023. But at least we know it will come out before June 2023 because it was shown at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, where every game shown was said to be coming in the next 12 months.
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Platforms
Even though Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is getting a big platform on the Xbox stage and will be on Game Pass at launch, it is not an Xbox-only game. It will come out on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC at the same time.
Trailers
The reveal trailer was shown during the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase in June 2022. It starts with a bloody scene of a village on fire and being attacked by enemies that look like zombies. A dragon flies up from the middle in a wide shot, making it clear that this story will have some magical elements.
After a mysterious old man says he is found the person who holds the eternal Elixir Field, we see two soldiers fight on a cliff in a more realistic action scene. When one is knocked down, presumably the hero, he starts to glow yellow. This gives him the ability to attack back.
Someone else eats a red orb that turns them into a giant, hairy beast, and then the trailer cuts to another scene. Before the trailer ends, we get one last look at the dragon and a terrifying man on a horse. The official summary of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty says, “The story of a militia soldier fighting for survival in the chaotic Three Kingdoms.”
In the dark fantasy world of the Later Han Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, a militia soldier without a name uses the swordplay of Chinese martial arts to fight demons. The game’s producer said that this setting was chosen because “we were looking for an environment that could work for a Nioh sequel.
We had already made a lot of games based on Japan’s Sengoku period, so we wanted a new setting. We decided to make a game about China’s Three Kingdoms period. Koei Tecmo makes a lot of games set in the time after the Han dynasty fell, which is a period that has always interested me.
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I like manga and anime set in that period. This setting for a game sounded like a fun new challenge to take on.” For those who do not know about this setting, the game will occur during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which happens right before the Han dynasty falls.
War is destroying the country, and poverty is getting worse, but there are also new heroes who are stepping up to bring order.
Gameplay
In an interview with IGN, two development team members talked a lot about how the game would be played. The trailer was primarily a movie. They said Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty would be the next step in their games that play like Souls.
Fumihiko Yasuda, the game’s producer, said, “We knew from the start that we wanted it to be complicated. With all the stories of legendary heroes, the Three Kingdoms period can seem a little silly, but it was actually a time of war and destruction. It was a dark time when people were always fighting, which makes it an excellent setting for a game like Souls.
Even though they say this will be their most challenging game yet, they also make it sound like there will be more ways for players to add to the game and play it in their way to get past challenges. Even though the most recent game from FromSoftware was an open-world game, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will have the same level-based, linear structure as Nioh.
However, wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will not be as focused on loot as those games. You will still be able to get and switch between different weapons, but you will not have to constantly upgrade, sell, and throw away weapons and armor sets.
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The fighting will be based on authentic, traditional Chinese martial arts. These arts put a lot of emphasis on graceful movements and make it easy to switch from offensive to defensive moves. It is also supposed to be more realistic, with fewer moves that go too far.
The Moral system is a new mechanic. Not much was said about it except that both the player and the enemies will have it and that it will give the genre new ways to play. We do know that your Moral will go up when you beat tough opponents and go down when you die.
Speaking of death, it looks like death will also change how strong your character is and how strong your enemies are. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will also let you make your own character, just like Nioh 2. This makes sense since the main character is just called “a nameless militia soldier” in the game, which suggests they were not significant before the events of the game.
Wo Long is not a name; it means “crouching dragon,” which is supposed to represent a hero before they are known. During Gamescom 2022, the first gameplay trailer for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty came out. Even though it is short, it backs up much of what the developers said. The game moves quickly and looks a lot more fluid and alive.
The main character can be seen dodging attacks and counterattacking with ease. He can also jump over enemies and hit them as he falls behind them. Parries also look like a big part of the game, but the speed with which attacks are launched makes it look like it might be hard to pull off. Later, we see the main character set his sword on fire to do elemental damage and call down lightning on some enemies who are in the water.
You will also be able to call up spirits, like a fireball-shooting phoenix. The enemies look like they range from normal soldiers to massive brutes and even a giant tiger. The trailer ends with a montage of what looks like bosses, such as a big demonic bird, a woman who looks like Medusa, and other monsters that are hard to describe.
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Multiplayer
Going back to that same interview, the only thing we know for sure is that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will have multiplayer. They said it would at least have a co-op mode like in the Nioh games, but there could also be other options that are more like PvP. Things like invasions would make sense in a game like Souls, but Team Ninja will likely add their own twist to the mechanic.
Pre-order
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty does not have pre-orders yet, but there are two ways to get ahead of the game. First, this game will be on Game Pass from the start, which means that if you subscribe to that service, you will be able to download and play it as soon as it comes out. If not, you can also add it to your wish list on Steam right now. We will let you know as soon as official pre-orders are available, as well as if there are different versions.
