I'm a sucker for a tough game, and Wo-Long's reputation as a real ass-kicker echoed throughout my Internet echo chamber. After beating it, I can safely say: this reputation is overblown, and thankfully so.
Pros:
+ the audio-visual presentation is good enough
+ the general difficulty is lower than in other Team Ninja games
+ overleveling is easy and encouraged by the mission-based structure
+ stages are usually small but hide a lot of secrets and hidden loot
+ combat system is daftly designed and carries a lot of weight
+ deflect system is lenient and very fun to use
+ spirit gauge is a unique spin on the classic stamina system
+ ranged and stealth attacks are viable combat tactic options
+ flag and moral point system are unique in the ARPG genre...
+ ...and reward thorough investigation of each stage
+ once understood, the five elemental phases can make all the difference
+ equipment can be easily upgraded and personalized
+ main menu indicates missing trinkets in each level
Cons:
- the game is only saved at battle flags
- enemies and allies are dumb as rocks
- the hub are is needlessly expansive and difficult to traverse
- even with the help of videos, the tutorial is mostly useless
- the amount of loot dropped by enemies is far too high...
- ...rendering item management extremely time consuming
- elemental attacks feel underpowered compared to weapon attacks...
- ...and are tied to moral ranks for no apparent reason
- jump mechanic is unintuitive and leads to cheap deaths
- enemies can use their fury attacks frequently and in sequence
- bosses can reset their spirit damage at a whim
- the story is impenetrable to anyone not familiar with the Three Kingdoms
- technical performance and load times on PS4 are pretty wonky
Playtime: 60 hours with all DLC finished. All flags acquired and all optional battlefields beaten. I didn't bother to pick up all of the trinkets in each level, though.
Best weapon: My trusty 4-star mace of Polaris that I found at the beginning and which carried me to the final boss.
Magic Moment: Fighting the famous Li Bu for long enough to understand all of his movements and attacks, only to beat him decisively with the help of the deflect move at the end. Reaching a snowy battlefield and using the stealth mode effectively for the first time. Beating the final DLC boss after literally days of trying.
Verdict:
Contrary to popular belief, Wo-Long is not a soulslike, but instead a classic action RPG more similar to the modern Ninja Gaiden and Nioh games, and is all the better off for it. The mission-based structure, morality rank system, lenient deflect windows, and frequent help from friendly allies renders the entire experience much more forgiving than what you have come to expect from games in the soulslike genre. Combined with the powerful five phases system, which can be used to completely cancel enemy attacks, and the mission-based system that usually offers various options, Wo-Long is always engaging and rarely frustrating.
So play this if you want to play a really fun ARPG with unique mechanics are satisfying combat.
Pros:
+ the audio-visual presentation is good enough
+ the general difficulty is lower than in other Team Ninja games
+ overleveling is easy and encouraged by the mission-based structure
+ stages are usually small but hide a lot of secrets and hidden loot
+ combat system is daftly designed and carries a lot of weight
+ deflect system is lenient and very fun to use
+ spirit gauge is a unique spin on the classic stamina system
+ ranged and stealth attacks are viable combat tactic options
+ flag and moral point system are unique in the ARPG genre...
+ ...and reward thorough investigation of each stage
+ once understood, the five elemental phases can make all the difference
+ equipment can be easily upgraded and personalized
+ main menu indicates missing trinkets in each level
Cons:
- the game is only saved at battle flags
- enemies and allies are dumb as rocks
- the hub are is needlessly expansive and difficult to traverse
- even with the help of videos, the tutorial is mostly useless
- the amount of loot dropped by enemies is far too high...
- ...rendering item management extremely time consuming
- elemental attacks feel underpowered compared to weapon attacks...
- ...and are tied to moral ranks for no apparent reason
- jump mechanic is unintuitive and leads to cheap deaths
- enemies can use their fury attacks frequently and in sequence
- bosses can reset their spirit damage at a whim
- the story is impenetrable to anyone not familiar with the Three Kingdoms
- technical performance and load times on PS4 are pretty wonky
Playtime: 60 hours with all DLC finished. All flags acquired and all optional battlefields beaten. I didn't bother to pick up all of the trinkets in each level, though.
Best weapon: My trusty 4-star mace of Polaris that I found at the beginning and which carried me to the final boss.
Magic Moment: Fighting the famous Li Bu for long enough to understand all of his movements and attacks, only to beat him decisively with the help of the deflect move at the end. Reaching a snowy battlefield and using the stealth mode effectively for the first time. Beating the final DLC boss after literally days of trying.
Verdict:
Contrary to popular belief, Wo-Long is not a soulslike, but instead a classic action RPG more similar to the modern Ninja Gaiden and Nioh games, and is all the better off for it. The mission-based structure, morality rank system, lenient deflect windows, and frequent help from friendly allies renders the entire experience much more forgiving than what you have come to expect from games in the soulslike genre. Combined with the powerful five phases system, which can be used to completely cancel enemy attacks, and the mission-based system that usually offers various options, Wo-Long is always engaging and rarely frustrating.
So play this if you want to play a really fun ARPG with unique mechanics are satisfying combat.