Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty — Everything We Know

For those who have endured countless hours with Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms will no doubt live in your head completely rent-free. And if it doesn't, then it's about to, as Team Ninja has only gone ahead and buddied up with Koei to develop Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, an all-new action-adventure game that blends the real-life events to a whole new mixture of supernatural elements and otherworldly powers.

Anyway, we were awfully curious to learn more about the upcoming tale, and so we ventured out to scavenge all there was to scavenge from the bottom of Team Ninja's pantry. Here's what we collected from our deep dive into the beloved studio's archives.

What Is Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty?

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an upcoming third-person action-adventure game by Team Ninja, a triple-A studio that found global recognition through its universally acclaimed Nioh series. As well as this, the developer has also gone on to build and fortify popular franchises including Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, and Hyrule Warriors.

Based around the real events as documented in the Chinese literature The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will look to recreate key events that both shaped and tampered with the country's history. Instead of using sword-based combat, though, the game will let players use supernatural powers (hereby referred to as “Spirit Powers”), which are, in essence, special attacks that rely on the four elements, wind, earth, water, and fire.

Story

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is set around the Three Kingdoms period, a time during which the armies of Wei, Wu, and Shu moved to conquer and unify Ancient China under a single banner. Unlike the real-life events that shaped the country, though, Wo Long instead casts its players to a dark fantasy version of the Han Dynasty, a place in which dark entities and all-powerful demons wreak havoc over the dismantled provinces.

Wo Long puts you in the boots of an unknown soldier during the late Han Dynasty. With the country in ruin and the local militia in tatters, you must step forth and become the hero the people need; the warrior you were born to become; and the beating heart of a nameless army that strives only to rid the land of its anguish.

Gameplay

Team Ninja, being known for developing brutally tough third-person action-adventure games, won't be letting up on the heat this time around, either. Similar to the combat featured in Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will put players through the wringer, laying out all the trials that will test your parrying, countering, and blocking. It's likely, then, that aspiring warriors will also have to endure relentless battles with tough-as-nails enemy officers fortifying the respective rosters.

According to Team Ninja, Wo Long will base its combat on traditional Chinese martial arts, and will therefore incorporate a structure called the “Five Phases”—distinctive skill sets that let players adopt and evolve as battles progress and morality develops. In a zero-to-hero journey, you will learn to master the craft and transition into the officer that soldiers aspire to become, and that the mightiest of demons dread to duel.

Development

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is being developed by Team Ninja, a studio best known for its involvement in the globally praised Nioh series. As well as this, the studio has also dabbled in a number of other award-winning and unmistakably action-packed franchises, including Ninja Gaiden, Hyrule Warriors, and Dead or Alive.

First revealed in 2022 during the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase, the praised developer made it known that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty would be coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S in early 2023. It was announced at a later date that the game would also be coming to PlayStation consoles, though its users wouldn't benefit from the game being on Xbox Game Pass as a day-one exclusive.

Trailer

Team Ninja first showcased Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty on June 12, 2022, during the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase. It was revealed at the time that the game would be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. It was only later that PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions were confirmed by the studio. You can see the initial announcement trailer for the game in the embedded video above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam on March 3, 2023. At the time of writing, neither Team Ninja nor Koei Tecmo have mentioned anything about the game coming to Nintendo Switch in the future. If yes, then it's unlikely to be at any point during the immediate aftermath of the game's March release window.

As it turns out, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have access to the upcoming title on day one, whereas PlayStation Plus users will need to purchase it for a rough price of $59.99 via the PlayStation Store. For more information on where to buy Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, you can check in with the official social feed here.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will be available in three editions: Standard Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, and Steelbook Launch Edition. Here is everything you can expect to find in each one:

Standard Edition 

• Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty 
  • Physical: Baihu Armor (Pre-order bonus)
  • Digital: Zhuque Armor (Pre-order bonus)

Digital Deluxe Edition

• Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
• Exclusive digital art book
• Exclusive digital soundtrack
• Season Pass
• Baihu Armor
• Zhuque Armor
• Quinglong Armor

Steelbook Launch Edition

• Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty 
• Exclusive steelbook case
• Crown of Zhurong DLC
• Crown of Gonggong DLC
• Baihu Armor

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty when it drops later this year? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.