The Soulslike genre is still going strong in the 2020s with big hits likeNioh 2andElden Ring. WithHollow Knight: Silksongover the horizon and plenty more indies to sift through, the format pioneered in FromSoftware’sDemon’s Soulscontinues to please a growing community. FromSoftware itself may be taking a break from the Souls formula ifArmored Corerumors prove true, butBloodbornefans remain hopeful that Sony will do something with one of the developer’s most popular titles. Meanwhile, after success with theNiohseries and some further experimentation inStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Team Ninja is moving on toWo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Details on this project are scarce so far, but it is expected to continue the studio’s Soulslike streak initiated byNioh.Wo Long: Fallen Dynastytakes place in theRomance of the Three Kingdomssettingalso drawn upon heavily by Koei Tecmo’sDynasty Warriors. LikeNioh,Wo Long: Fallen Dynastytakes place during real, if embellished, historical events infused with demons and various other supernatural elements.Bloodborneproducer Masaaki Yamagiwa has teamed up with Fumihiko Yasuda, the producer ofNioh, to work on this game, and links to their previous work are apparent.
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Similarities Between Wo Long and Bloodborne
One of the first comparison points one can draw betweenWo Long: Fallen DynastyandBloodborneare how they relate to their developers' previous games.Bloodbornewas a somewhat experimental title that came after the first twoDark Soulsgames. It shifted the setting from a dark medieval fantasy toward one ofgaming’s most successful gothic and lovecraftian horror locales. Comparably,Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyis moving from Japan’s Sengoku period to the Han Dynasty that inspiredRomance of the Three Kingdoms.NiohandFallen Dynastyare a lot more visually comparable, but the shift is still there.
The same may be said for its gameplay. Players do not have a full picture of what regular combat and progression will look like inWo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but chances are good that it’s still a Soulslike.Bloodbornewas the same way, but it was the pioneer of FromSoft’s faster Souls combat. Aggression was encouraged through the health-restoring Rally mechanic, and players could keep offense up by switching between two weapon forms at any time. It sounds likeWo LongwillupgradeNioh’s three stancesand sheathed state to five fighting styles, and some sort of morale mechanic involves defeating stronger enemies.Wo Longcould set the pace for Team Ninja’s future Soulslike offerings.
How Wo Long and Bloodborne Contrast
Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyhas various traits common among Soulslike titles. The game stars a nameless militia soldier, possibly a custom character, who is referred to as Wo Long - or a crouching dragon. Much like the Good Hunter andmany Chosen Undead before them, this soldier is a nobody who will rise to greatness. To do this, they must fight through hordes of soldiers, madmen, monsters, and combinations of the three.
Little else is known aboutWo Long: Fallen Dynasty, so further comparisons toBloodbornewill have to wait. The game’s settings are both quite different, asBloodborne’s humans have almost all fallen prey to mutation ormadness at the hands of the Great Ones.Fallen Dynasty, meanwhile, takes place in an important period of political maneuvering in China. For as much chaos as the demons will bring, fighting mortals will be just as important - and possibly even more dangerous. Regardless, those looking for their next Soulslike fix should keep an eye onWo Long: Fallen Dynastyas it continues marching towards release next year.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynastywill be released in early 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
