Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

"Distilled from the composite parts of developer Team Ninja&s;s prior efforts, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty opts to delve deep into the fundamentals of high-stakes combat and delivers a pulse-pumping experience that rewards anyone willing to step up to the plate."

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a fast, focused, and compelling game that is sure to challenge fans of soulslikes, but it does feel uneven at times."

"Team Ninja shows its best side. In Wo Long there are still some of its common problems, but the result is a remarkable Soulslike."

"Team Ninja evolves Nioh&s;s formula in a Three Kingdoms-era action RPG where allies, flags, and stealth make its brutal challenges more manageable than ever."

"Wo Long has an addicting combat system, but also troubles in finding the right balance: the new RPG from Team Ninja leans too much in the player&s;s favor, while reducing the sense of challenge."

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is much more than "Team Ninja&s;s Sekiro": the parry is a core mechanic, yes, but so are its ingenious skill system and the way it invites us to explore. If we combine these ideas with the …"

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is the fastest and flashiest game from Team Ninja yet, featuring awesome offense-focused melee combat with some distinctive twists. I&s;d have liked some slower storytelling and more unique pieces of loot, but overall, this is a …"

"A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won&s;t cause massive damage."

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a dark fantasy take on the Three Kingdoms. The difficulty is high, almost seeming insurmountable at first, but part of what makes Wo Long great is how the difficulty isn&s;t unfair."

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an excellent action game, and a tightly-focused, well-executed example of why Team Ninja is often mentioned in the same breath as FromSoftware. Razor-sharp combat that wields the power of momentum with deft ease, supported by …"

"In Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Team Ninja flexes its twenty years of experience designing action RPGs. Combat is beautifully layered, and it feels satisfying to pull off difficult maneuvers and topple overpowered foes. The world itself is filled with interesting …"

"But even as its second half failed to match what came earlier, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a finely honed delight. Its action is precise and responsive, and learning the intricacies of each adversary is exceedingly fulfilling. While I wish …"

"The best way to describe how Wo Long feels is if you combined the visuals and swordplay of the Dynasty Warriors and Nioh games with a pinch of Sekiro. What then happens is that you have a game that is …"

"With its Three Kingdoms setting, fast-paced combat centered on the Deflection mechanics, improved level design, and renewed focus on action gameplay mechanics, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is another solid action role-playing game by Team NINJA that all fans of the …"

"Wo Long is a well-packaged, fun and satisfying soulslike in execution, however there is a general laziness, a lack of novelty together with assets and skins taken from Nioh, together with a game balance that manages to work only in …"

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a thoughtfully constructed Soulslike that makes thoughtful use of its Chinese setting."

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a solid foundation for a new IP with fluid combat and fun exploration but fails to topple its spiritual predecessor due to oversimplification of customization and a lackluster PC port."

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is, at best, a serviceable Souls-like. If you enjoy Nioh and Sekiro, it’s a fun bit of filler, but it’s derivative and bloated, serving as a highlight reel of previous Souls-likes while missing the point of …"

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is nearly always a rush to play, and even when you&s;re getting pummelled, it still feels as though you could overcome the fight if you just learned the attack patterns a little better, or maybe just …"

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a challenging romp through a dark fantasy version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and works well as a Soulslite. Each level is a bite-sized Souls experience to be conquered and moved past. The tight, …"

"Wo Long sees Team Ninja build on the core quality of the Nioh games. Its new systems, from the spirit gauge to morale levels within each stage feel well-considered and tightly honed to encourage exploration and bold, expressive fighting styles. …"

"More of a side-step than an evolution from Nioh 2, Wo Long is inventive and an adventure worth taking even if it’s technically suspect on PS5, but won’t live massively long in the memory once you’ve slain your final boss."

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is almost great. Its unfair difficulty is its most substantial flaw, but this is something that could be tweaked in an update. Exploring the world is an immense amount of fun, its controls and movement are …"

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an excellent action RPG that offers an even more hardcore take on the increasingly popular Soulslike formula. It&s;s fast, frenetic, and hits like a truck, with one of the most mesmeric combat systems we&s;ve ever …"

"The Nioh series has already contended with some or all of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s quibbles, so veterans may not be the least bit dissuaded at the similar missteps made here. They’ll find tons of items to pore through and …"

"Wo Long has a wonderful rhythm and flow to it, and it always feels great to deftly deflect your way through a relentless barrage of blows, wearing down your enemy before breaking their resolve and landing that fatal blow. It&s;s …"

"Like Sekiro and Team NINJA’s Nioh games, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty demands a lot from the player, specifically persistence, creativity and let’s be honest, decent timing and reflexes. In lots of key areas it’s a pretty traditional Soulslike, with all …"

"A hair-pullingly difficult journey through zombie-infested ancient China that left me Crushingly Defeated.DualShockers was provided with a copy of the game for review purposes."

"Head into Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty with the right frame of mind and you&s;ll find an enjoyable adventure that refuses to pull its punches."

"Familiar issues with storytelling and loot aside, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is another great entry in Team Ninja&s;s growing collection of action RPGs that features some of the best combat in the soulslike genre, even though those battles start to …"

"Wo Long has stylish, parry-heavy combat and a more approachable challenge than most Souls-like games, but difficulty spikes may prove to be a barrier."

"Technical issues aside, Wo Long is a master of its craft that future soulslikes should study under."

"While it features some interesting new ideas and a stunning new setting, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty fails to live up to the brilliance of Nioh and Nioh 2. A lot of effort has gone into developing the game’s spirit and …"

"Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an engrossing, dense, and hard-fought slog, but nevertheless a slog weighed down by some heavy recycling and inconsistent difficulty."