Wo Lengthy: Fallen Dynasty‘s first enlargement, Battle of Zhongyuan, was a by-the-numbers affair. It demonstrated why Staff Ninja’s motion recreation excelled whereas additionally not addressing its faults. Conqueror of Jiangdong, the second DLC, is in the same boat and has a handful of unimaginable and difficult boss fights. However whereas its positives are nonetheless evident, this follow-up enlargement additionally extra clearly factors out Wo Lengthy’s shortcomings.
Nioh had probably the most fundamental and simple DLC. Its expansions added new story ranges, a weapon, spells, extra gear, a…
Wo Lengthy remains to be — and can probably all the time be — a incredible motion recreation with easy controls. Melee bouts are quick, and deflecting blows is a responsive central mechanic that may greater than help the complete recreation. In contrast to Lies of P, the window is a bit of on the extensive aspect, however this enables gamers to really feel extra highly effective with out requiring perfection. Utilizing the stamina-like Spirit Meter intelligently (which this replace has additionally buffed) is an easy-to-grasp mechanic that yields extra depth with out overcomplicating all of it.
There simply aren’t many new enemies to train these fight skills on. Its lobster creatures are each foolish and an ideal addition to the bestiary, however there’s not a lot else in addition to that; even the degrees themselves don’t stand out from what Staff Ninja has already created. Conqueror of Jiangdong’s handful of phases has the standard jungles and wet shipyards which might be additionally within the base expertise. Nioh 2’s DLC improved over time by going increasingly fantastical so as to stand out from the bottom recreation, but those self same rules haven’t been utilized to Wo Lengthy.
The brand new boss fights fare a bit of higher however are unnecessarily hamstrung. As is the case with virtually each different a part of Wo Lengthy, these climactic showdowns are held again by the pleasant AI. They both make battles laughably straightforward or create an excessive amount of chaos and artificially crank up the problem. Whereas they’re probably meant to dial down the general degree of problem and create a extra distinctive expertise, they simply make Wo Lengthy worse.
Nonetheless, these showdowns are nonetheless good at their core, and that is solely evident if gamers exit of the best way to dismiss the AI or play the aspect missions that strip away companions. This enables gamers to really be taught patterns and persist by ability, not luck. Each certainly one of these bosses is excellently designed and has a ton of strikes that require speedy reflexes to deflect, so it’s disappointing that these higher battles can solely shine in non-compulsory quests. The final boss doesn’t get its personal aspect mission, although, and is among the hardest and most rewarding fights in the entire recreation. Though, that’s solely evident after dismissing each dumb allies which might be simply liabilities carrying armor.
Pleasant characters diminishing Wo Lengthy’s fight was an issue within the unique marketing campaign however is much more prevalent and annoying right here. Any irritation like that’s solely going to compound if it retains occurring, and this DLC has given it that house.
This holds true for Wo Lengthy’s different annoyances, like its straightforward problem and limitless provide of ineffective gear. Conqueror of Jiangdong isn’t a lot of a problem, particularly for anybody who has completely mined the remainder of the sport. These comparatively easygoing ranges make the ultimate boss much more stunning for the reason that problem spike is so ludicrously sudden and steep. There’s additionally a brand new function that routinely sells armor, weapons, or equipment underneath a sure threshold when resting at a battle flag (which is useful), however it doesn’t handle the underlying drawback of how bloated its gear system is.
The one new notable piece of kit is the brand new weapon: the lengthy sword. It’s terribly defined within the transient tutorial pop-up, however it’s an attention-grabbing blade that’s constructed round charging assaults. Charging doesn’t go away gamers completely weak, both, because it’s nonetheless potential to deflect incoming blows whereas focusing. Parrying whereas charging builds energy even quicker, so it incentivizes and rewards expert play and people who are prepared to danger enjoying offense and protection on the identical time. As was the case with the cestus gauntlets in Battle of Zhongyuan, Staff Ninja has repeatedly proven its knack for creating distinctive weapons that may change how the sport is performed.
Wo Lengthy: Conqueror of Jiangdong DLC Evaluate: Remaining Verdict
Staff Ninja nonetheless can’t inform tales, although, as Conqueror of Jiangdong’s cutscenes are nonsensical and haphazardly stitched collectively to justify going to every degree. And whereas the plot doesn’t matter right here, it’s one more instance of how the studio is treading water with Conqueror of Jiangdong. This sophomore enlargement consists of some wonderful boss fights, however ones which might be nonetheless sullied by unhelpful allies and relegated to aspect missions. These hiccups sit on high of the sport’s small pile of issues that’s slowly rising because the DLC rolls out. Wo Lengthy remains to be a top quality motion recreation and Conqueror of Jiangdong is a reminder of that, however it additionally factors out — and magnifies — its weaknesses.
-
Boss fights are difficult and various
-
The lengthy sword is a novel addition to the sport’s arsen
-
Allies nonetheless throw off the sport’s rhythm
-
Huge problem spike highlights how straightforward non-boss fights are
Disclaimer: This Wo Lengthy: Conqueror of Jiangdong DLC overview relies on a PS5 copy offered by the writer. Performed on model 1.018.000.