Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty release date, pre-order, gameplay, and more
Everything you need to know ahead of the Wo Long release date
What is Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty? If you've looked ahead at all at the upcoming PC games releasing this year, you may have heard about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - an upcoming soulslike action-RPG by Team Ninja, creators of Nioh and the Ninja Gaiden and Dead Or Alive series. We've kept a close eye on Wo Long since its announcement back in June 2022, and its giant boss battles and Three Kingdoms-era fantasy China setting have got a lot of people interested in whether this particular RPG might set itself from the pack and become one of the surprise hits of 2023.
If you want to be caught up on all the latest Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty news and information, then you're in the right place. Below we'll walk you through the Wo Long release date, platforms, and pre-order details, before delving further into the game itself with details on the game's story, setting, and gameplay.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty release date
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will release on March 3rd, 2023, where it will arrive simultaneously on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. That makes it one of the ever-increasingly exclusive group of games that has managed to stick to its original release window, without requiring any delays.
Is Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty on Game Pass?
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will launch day one on Xbox Game Pass. So anyone who owns a subscription to the Xbox Game Pass service will be able to play Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty the moment it releases, without having to spend any money specifically on buying the game.
Wo Long pre-order and editions
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is available for pre-order right now. There are two editions to choose from:
- Standard Edition: £55 / $60 / €70 (Base Game)
- Deluxe Edition: £75 / $85 / €95 (Base Game + Mini Soundtrack, Art Book, Season Pass)
Pre-ordering either of these editions of Wo Long will earn you the cosmetic Zhuque Armor in-game. You can also earn the Baihu Armor either by pre-ordering or by purchasing either edition by March 16th 2023.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty trailer
Above is the latest Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty trailer, which comprises 10 minutes of exclusive new gameplay as part of IGN First's exclusive look at the game. We see the player facing off against numerous big red exploding hedgehogs and a big rock-throwing lizard boss.
Another trailer is shown below, showcasing gameplay tips from the developers. For more trailers, check out the Team Ninja YouTube channel.
Wo Long gameplay details
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a soulslike action-RPG set in Three Kingdoms China. Players familiar with soulslike games - Sekiro in particular, as well as Ninja Theory's own Nioh series - will have a decent idea of what the core gameplay loop will entail. Combat is based on Chinese martial arts, and at the beginning of the game players can choose one of five "phases" or combat styles to specialise in. Much like Sekiro, there is a Parry/Deflect system, and both you and your enemies have a Spirit meter (Wo Long's equivalent to Sekiro's posture bars) which you can deplete independently of health in order to activate one-hit-kill Fatal Strike attacks.
The player and their enemies also have a Morale Rank, which acts as an indicator of how challenging a fight will be. You can increase your Morale Rank faster by defeating enemies with a higher Morale Rank than you. But using a Fatal Strike on an enemy, either through Stealth or through prioritising Spirit over Health, will lower that enemy's Morale Rank - meaning you earn less Morale through defeating them. As the game website says, "Do you choose to become stronger by overcoming adversity, or by carefully attacking enemies? Players can choose their own path and style of battling."
Wo Long's gameplay deviates further from Sekiro and other soulslikes with the addition of Qi. This is similar to the Ki system in Nioh which acts as your stamina bar, but in Wo Long, you must be aggressive in order to generate Qi. As you attack more, you'll earn Qi, and as you defend, you'll deplete Qi. Qi is required to activate some of your more powerful attacks and spells, so the system heavily encourages you to be aggressive and unrelenting with your fights.
The player in Wo Long can make use of both melee and ranged weapons, as well as magical attacks and spells that make use of Qi. One type of spell you can cast is the summoning of various Divine Beasts, powerful spirit creatures that can aid you in battle for a short time. Zhuque the Phoenix, Baihu the Tiger, and Xuanhu the Turtle are all Divine Beasts that can be called upon, according to the game's website.
Wo Long story and setting
Wo Long is set in a dark fantasy world based on the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history - a bloody period of warring between the states of Wei, Han, and Wu. The actual Three Kingdoms era lasted from 220-280 AD, but Wo Long is set a short while before this, in 184 AD.
The player will encounter various legendary warriors and figures from the Three Kingdoms era, including Lu Bu, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Zhao Yun. But Wo Long's story is not entirely rooted in history, and the main enemies you'll face throughout the game are spiritual or demonic in nature. Demons have invaded the Three Kingdoms and thrown the land into utter chaos, and it is the goal of the player and the unnamed protagonist to find a way to restore order.
It's worth mentioning too the origin of the game's name, according to the Steam page:
Wo Long refers to a crouching dragon, and also refers to a hero or person of greatness who is not yet known. This is the story of officers, who will later become heroes, during their ‘unknown’ period, and also the story of a protagonist’s rise from being a ‘nobody’.
Is Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty multiplayer?
Producer Fumihiko Yasuda confirmed in an interview with IGN that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will include a multiplayer component in the form of co-op, similar to Team Ninja's other game, Nioh.
From gameplay captured by Video Game Loop, it looks like the player can call upon either NPCs or real-life players to join them in taking down a particular enemy or completing a particular area. They can do this by interacting with a Battle Flag (Wo Long's version of Bonfires from Souls games) and expending a currency called Tiger Seals to summon their chosen allies.
That's just about everything that we know about the upcoming Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but be sure to check back as the release date draws ever closer for all the latest information on Team Ninja's new dark fantasy Soulslike!