When “Team Ninja” flashed across the screen during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, I imagined we were about to hear more about its action franchise, Nioh. As it turns out, I was partially correct. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an action game with fantasy elements, coming to PC from the Nioh producer. Fumihiko Yasuda, who worked on Nioh, is teaming up with Team Ninja as well as Masaaki Yamagiwa, the lead producer of Bloodborne. It’s quite the merry band, and it leads me to believe Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will be a game worth watching for fans of action.
At first blush, I harkened Wo Long to be something similar to Dynasty Warriors. But with the producers of two of the finest action games in history on board, that might not be the case. But the setting should be similar (I see you, Lu Bu). According to a post on Xbox Wire, Wo Long follows the journey of a nameless soldier in the “Later Han Dynasty where demons plague the Three Kingdoms.” However, while Dynasty Warriors was loosely based on actual history, Wo Long changes things up with a dark fantasy twist.
Wo Long pits you not just against humans, but demons. Enemies are taken out using “swordplay based on the Chinese martial arts.” There are also special powers in the game, shown briefly in the accompanying announcement trailer.
Like Nioh, but darker?
Sadly, we don’t know what kind of game we’re getting with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Our unnamed soldier is seen fighting both hordes of enemies, as well as facing off against some corrupted-looking dragon. Will it be like Nioh? Dynasty Warriors? It’s tough to say, but I imagine the truth may lie somewhere in the middle. With Yasuda and Yamagiwa on board, though, I bet it’ll end up being exciting and challenging either way.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is coming to PC in 2023, and it’ll be a day one launch for Game Pass.
