Is Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty on Xbox Game Pass?

Is Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty worth playing?

As long as you’re up for a serious challenge, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is absolutely worth checking out. It was developed by Team Ninja, the studio behind the fan-favorite Nioh series that featured calculated and methodical melee combat. Nioh and its sequel, Nioh 2, are a lot like the Dark Souls games in this regard, though as I explained in my full Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty review, the new title is a lot closer to FromSoftware’s faster and more offense-focused Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Indeed, aggression is the name of the game in Wo Long, as the game’s dynamic Spirit Gauge mechanic punishes you for turtling up by leaving you defenseless if you block too many strikes. You need to take advantage of every opportunity you get to go on offense and wear down your opponent’s Spirit Gauge while raising your own, deflecting their own attacks with well-timed parries. The mechanics are tough to get used to, especially in the game’s boss fights. Once you do, though, you’ll fall in love with Wo Long’s combat rhythm — especially since all the extra Spirit you build up while fighting can be used to perform powerful magic spells, useful weapon and character buffs, unblockable weapon combos called Martial Arts, and more.

Wo Long also has a unique Morale Rank mechanic that encourages players to explore, as in each of the game’s missions, you can get a health and damage advantage over enemies by roaming the level, defeating enemies, and activating Battle and Marking Flag checkpoints. While you don’t need to have a higher Morale than your opponents to defeat them, raising it is a great way to make things a little easier on yourself. Stealthy approaches are also very rewarding, as if you manage to sneak up on an enemy from behind or above, you can land a free critical hit that does tons of damage and lowers their Morale Rank.