The developers from Team Ninja discuss the differences between the Nioh franchise and its upcoming release, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. The studio has worked on quite a number of action games, such as the classic Ninja Gaiden series, among others. The studio's foray into the action RPG genre modeled after the Soulslike format with Nioh however was a critical and sales success, with the studio going on to develop more games in the same genre like Nioh's sequel and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.
Earlier this year, Team Ninja announced Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty as a new IP, mixing the gameplay of Nioh with the mythology and themes of China's Three Kingdoms period. This game's combat has been compared to FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, due to the speed and fluidity the game presents in comparison to previous games. In an interview with wccftech, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty producers Fumihiko Yasuda and Masaaki Yamagiwa discussed the differences between Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
The first difference between Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty that was discussed was the usage of a player-created character as opposed to William Adams. The developers state that this came about from Nioh 2's create-a-character fighting famous warlords and commanders of Japanese history, with Fallen Dynasty following the same idea. Another difference is the game's deflection techniques, where the choice to be offensive or defensive is in the player's hands, emphasized by the Spirit Gauge mechanic.
The other difference is the game's take on the loot system, where things are more streamlined in comparison to Nioh. The developers note this gives Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty a bigger pickup and play appeal, especially considering it's a new IP. The other difference between Nioh and Fallen Dynasty is the latter's structure, while it retains the same mission-based progression, it will be more open, rewarding players that decide to explore these stages.
Other things mentioned in the interview include Team Ninja's other upcoming action RPG, Rise of the Ronin, which will be a "proper" open-world experience with features that embody the abilities of a ninja. The producers were also asked about the Nioh series' future, wondering if there were any plans for another entry. They noted that a lot of fans were looking forward to seeing a new entry developed in the future, but for the time being it's uncertain.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on March 3, 2023.
Source: Wccftech