Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty devs on its bastard-hard boss battles pulled from the pages of history
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is Team Ninja's latest project – a sprawling, high-intensity action RPG that might be its most ambitious yet. You may recognise the Japanese outfit as the team responsible for the 2017 action role-player Nioh, and its 2020 successor, Nioh 2. You might be familiar with the studio's long-serving Ninja Gaiden series – its first entry having launched in 2004; its most recent offering landing in 2021 – and, even if you're not well-versed in fighting games, it's likely you've heard of the developer's three-decade-spanning beat 'em up dynasty, Dead or Alive.
What is less familiar to Team Ninja, on the other hand, are games set beyond the shores of Japan. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty aims to change that. Unfolding during ancient China's Three Kingdoms era, it pays homage to a time period with deep cultural roots, but with a sprinkle of the dark and twisted fantasy elements the studio has become increasingly known for. Nioh may have steered Team Ninja's popularity in recent years, but with Wo Long, it's building something different entirely.
"Nioh is a really important series to me and the dev team," says Team Ninja president Fumihiko Yasuda. "And so, we really want to utilize the knowledge and experience we've gained over the years. We decided to explore the Three Kingdoms as a setting, and so this world and its action are completely different from our previous games. Being set in China, focusing on Chinese martial arts – instead of changing the Nioh series and trying to make this fit, we decided to create a new IP altogether with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty."
Rise of the Ronin offers a glimpse into life after Elden Ring
In practice, having sunk some time into Wo Long's latest playable demo (available on PS5 and
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