KOEI TECMO Europe and famed developer Team NINJA (Nioh, Ninja Gaiden), officially announced Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty as part of the Xbox & Bethesda showcase earlier this month. Despite being a big feature of the presentation, the game has seemed to slip by many. It really shouldn’t, however, as there are many reasons you should be excited for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Before we dive into the thick of it, we should confirm that the game is in fact coming to multiple formats. Despite being announced in an Xbox showcase, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. As stated during the showcase, the game will launch in early 2023 and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play from day one.
Team NINJA are Leading on Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Team NINJA has a fantastic reputation for action games. Having cut their teeth on the often underappreciated Dead or Alive series, the studio recently gained many new fans with Nioh and Nioh 2. And that’s not event to mention the Ninja Gaiden series or the recently released Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. The studio has also contributed to the acclaimed Warriors franchise, with Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors. Put simply, if you’re looking for combat action Team NINJA is one of the finest studios in the biz.
Ninja Gaiden in particularly demonstrates the studio’s passion for eccentricity. Given that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is billed as a ‘supernatural Three Kingdoms thriller’, you’d be hard pressed to think of a studio better fit to deliver some blockbuster battles.
Except Maybe FromSoftware…
An entirely different kind of game design. Yet, FromSoftware have too proven an ability to deliver epic battles of one man versus enormous beasts. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a joint creation from Team NINJA producers Fumihiko Yasuda (Nioh) and Masaaki Yamagiwa (Bloodborne), the latter of which is one of the most highly acclaimed FromSoftware titles to date.
Even if Elden Ring didn’t quite grab your interest, there’s no denying that the game offers some astounding action sequences. Coupling Team NINJA’s penchant for challenging-yet-fair arcade style combat with FromSoftware’s epic boss design is surely an easy win.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is Set in the Three Kingdoms Era
Despite all this talk about the supernatural, the story is grounded by a tale as old as time. The plot sees a nameless militia soldier fighting for survival. Set in a dark fantasy version of the Later Han Dynasty, demons plague the Three Kingdoms. Players will fight off deadly creatures and enemy soldiers using swordplay based on the Chinese martial arts.
At this point you might be drawing comparisons to the Warriors Orochi series. While justified on paper, the reality is that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty looks set to take a much more direct approach. You won’t be battling endless fields of nameless foes. The game is promising a much tighter construct, wherein you as a player will have a role to play that goes deeper than simply ‘kill everyone to win’. At least, that’s what we hope.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Release Date
The game is currently in development for the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC. As stated above, it’s already confirmed for Game Pass day one when it releases in early 2023. That’s for both PC and Xbox consoles. There’s currently no word on whether there are any plans to join the recently relaunched PlayStation Plus service. However, in our minds, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty looks set to be a game worth investing in either way.
What are your thoughts on Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty? Are you happy it’s coming to Game Pass? Would you be buying the game either way? Let us know in the comments below!
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