Summary
The release ofWo Long: Fallen Dynastyrepresents the culmination of Team Ninja’s combined experience over the last several years crafting compelling Soulslikes, taking ideas from each of its previous attempts (bothNiohgames,Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin) to craft what is perhaps the company’s best Soulslike to-date. While the trailers for Team Ninja’s latest title, this year’sRise of the Ronin, indicate that the game has plenty of the studio’s trademarks intact, what’s not known is whether the title is another Soulslike in the same vein asWo Long. With four excellent Soulslikes that have carved out their own specific niche within the genre, it’s time for Team Ninja’s flagship franchise to make a return. Players need aNinja GaidenSoulslike.
The last official game in theNinja Gaidenfranchise was 2012’sNinja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, and since then, the series has essentially been limited to ports and remasters of the first two games in the series' now-classic character-action revival. Not only istheNinja Gaidenfranchisea perfect fit for the Soulslike genre, but it shares so much DNA with bothWo LongandNiohthat it would practically be a no-brainer for Team Ninja to revive the franchise. Many comparedWo Longto Team Ninja’s attempt at craftingSekiro, but aNinja GaidenSoulslike could take that premise to its logical conclusion.
Ninja Gaiden Might Be the Perfect IP for a Parry-Heavy Soulslike
Every game in the Soulsborne/Soulslike subgenre of Action-RPGs tends to feature a parry mechanic that rewards players for deflecting enemy attacks just before they land, but few games revolve their entire gameplay around it in the same way that bothFromSoftware’sSekiroand Team Ninja’sWo Longdo. In both of these titles, the player is essentially locked into a very specific playstyle where they must learn the correct observational and reactionary technique to counter the different possible attack types that come their way, and mastering the timing for the parry window is a must if players hope to see the end credits.
Interestingly,Ninja Gaiden’s character-action trilogy from the 6th and 7th console generations also featured a parry mechanic long before they became commonplace in action games. Just last year there were several games released that incorporated an unexpected parry mechanic where their respective franchises otherwise wouldn’t normally feature one, withResident Evil 4’s remakebeing the primary game that comes to mind. Now that players are more used to the idea of parrying enemy attacks and Team Ninja has already made a game with parrying as the central focus, the prospect of aSekiro-like purely focused on intricate swordplay and nuanced combat in theNinja Gaidenuniverse sounds like a dream match-up.
Wo Long Carries the Spirit of 2004’s Ninja Gaiden in its Opening Moments
Much liketheNinja Gaidenreboot from 2004(which would later re-release as bothNinja Gaiden BlackandNinja Gaiden Sigma),Wo Longdrops players right into the heat of battle in the game’s introductory tutorial. After working their way through several different combat scenarios that teach players the primary mechanics at work inWo Long’s gameplay, players make their way to a devastatingly brutal tutorial boss that acts as a true trial-by-fire. It’s hard not to immediately draw comparisons toNinja Gaiden’s notorious battle against Master Murai and his skill-checking tutorial boss battle.
Beyond these comparisons,Wo Long’s inclusion of human AI companions, a mix of natural and supernatural threats, and show-stopping boss battles that push player skill to its absolute limit all combine to beg the question as to why Team Ninja has yet to reviveNinja Gaidenas a Soulslike. All the requisite elements are there, and the recentrelease ofNinja Gaiden: Master Collectionshows that both fans and Koei Tecmo still have interest in the franchise. Perhaps afterRise of the Ronin,Team Ninja has a surprise in store for fans of both Ryu Hayabusa’s adventures and Soulslikes.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
WHERE TO PLAY
A new dark fantasy Three Kingdoms action RPG, presented by Team NINJA.184 AD, Later Han Dynasty China. The land is overcome by chaos and destruction. The imperial dynasty that prospered for many years is now about to collapse.Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a dramatic, action-packed story of a nameless militia soldier fighting for survival in a dark fantasy version of the Later Han Dynasty where demons plague the Three Kingdoms. Players fight off deadly creatures and enemy soldiers using swordplay based on the Chinese martial arts, attempting to overcome the odds by awakening the true power from within.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’.
