I've just slain a dragon by air-parrying it into the ground and impressed my new boss, Liu Bei – Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember's original but familiar take on the Chinese warlord many of us have come to know across years playing Dynasty Warriors. Set in the same period, in the run-up to the Three Kingdoms conflict, this supernatural take on real warfare sees Liu Bei offering to complete the rest of the mission at my side as he directs me to a bridge to tackle the mission's battlefield, which is scoped like a miniature open world of its own. I immediately take off my shirt, grab some nearby nunchuck-like flails, and prepare to unleash a can of demon whup-ass.
Developed by Team Ninja, it'd be easy to see Wo Long as the Chinese history equivalent of Nioh's equally supernatural take on Japanese history – the developer's Dynasty Warriors to their Samurai Warriors. Especially as, just like Nioh 3, Wo Long 2 is a sequel that shrugs off tighter mission design in pursuit of more open action. Yet, while the DNA they share is obvious – from brutal combat to a horde of loot with detailed stats and buffs – Wo Long and Nioh feel incredibly different to play. Even though both these recent entries are more open, the approach they take is very different. Through my hands-on spending a couple of hours in one large mission, I grow to really appreciate and love how Wo Long 2 sets itself apart from all Team Ninja has done before, while still feeling like a natural evolution from the master of action game development.
Developer: Team NinjaPublisher: Koei TecmoPlatform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2Release date: March 4, 2027
In the mission I get to play, Wo Long 2's open world puts much more emphasis on the feeling that I'm actually fighting through a contested battlefield as I help push Liu Bei's forces toward Cao Cao's fortress by spinning my flails. From enemy camps to a village in danger, and even a fight up to an occupied shrine, conflict is around every corner.
Though there's a Soulslike level-up mechanic, Wo Long 2 sees the return of the first game's morale system that has you gaining additional, mission-specific boosts to both your and your allies' stats. While it's possible to rush headlong into danger and, most likely, get shredded by enemies with morale far higher than yours, canny navigation of conflicts can see you erecting banners, clearing enemy camps, and completing snappy sidequests to increase your faction's hold on the No Man's Land, while reducing enemy morale in turn.
Be slain, and you'll lose accrued morale levels and your unspent experience points in Soulslike fashion, with one chance to reclaim them. However, these battlefield bonuses will remain, each sub-region affecting your overall minimum amount of morale while also raising the cap, pushing momentum in your favor. It goes a long way to taking the sting out of failure to know your forces are holding position.
While some of these control points are obvious (and can be added to the map if you find enemy strategy maps), some are less so, such as routing out hidden supernatural creatures. Along the way, enemy drops and big shiny chests hide more loot that can further push your advantage, though I keep the wrestler armor type active at all times so foes can see my sweat drip as I box their ears with a flail to the face.
In a way, this battlefield structure does nod to the likes of Dynasty Warriors, but I'll flag that these missions are conquerable through methodic play – once you push forward, enemies won't be claiming their morale back. You'll only be risking losing some of your own if you fall but, even then, you can earn more quite easily over a few respawning encounters.
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