The development of the game started in 2019. "At the time, we were looking for a setting that could be used for a sequel to Nioh, says Yasuda-san. We had already made a lot of games based on the Segoku period of Japan, so we wanted something new. That's when we had the idea of making a game set in the Three Kingdoms of China. The years after the fall of the Han Dynasty is a time in which Koei Tecmo specializes in and which has always intrigued me personally. I'm a fan of manga and anime based on that era. A game set in that setting felt like a nice new challenge to take on."
"If the Three Kingdoms period is iconic for Koei Tecmo, Team Ninja has never looked into it before, indicates Masaaki Yamagiwa. By combining the studio's taste for action with the most popular historical context at Koei Tecmo, you could say that Wo Long shares the DNA of both sides. But Koei Tecmo never really offered a dark fantasy version of the Three Kingdoms."
When Yamagiwa-san left Sony Japan Studio in February 2021 before joining the ranks of Team Ninja a few months later, the development of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty was already well advanced. "Having Yamagiwa's support is very encouraging, assures Fumihiko Yasuda. We are developing Wo Long from our experience on Nioh, and if [the involvement of Yamagiwa] has not drastically changed the flow of development, he is very talented. to communicate a concept to the players. That's something we clearly paid attention to."
"Producing Bloodborne was a very important experience for me, says his sidekick. Difficult games should not be difficult for no reason. I think it's very important that this difficulty exists in order to provide a sense of accomplishment. for the players who have overcome it. This is why I believe that they must be able to find the fault in themselves if they die. The game must be fair and not unreasonable. In this aspect, it is a Good thing I'm not very good at video games myself. I always naturally judge their correctness."
"Making it a full-bodied game was a decision that was made early on," adds Yasuda-san. it was a time of wars and devastation. A troubled time in which genes were constantly fighting each other, which is perfectly fitting for a Souls-like. Taking place in China, Wo Long is more massive in size than our previous games set in Japan, which helps to show off a more severe and dark world. The same can be said for the difficulty. There's no doubt that this will be an extremely demanding and tricky game, but we've found new ways to approach this difficulty. On this point, players can expect a level of satisfaction that has not existed before in Team Ninja titles."
Without going into details, Yamagiwa-san pointed out that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will have a morale system applicable to both the player and his enemies. "We wanted to find a type of strategy with adversity as the theme, he explains. You gain something by defeating a strong enemy, but it's also true when the enemy kills the player. The balance between forces change every time someone dies." The resurrection system designed by FromSoftware for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice illustrates this desire to make death a gameplay mechanism in its own right. IGN also cites SIFU as an example - the hero ages with each death, which is not without its gameplay impact.
Naturally, the game will include a number of RPG-specific elements to improve the skills of our protagonist, knowing that the latter can be customized through a character editor as in Nioh 2. In addition, we are promised a linear level design unlike the open world of Elden Ring. "But we have more freedom in the design of the levels, nuances all the same Yasuda-san. Since the character can now jump, there is more verticality and exploration in general. That said, at its heart, Wo Long is a linear game just like Nioh was. With Souls-like games becoming more and more popular, this kind of design gives the studio the opportunity to show off what it does best." Our colleagues had the opportunity to observe gameplay on PS5, and obviously, even if the levels are wider, the formula takes up the codes of the genre such as shortcuts to reach the boss more easily in the event of failure, or still the many areas to explore.
Finally, a multiplayer mode is indeed planned, including cooperation. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is scheduled for release in 2023 on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC.
