2023 has begun with a bang for the gaming world. The roster includes many promising games to take the gamers with a lot of excitement. Social media platforms and public forums are full of discussions surrounding the top games that are set to release this year.
If you have looked ahead at all the upcoming PC games released this year, you may have heard about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. It is an upcoming soulslike action RPG by Team Ninja, creators of Nioh and the Ninja Gainden and Dead or Alive series. Since its first announcement in June 2022, the game has created quite a rage among fans. Its giant boss battles and the Three Kingdoms-era fantasy China setting have made many people excited and curious about whether this particular RPG might set itself from the pack and become one of the biggest surprise hits of this year.
The following article shares all the relevant details about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Read till the end to find out its release date and other important information.
What is Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty all About?
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is the latest action game from Team Ninja and is set in China in 184 AD. The combat system is based on Chinese Martial Arts, paying attention to graceful movement and deflection. According to the game developer, it is their most challenging creation ever.
Wo Long has been published by Koei Tecmo and is developed by Team Ninja, a studio that has gathered quite a bit of experience in the Souls-like category. These days, the developer has become extremely renowned for the Nioh games. But this was not it. Earlier, Team Ninja created many other leading games, including Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin and Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. The company is also the studio behind the long-running Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series.
In short, Team Ninja has quite the pedigree in creating action games with promising details, the upcoming Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty included.
What is the Release Date of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty?
The game is set to release on the 3rd of March, 2023. The game is releasing on many platforms altogether – PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. If you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you can look forward to the title hitting the subscription service on day one.
Reportedly, Team Ninja might be working with Microsoft to get other titles on Xbox consoles to make this game available for the players at large.
What is the Setting and Story of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty?
As stated, the game is set in China during 184 AD, right before the fall of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty also features several iconic figures of the period, such as Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, and Lu Bu. But if you think the crux of this game is the average retelling of ancient Chinese history, think again.
According to the game developer, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a dark fantasy game where the players must ward off ancient demons and fight for survival. The gamer developer also elaborated on the name of this game, revealing a fair share of information about Wo Long’s story in the process. It states:
“Wo Long refers to a crouching dragon, which also refers to a hero or person of greatness who is not yet known. It is the story of officers, who will later become heroes during their ‘unknown’ period, and the story of a protagonist’s rise from being a ‘nobody’.”
What is the Gameplay All About?
Coming to the gameplay of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, the players will be given the chance to fully customize not only how their character appears on the screen but also how they control it. After creating a character, they will get the option to select one of the five phases or combat styles. These ultimately dictate a character’s stats, beginning spells, and what divine beat will aid them. Besides this, the players will also have free rein to select the weapon they would like to use from an extensive display, including sabres, glaives, swords, and more.
The core of this gameplay is its morale system, indicating the strength of your characters and opponents. By defeating enemies with a higher morale rank than your character, your own morale will increase faster, and more valuable items will be dropped. But, taking on enemies with higher morale ranks is not as easy as it appears. While Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a linear game and lacks an open world, this mechanic does give you some liberty in your approach to the game.
Whether you want to skilfully take down large enemies for massive rewards or grind out Genuine Qi, the game’s form of experience, to level up and unlock new abilities, both have their own sweet merits.
Throughout the gameplay, the combat will be based on traditional martial arts. Just like Sekiro’s posture system, the enemies will have spirit meters that would indicate their level of agitation, with attacks and perfect parries being the quickest way to make it rise and open your opponents up for a fatal strike.
According to a famous game critic:
“The speedy gameplay, the variety of attack options, and the push-and-pull nature of the spirit system make Wo Long feel like a fresh spin on Souls-like games. It captures the difficulty and skill players like about the genre while pushing a different kind of action game feel, one more akin to some of Team Ninja’s other titles. Though we haven’t seen all of Wo Long in action yet, Team Ninja’s demo does a great job of giving a snapshot of a tough game that starts at the same place as other Souls-likes and goes in an exciting new direction.”
This statement has already made gamers excited on so many levels.
Will Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty be a Multiplayer Game?
Yes. According to the developers, they will be releasing this game in a multiplayer format. Though the game might not have difficulty settings, the multiplayer option will act like a silver lining, where you can call your friend during tough battles and get their help to fight with your enemies and vice versa.
Can I Watch the Trailer for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty?
Yes. The internet is flooded with clips of the upcoming game, which gives the players a sense of what to expect from Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. In the clip, you will spot the fall of what is presumably the Han dynasty at the hands of a demonic army, followed by the hero’s call to fight.
There is another video to give you a deeper look into how Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty plays as you run through fifteen minutes of its demo. The most recent trailer of the game was released in December 2023, and it gives you a closer look at some of the characters, bosses, and vibrant locations that the game is set in. Besides this, you can also catch a glimpse of armor sets included in all the preorders.
How Can I Preorder Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty?
While the release date of this game is nearing, you can preorder it. The developers have currently made it available to preorder digitally through the PlayStation store, Steam, and the Microsoft store. Besides this, you can also reserve a physical copy of the game through the platforms like Best Buy, GameStop, and Amazon.
There are two different versions of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty available to preorder – Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition. If preordered, these versions come with the Baihu and Zhuque armor sets. The Deluxe Edition is superior and includes a digital art book, the game’s season pass, and a digital mini soundtrack, complete with the Qinglong armor set.
Preorder and make it yours now!
