So, what exactly is up with me sharing these two experiences?

The best I can describe Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is that it is a good mix of Warriors Orochi 3 and Sekiro.

General Gameplay

Mainly, it makes use of Sekiro’s Posture Mechanic and Warriors Orochi 3’s Hack-and-Slash nature.

More similarities come into mind such as Banners which can be captured to increase your general strength much like Warriors Orochi 3’s capture points.

Alternatively, some Banners operate much like Dark Souls’ Bonfires or Sekiro’s Sculptor’s Idols that allow you to take brief respite amidst the battlefield.

Some gamers I have seen react to Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty always compare it with another game of Koei Tecmo, Nioh, and I can’t say I agree or disagree.

My experience with Nioh was a quick 2-minute attempt in 2021 when I was trying out different games to play.

Suffice to say, I was not attracted enough to put even a few hours into it.

This also means that I lack the knowledge to fairly compare Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

At first glance, they do look similar and gameplay mechanics such as item systems and grounded combat. Regardless, I do not have enough information to compare the two.

Anyway, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty had me hooked from the get-go with its first stage resembling a Sekiro stage in the mountainous areas of China.

Combat

Its combat felt very much like Sekiro as well, having to carefully avoid and parry enemies with precision.

But that was only the case with most human enemies and when they were fought in small numbers.

Once I got into the mountains and the next stages, more enemies came up to fight me and it felt like the gameplay inched close and close to a hack-and-slash but not fully committing to it.

The transition in combat between going ham on enemies and then being careful with bosses or strong mobs had me in a bind for a bit.

It took me quite some time to discipline myself and not spam attacks on these stronger enemies.

At first, I was hesitant about the developers’ choice of combat style switching between mindless violence and precise swordplay seemed unnatural.

But that was until I learned something, I was just bad at the game. I stopped thinking the game was bad, and told myself to “Just get good.”

So, I did, or at least I tried.

Eventually, I found the combat to be smooth and seamless as the different combos and weapon choices gave me the creativity and breadth to deal with almost all enemies.

Weapons System

The weapons systems were fairly varied with double swords, curved swords, spears, halberds, hammers, and many more to complement any kind of playstyle.

If you are interested in crushing your opponents with strong heavy attacks, then hammers and maces are for you.

If you favor short fast swings while darting in and out of range, then single and double blades are for you.

If you like fighting from a distance with pokes or wide sweeps, then spears, cudgels, and glaives are for you.

Enemy Variety

Going back to my experience with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s first stage, the game introduces you to human enemies with swords, spears, and bows as well as monsters like giant tigers and undead enemies.

These are great introductory enemies as the humans and undead were easy targets to enjoy the hack-and-slash side of the game.

However, fighting the giant tiger was a different thing as it required a more careful and defensive approach with your blocks and parries.

Admittedly, I wasted an hour or so trying to consistently defeat the first giant tiger because I refuse to block attacks in favor of parrying.

More enemies can be encountered as you progress the story with mermaids, wolves, stone warriors, and the like which should keep you entertained with their variety.

Boss Fights

Finally, the boss fights were probably my favorite part of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

Much like the previous point I made, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty also has a variety of bosses that get you riled up right from the moment you see them in a cutscene.

What I really liked about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s bosses were their visual design and combat styles.

Certain bosses favored melee combat, ranged combat, or a mix of both. Different elements were also used creatively to keep fights interesting.

For example, a boss I really had trouble with was Lu Bu since his playstyle consisted of a constant in-and-out attack mixed with a flurry of arrows every now and again.

Another boss who liked to mix up his attacks was Dong Zhuo who favored mid-range stabs with occasional dashes.

In the visual department, the best bosses that I encountered were Xiahou Dun who resembled Tekken’s Devil Jin, and Yu Ji who was the Dragon.

A Great Game Held Back by Optimization Issues.

As the subheading suggests, I think Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an incredible game for those who want more of Sekiro’s combat mechanics.

Its story may not be on par with FromSoftware games, but it is outshined by its phenomenal combat and visual design.

If there is one gripe I have with this game, it would be the constant stuttering and crashes that occur with the PC version.

Playing Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is all good and fun but having frames drop or the game slowing down definitely ruins the meticulous timing needed to fully enjoy its combat potential to be fluid and eloquent.

Certain areas make it very hard for the game to run at a satisfactory frame rate, and too many effects during boss or group fights definitely mess this up even more.

I would recommend it, but definitely not on PC with its current state.