Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Review — Kung-Fu Meets Dark Souls

Despite hating the genre-allocating term of ‘Souls-like’, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is one of the more interesting ‘Souls-like’ games out there at the moment. It’s got that more precise and tactical action combat, the grotesque creatures, a harder difficulty, and die-and-try approach. But, in the same breath, it’s also a lot more accessible, faster, and has a martial arts-inspired fighting system that makes Wo Long stand out from the dark fantasy crowd.

The action RPG is set in 184 AD, Later Han Dynasty China, and follows the story of a nameless militia soldier fighting for survival in a dark, alternate interpretation of the period, where demons plague the Three Kingdoms. Having hints of historical context to the game, despite it being fictitious, does add a bit more lore and weight to the world, which is a welcome change to having something more grounded in this genre; and fans of old-school Chinese folklore will love the way a lot of fantastical elements have been weaved within the story and environments.

Where newcomers to the often-punishing genre will be less overwhelmed (in addition to the more forgiving combat) is how Wo Long also structures its world and progression. Instead of a massive interweaving open-world, you get more linear levels that are separated from one another, and end with a notable boss battle. So, instead of stumbling into an extremely overpowered enemy or boss (as in other similar games in the genre), Wo Long helps you along the way by taking on increasingly tougher enemies, and giving you the opportunity to boost your morale and fortitude.

You see, when you start a main mission in Wo Long, you start with a fortitude rank of zero, along with most of the enemies. However, every time you kill or stealth kill an enemy, you’ll get a fortitude boost, making you stronger. But, you can also jump up fortitude ranks by two different flag types: battle flags and smaller flags. Battle flags are the ones you respawn from and rest at, and will give you between one and three fortitude ranks; while smaller flags are in more hidden and obscure areas, which can upgrade you by three whole ranks.

This system, therefore, encourages you to take your time, be tactful and consistent in combat, and explore, as the more you explore and find flags, the stronger you’ll be when you meet the boss at the end of the level. It’s a clever and interesting way to manage RPG-ing and avoids having too many menus and item-tinkering to get the better of your enemies.

The combat itself gives you some tricks up your sleeve too, as parrying plays a huge role in the moment-to-moment action. While you can block, dodge, and evade attacks, a successful parry can help you deliver some devastating shots to your enemies, which become more and more important as you progress through the game. The parry moves are also a spectacle to watch, and throw in some elemental and magic attacks attached to different weapons, and Wo Long gives you quite the arsenal to dispatch of the gnarly-looking monsters, demons, and human enemies.

This visual flair in combat is appreciated and does standout against a rather bland world. Thankfully, the boss battle arenas are spectacular, and the variety and creativity of the enemy designs is really impressive, giving you more than enough to gawk at during its 30-hour playthrough.

Overall, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a solid and unique addition to a genre overdue for a shake-up. If you want a bit of a challenge but don’t want to pull your hair out, and love the idea of meticulously fighting crazy creatures in ancient China, Wo Long is worth a play.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, and PC.