Though Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has a lot in common with games like Dark Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it is a new IP from the minds at Team Ninja. Everything from the Three Kingdoms setting to the combat is built around a world where humans co-exist with demons and divine spirits. Because of this, the game is more than just a spiritual successor of Team Ninja's previous work on the Nioh franchise.
In terms of combat, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has several mechanics that set it apart from its competition. Weapon Martial Arts and Wizardry Spells are just a few things that build off of the game's main mechanic, the Spirit Gauge. While the Spirit Gauge may be similar to other games' stamina and mana gauges, its existence in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty provides players more freedom to explore all that the game has to offer.
What Is the Spirit Gauge?
At the bottom center of players' HUDs just below the HP meter is a multi-segmented bar called the Spirit Gauge. Whenever players get hit or perform specific actions, the color inside the Spirit Gauge will move slowly to the left (denoted by a red hue). These actions include blocking, deflecting, performing weapon Martial Arts and Wizardry Spells, and using heavy Spirit attacks. As the Spirit Gauge moves to the left, the risk of becoming staggered and prone to strong counterattacks gets higher. Players can wait for the Spirit Gauge to automatically reset itself by avoiding damage and forgoing Spirit Gauge-draining actions, but this is unwise considering how fast-paced Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's combat is.
The best way to tilt the Spirit Gauge towards a more advantageous position is by successfully landing multiple attacks on opponents. Doing so will not only reset the Spirit Gauge back to its default center position, but it will also start moving toward the right (as seen by a blue hue). When the Spirit Gauge is in the blue, players can execute Spirit Gauge moves with less worry that the Spirit Gauge will move too much into the red and activate negative effects. Because the game rewards successful attacks. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's combat flow revolves around aggression and utilizing the Spirit Gauge wisely.
The Spirit Gauge Powers All Special Moves
The Spirit Gauge serves as a stand-in for the stamina and mana gauges found in other games. Weapon Martial Arts, heavy Spirit attacks, Wizardry Spells, blocking, and deflecting all draw from this one gauge, so it is always a good idea to allocate resources to the Spirit Gauge whenever possible. Thankfully, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's leveling system simplifies this process. Instead of creating one skill tree where players can spec into the Spirit Gauge, all the Virtues in the game are built to reflect different methods of using the resource.
The Wood Virtue, for instance, increases players' HP while decreasing the amount of Spirit lost when attacked. The Fire Virtue increases the amount of Spirit gained from successful normal attacks and decreases the amount of Spirit needed to perform weapon Martial Arts. Depending on how players build their character, they can spec into specific Virtues. The beauty of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's leveling system is that no matter how players choose to level up, they will always receive a boost to how they use the Spirit Gauge.
This breadth of the leveling system extends to Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's Wizardry Spells as well. When players level up to certain points, they are awarded a single point per Phase Spell tree. They can then allocate these points to unlock spells on each specific tree. Since all Wizardry Spells pull from the regenerating resource that is the Spirit Gauge, the potential for experimentation with different Wizardry Spells is arguably greater than in any title with a finite mana gauge.
While upgrading weapons and armor in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty isn't that different than in other action RPGs of the same vein, players have a lot of options to pick and choose which ones they want to carry for the long haul. When it comes to overall character builds, however, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's Spirit Gauge mechanic and unique leveling systems lets players get creative without shoehorning them into adopting a specific playstyle. Aggression and proper utilization of the Spirit Gauge are still the core pillars of the game's combat, but other than that, players can freely choose how to deal with the game's enemies.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will release on March 3 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.