Wo Lengthy: Fallen Dynasty was all the time going to be certainly one of 2023’s most attention-grabbing video games, even in a yr as stacked as this one. It’s the following recreation from Nioh and Ninja Gaiden maker Group Ninja, so recreation mechanic fiends like me have been all the time primed to be hooked.
However to the final gaming public who’re sometimes scared away by that very same sort of mechanically-dense motion video games, Wo Lengthy might not even register on their radars. Besides, in fact, it’s launching on Recreation Go on day one.
It would not be a stretch to say that Recreation Go is Wo Lengthy’s ‘Trojan Horse’ into the properties of many new gamers. Some could also be interested by Souls-likes however by no means dipped their toes into their waters, the place others are prone to be lured by the flashy fight and Three Kingdoms setting.
That is main a part of what makes Wo Lengthy probably the most attention-grabbing releases within the style, as a result of It’s a chance to see what concessions – if any – have been made to ask all these potential gamers to keep it up.
After enjoying round 5 hours of Wo Lengthy, I got here away impressed with how deftly Group Ninja managed to stroll the road between designing difficult fight, rewarding gameplay, and providing new gamers an array of latest choices to help them in understanding why this specific style is so beloved.
In a lot the identical method Elden Ring added the choice of summoning AI companions to assist gamers navigate its most difficult moments (even when many newcomers initially missed it), Wo Lengthy too is taking an identical method. In all the missions I performed, I used to be accompanied by an ally nearly the whole lot of the time.
There are narrative causes for who will get to hitch you and why, however the gameplay implications are the extra related right here. The apparent profit of getting another person to have interaction enemies alongside you is that you just gained’t get outnumbered as simply. It additionally helps you to extra freely transfer across the setting, as ambushes and traps are much less prone to finish your run.
Pulling aggro away from you and shopping for you time to heal or take a breather all include the package deal, too. However even past the usual boon of not being alone, the fight fashion of your ally could make for some distinctive pairings.
A quicker companion with a sabre will behave in another way from a sluggish, hammer-wielding brute. In a method, the sport is sort of teasing you concerning the different weapons and fight alternatives you may be utilizing, however even simply enjoying off these variations in method could make for extra diversified encounters. In case you have a heavy-hitter with you, you’re free to be the agile glass cannon, for instance.
It’s also possible to substitute the lengthy listing of allies out there to recruit in Wo Lengthy with precise human gamers. Much like Nioh, you possibly can open your recreation up for random gamers to hitch, or set a password and share it with a pal to lock it up.
And identical to Nioh (and Elden Ring), Wo Lengthy is enjoyable in co-op, however don’t anticipate the identical stage of high quality of life options one thing like Future 2 goes to supply. However there are extra choices, too, exterior of human and AI companions.
The addition of a leap button frees Group Ninja’s stage designers to imbue levels with much more verticality, and be extra liberal with the layers and complexity of each stage, too. This creates many extra alternatives so that you can observe and mull over your method. It helps confrontational gamers on the lookout for a struggle, however it works even higher for stealthy gamers.
Stealth is a a lot greater deal in Wo Lengthy than some other Group Ninja venture. It’s a cliche at this level, however sure, this method is just like Elden Ring’s – or and even Sekiro’s.
You possibly can’t crouch, however you possibly can slowly stroll and shock enemies. Relying in your energy, you could not outright kill them, however a sneak assault will deal important injury nonetheless. For those who’re severe about being stealthy, you possibly can additional spec right into a stat that may make it more durable for enemies to note you.
You possibly can really feel the consequences in actual time, too, seeing how lengthy the alert bar above impartial enemies fills up as you method them. Although it is a pre-release construct, I’ve seen just a few cases the place I ought to clearly be seen by an enemy, however my excessive stealth stat was stopping them from noticing.
It’s humorous, however it’s definitely a path you may go down if you would like. Afterward, you’ll achieve entry to spells that may make you totally invisible to enemies. Identical to Nioh, these are extremely helpful if it’s worthwhile to return to the place you died with out having to undergo each grunt on the way in which, or by permitting you to rapidly merely skip to a sure a part of the extent (comparable to a boss struggle) rapidly with little resistance.
With AI companions, a variety of stealth choices, and the design of the degrees themselves, I can see many extra gamers discovering it simpler to navigate Wo Lengthy than some other Souls-like.
That is nonetheless a difficult recreation, and a few might not keep it up due to that, however these prepared to fulfill it half-way and make investments a little bit of time to be taught the intricacies of its gameplay will likely be rewarded with satisfying fight and the all-too-important feeling of cool.
Wo Lengthy: Fallen Dynasty is out March 3 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Collection X/S.
