Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (Japanese: ウォーロン フォールン ダイナスティ) is a historical fantasy action role-playing video game created by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo. It was released on March 3, 2023, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
The game is set during an imagined version of the fall of the Han Dynasty, just before the Three Kingdoms period. The story follows an unnamed main character who fights historical figures and Chinese mythological creatures that have been corrupted by demonic qi. The game received mostly positive reviews, with praise for its combat system. By April 2023, it had sold more than 1 million copies.
Gameplay
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an action role-playing game. At the start, players can create and personalize their character and choose one of five "phases." The game allows two types of close-range attacks. To win battles, players must block enemy attacks with their melee weapons, which helps them find chances to strike back. Each enemy has a "Morale rank," a number that shows how hard the fight will be. Stronger enemies give better rewards. When players attack enemies up close, their spirit gauge fills over time. Once full, players can use "spirit attacks" to perform special moves or cast elemental spells. Players can also select one of five "Divine Beasts" — Qilin, Baihu, Qinglong, Zhuque, and Xuanwu. These creatures can help during battles or give players extra benefits through "Divine Beast Resonance."
Like Nioh, the game follows a mostly set path. As players progress, they will find "Battle Flags" around the world. These flags let players save their progress or use "Genuine Qi," the game's type of experience points, to improve their character and unlock new skills. Unlike Nioh, Wo Long includes a jump button, which makes exploring and fighting easier. The game also has a cooperative multiplayer mode, where players can invite a friend to join them in battles.
Story
In 184 CE, the Yellow Turban Rebellion begins in China, led by the three Zhang brothers. They use a powerful Elixir given to them by a mysterious Taoist named Yu Ji to fight against the ruling Han dynasty. During a rebel attack on a village, the unnamed protagonist, a soldier in a local militia, saves a blindfolded boy from rebels. Both escape using the boy’s magic but are stopped by Zhang Liang, one of the Zhang brothers. The protagonist defeats Liang in battle. After Liang’s death, Yu Ji appears and captures the boy, who is revealed to be Yinglong, a dragon deity. Yu Ji takes control of the dragon and escapes. The protagonist decides to find the other Zhang brothers to rescue the boy.
While exploring nearby mountains, the protagonist teams up with a militiaman named Zhao Yun. Together, they fight Zhang Bao, the second rebel leader, and save Hong Jing, a young sorceress searching for her missing brother. Later, the protagonist and Hong Jing meet Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, three famous oath brothers who help them defeat Bao. Through these brothers, the protagonist joins the armies of Cao Cao and Sun Jian, two Han generals fighting the rebellion. Cao Cao’s forces find Zhang Jiao, the final rebel leader, in a temple turned fortress. The protagonist kills Jiao after he uses the Elixir to become a demon.
The protagonist and Hong Jing travel to Hong Jing’s mountain village, where they rescue her mentor, Zuo Ci, from a demon. Using Zuo Ci’s magic, they learn the Yellow Turban leaders were working with Zhang Rang, a eunuch minister who wanted to cause chaos to gain power. The protagonist, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shao, a friend of Cao Cao, infiltrate Zhang Rang’s palace and kill him. Rang uses dark magic to clone himself but is later killed by his ally, Dong Zhuo, who takes the Elixir.
Dong Zhuo uses the Elixir and demons to raise an army, capturing the Imperial Capital and taking the Emperor hostage. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao form a coalition to fight Dong Zhuo. During the battle, the protagonist fights Dong Zhuo’s general, Lu Bu, but fails to kill him. Hong Jing later recognizes Lu Bu as her lost brother. After driving Dong Zhuo from the capital, most coalition members abandon their mission, but Yuan Shao believes Dong Zhuo still needs to be punished. Meanwhile, Yu Ji’s influence causes Sun Jian, a general, to be transformed into a demon and killed by the protagonist. This leads Sun Jian’s sons, Sun Ce and Sun Quan, to seek revenge.
Hong Jing disguises herself as a dancer named Diao Chan to infiltrate Dong Zhuo’s fortress and help the protagonist. She also tries to contact her brother, Lu Bu. The protagonist fights Dong Zhuo in his throne room, wounding him. Dong Zhuo attempts to turn Hong Jing into a demon but is killed by Lu Bu, who wants to protect his sister. Lu Bu takes the Elixir and leads Dong Zhuo’s former army to war against Cao Cao. Despite multiple defeats, Lu Bu never uses the Elixir. When cornered, Lu Bu attacks Yu Ji, who turns him into a demon. The protagonist and Hong Jing kill Lu Bu to stop his rampage.
Yuan Shao, believing Cao Cao wants power, steals the Elixir and captures Liu Bei. Sun Ce is later killed by Yu Ji. The protagonist, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei rescue Liu Bei after Yu Ji turns him into a demon. Cao Cao and Liu Bei fight Yuan Shao in Guandu, where Yuan Shao uses the Elixir to become a demon but is defeated. Yuan Shao apologizes to Cao Cao before dying.
Yu Ji attacks the protagonist, revealing his plan to use war to create a demon of pure dark magic to control the country. After Yu Ji is fatally wounded, he sacrifices his body to become a demon. The protagonist defeats Yu Ji, restoring Yinglong, the dragon deity, to his human form as the blindfolded boy. The protagonist takes the boy back to the village where they first met, hoping the boy’s magic will awaken him. However, the boy is possessed by Yu Ji, who now controls Yinglong’s power. The protagonist defeats Yu Ji again, freeing the boy. Yinglong’s spirit destroys Yu Ji for good.
With peace restored, the protagonist takes the boy to Hong Jing’s mountain village to live in peace. Years later, the protagonist and Hong Jing prepare to travel again after sensing the Elixir being used for dark magic. The boy, revealed to be Zhuge Liang, says goodbye with a smile. After they leave, he sees visions of future wars between the Three Kingdoms, which will be ruled by Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan.
Development
On October 26, 2021, during a live event celebrating the 40th anniversary of Koei Tecmo's president and CEO Kou Shibusawa's career, it was announced that Team Ninja was developing a new action game based on Luo Guanzhong's 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The game was officially revealed on June 12, 2022, at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 event. It was scheduled for release on Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions announced shortly after.
Development of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty began about two years before its official reveal. The project is led by Team Ninja president Fumihiko Yasuda, who directed Nioh (2017) and its 2020 sequel, and producer Masaaki Yamagiwa, known for working on Tokyo Jungle and Bloodborne. Yamagiwa joined Team Ninja in mid-2021 after leaving Sony's Japan Studio, which had closed several months earlier. Like Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is set during real historical events but includes supernatural elements from folklore and mythology. The game was developed using Koei Tecmo's engine called "Katana Engine."
In October 2022, it was announced that the game would be released on March 3, 2023.
Reception
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty received "generally positive" reviews, according to Metacritic, a website that collects game reviews. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 36 out of 40, with each critic giving it a 9 out of 10.
Polygon praised the game’s morale system, noting that it helps players predict how difficult a match might be without needing to die multiple times in random battles. Rock Paper Shotgun said the system made the game’s complex features easier to manage, turning the process of completing missions into something enjoyable rather than overwhelming. Eurogamer appreciated the game’s setting but criticized its loot system, which it described as a leftover feature from another game called Nioh. The PC version of the game faced complaints about poor performance and problems with mouse controls.
The PlayStation 5 version of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty was the second most sold retail game in Japan during its first week of release, selling 30,132 physical copies. The PlayStation 4 version was the sixteenth most sold retail game in Japan during the same week, selling 17,699 physical copies.
By April 2023, the game had sold more than 1 million units.