One of the more understated reveals at the show called back to Xbox’s history with Japanese exclusives. Specifically, Koei Tecmo and Ninja Gaiden/Nioh developer Team Ninja revealed Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, a fantasy action game adapting the war-torn Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. This is a joint creation by Team Ninja producers Fumihiko Yasuda (Nioh) and Masaaki Yamagiwa (Bloodborne), and its Xbox Showcase announcement calls back to past Team Ninja titles’ console exclusivity. Not only that, it’s also the latest supernatural sword fighting game from Koei, and that’s more prestigious than it sounds.
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Koei Tecmo’s Legacy is Couched in Chinese and Japanese Titles
One of Koei’s first video games was Nobunaga’s Ambition, released for Japanese PCs back in 1983. This Sengoku-era strategy RPG franchise remains one of Koei Tecmo’s most successful IPs, and continues to receive installments. In 1985, Romance of the Three Kingdoms was released as a Chinese counterpart to the Japanese Nobunaga’s Ambition. This also spawned its own series, and both franchises eventually inspired Koei to create Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors. The influence that samurai and other feudal foot soldiers had over Koei’s games is obvious in retrospect.
The Dynasty Warriors franchise deserves particular emphasis, as it shares its Romance of the Three Kingdoms setting with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Wo Long, presumably the name of the player character, is not a figure in historical tales, but he will likely be empowered to fight those who are. The typical 1-vs-1000 gameplay of a Warriors title doesn’t need to be present for the action to be just as intense. Lu Bu’s iconic feathered silhouette is visible at the end of the Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty trailer, so even if the game doesn’t owe much to Dynasty Warriors in its gameplay, it will likely share its setting and characters.
Team Ninja Has Long Been Focused on Sword Combat
While there are many Nobunaga’s Ambition, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Warriors games informing Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s existence, its gameplay will have the distinct mark of Team Ninja. This studio got its start under the director Tomonobu Itagaki, creating the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden franchises. Both of these have had storied histories with older Xbox consoles, but several of their games are now available elsewhere. What’s pertinent to Wo Long is Team Ninja’s expertise in blazing-fast swordplay where one mistake can snowball into a grisly death.
Any Souls comparisons were rendered moot when Team Ninja actually made Soulslikes in the form of the Nioh series. As these two titles are Team Ninja’s most prominent modern games, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty can be assumed to have similar gameplay and loot progression. While the Nioh titles give players control over mystical samurai, they also allow them to branch out into many weapons and fighting styles. Their reinterpretation of famous historical figures is also of note, and brings to mind the same practice in Samurai Warriors. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will probably repeat these traits in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms setting. It will be interesting to see what changes this new setting will bring to Team Ninja’s gameplay, but as with all the prior Koei samurai games, players can expect the same hardcore sword-fighting action as usual.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will be released in early 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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