Many challengers have come to faceDark Soulsand its many spawns and failed. Nioh is a game that is beloved by the Souls-like community, though. BothNiohand its sequel helped elevate the genre along with set things in a new era, aka feudal Japan with samurai.
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WhatNiohandNioh 2didfor samurai games,Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyis doing for Chinese action games. It’s certainly not the first game set in this time period, asDynasty Warriorshas existed for many console generations.Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyis a much different game thanDynasty Warriors,though. It’s even different compared to its spiritual predecessors. So, let’s makeNioh 2comparisons specifically to find out how.
6Loot And Weapon Customization
Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyis no easy ride, but it at least helps those not accustomed to Souls-likes better thanNioh 2. One key thing is the inventory system. Players can buy supplies at checkpoints, but they have a bigger wealth of options at the blacksmith betweenbuying gear and upgradingit inWo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Nioh 2did admittedly have a good loot system for an action RPG in the sub-genre, butWo Long: Fallen Dynastyjust one-ups it slightly. Even though this game isn’t a sequel, it is a spiritual successor, which is why it’s great to seeWo Long: Fallen Dynastyimprove on so many levels overNioh 2,even if some things are on a smaller scale.
5Countering
Learninghow to deflectinWo Long: Fallen Dynastyis much easier than it is inNioh 2. It almost doesn’t require skill at all, but it does insist on players learning when to read opponents. When enemies or bosses are going to attack with something devastating, they will flash red.
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Sometimes players need to deflect right away, and sometimes they need to wait for that fatal move to land. There is a trick to every in the game, but it’s a bit more lenient thanNioh 2,which is a game that almost requires frame-perfect timing to get the most out of a good counter.
4Summoning Spirits
Both games feature spirits players can use alongside magic spells.Nioh 2treats its version of spiritual beings like simple abilities that are handy in a fight but aren’t that powerful early on. It takes a while to unlockthe Divine BeastsinWo Long: Fallen Dynastybecause they are strong in nature ranging from attack magic to healing magic.
One of the best Divine Beasts in the game is Qinglong which can create a healing circle for the player and their party members. It is an OP Divine Beast, but that is good for players who are not that good at Souls-likes.
3Multiplayer
Wo Long: Fallen DynastyandNioh 2feature three-player online co-op, which is the standard for most Souls-likes.Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyhas a fewmore multiplayer optionsfor how players can match with others online, but the experience overall for both is pretty close. The one thingWo Long: Fallen Dynastyhas overNioh 2is that it allows players to form an offline party.
There is no couch co-op in the game, but there are AI partners that will join players in each chapter of the story. They can even mix and match their party with AI and online partners. This is a huge change for Soulslikes on a large scale as it allows players unable to connect online to still get some help in their quest.
2Character Creation
The firstNiohfeatured a single character, William Adams, who everyone had to play. Players could customize their looks a bit through some hair and costume changes, but overall it wasn’t much. The character options inNioh 2were a big step up, and the same is true forthe character creatorinWo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Players can choose between a male and female version of their character and even change their voice.
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There are accessories to equip, tattoos to form, and the list goes on. It doesn’t do anything dramatically different from other character creators in recent RPGs, but again,Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyis at least more advanced thanNioh 2,as it has been three years since 2020.
1Morale And Difficulty
Overall, the thing that is most inviting aboutWo Long: Fallen Dynastyis that it is much easier to get into compared toNioh 2. Hardcore action RPG fans adored the challenge ofNioh 2,and that’s great, but the difficulty was not appealing to everyone. There are no difficulty modes to choose from inWo Long: Fallen Dynastyeither, despite Team Ninja experimenting with this idea in their previous Souls-like game,Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.
However, they did add a new mechanic toWo Long: Fallen Dynasty,the Morale system, which increases the offensive and defensive powers of players beyond their character level. It’s sort of like a card game of War wherein the highest number wins. For example, if a character has a Morale of ten and the enemy has a Morale of eight, it should be easier for players to fight that enemy. The higher the Morale count, the more successful players will be.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynastywas released on June 10, 2025, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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