The Soulslike genre has started strong on Switch 2, with the likes of Lies of P and Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition thriving on Nintendo’s console with minimal drawbacks. The same cannot be said, however, for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Complete Edition. This port of Team Ninja’s Sekiro-inspired action game – which contains three major expansions and all additional DLC as standard – is unfortunately heavily compromised, suffering from frequent performance issues and visuals that frankly look unpleasant whether you’re playing docked or handheld.
Originally released in 2023 for other platforms, Wo Long is set during the fall of the Han dynasty in 184 CE – hence the name. You get to create your own character from scratch, either choosing from a bunch of set templates or messing around with facial and body characteristics until you settle on something.
Overall, despite loose ties to real historical events, the narrative is passable at best. Though it’s not half as obtuse as your typical FromSoftware title, you’ll find little here that will get you emotionally invested in events. Everything sort of happens around you, with new characters dropping in and out at frequent intervals, serving to funnel you through the stages and fights.
The story’s probably not why you’re here, though. At its core, Wo Long is about venturing through linear stages, defeating a bunch of enemies, collecting loot, and confronting deadly boss characters. Putting aside the presentation issues for a moment, it does most of this very well. Like all Soulslikes, be prepared for a punishing experience; even the most basic enemies can deal substantial damage if you’re not careful, and you’ll often want to avoid taking on multiple foes at once.
The bosses are even more formidable. Just two or three strikes is enough to send you to an early grave, and a lot of them are incredibly agile, too, jumping, sprinting, and even teleporting around the arena to get the drop on you. You’ll want to maintain your focus, keep your camera locked on your target, and memorise its movements and attacks.
Thankfully, almost every attack in Wo Long can be parried with your weapon. A tap of ‘A’ executes a parry, and despite the game’s focus on brutal difficulty, there’s a generous window to successfully perform it. So whether it’s the swing of a sword from a basic enemy or a gigantic swoosh of a boss character’s monstrous tail, you can deflect pretty much everything.
Taking this concept further, most enemies also have more powerful attacks that are clearly communicated with a red glow. Parry these and you’ll more often than not stagger your foe, allowing you to land a devastating heavy attack. This is often enough to defeat normal enemies in one go and a great method of cutting down boss characters’ health.
You’ll have access to a rapidly growing arsenal of weapons as you progress, but you can also utilise basic magic attacks along with more powerful Spirit attacks, bolstered by levelling up at designated checkpoints, allowing you to choose between several different ‘Virtue’ systems. So, choose the Wood Virtue and you’ll increase your HP, while the Metal Virtue focuses on magic capabilities. There are a few others, but I’ll let you discover these for yourself.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch-2/wo-long-fallen-dynasty-complete-edition
