A Skeptical Review of 'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty'

[@LukeStephensTV]

Go to buyraycon.com/lukestephens for 15% off your order! Brought to you by Raycon.

[@Squid9708]

​@@rufus5208 they are trash for sound quality

[@ewjiml]

Team Ninja has a HUGE problem creating compelling environments with landmarks that you can recognize easily. They nailed combat but to me, they fail in the art and game design. How many dilapidated buildings or forests do we have to go through?

[@Hary_Half-Mast]

The first post tutorial level in Nioh 1 was the only example of a level that felt like it had an obvious objective with a compelling landmark. The burning town with a large ship docked on the pier. You could definately feel like you were slowly making progress towards it. Unfortunately most levels are just designed to be played through many times in different missions and arn't designed to be unique feeling as a result

[@theoathman8188]

This tells me the game didn't have a huge budget or a large team working on it.

[@WILLINGLYWILD]

I mean in the setting , they can’t make up things and objects that don’t and never have existed , sci fi is good for stuff like that because you can make up a lot of things that don’t exist in the real world , mythology/fantasy can be unique but still has the constraints of its source material if it’s to be consistent , good game design within those constraints is what it comes down to , which they succeed at in this case , seems nitpicky to me tbh

[@MarkHogan994]

@@WILLINGLYWILD You completely missed the point. No one is asking them to make shit up that never existed. You don't need to invent things that don't exist to make visually interesting levels with recognizable landmarks. From Software does it very well, their levels are intricately designed and have gorgeous art direction with distinctive landmarks and locations that help you remember the complex layout. Team Ninja fails at this.

[@Manganization]

@@WILLINGLYWILD levels can be designed to be visually appealing to look at and traversed by paying some more attention to its presentation. Sekiro is has areas with similar aesthetics, yet the land, level design, and appeal is there. Team Ninja games feels like they don't pay attention to the level design aspects of their games at all, which makes sense since they specialised in Musou games. But wouldn't those games also be more appealing if level design was also an actual thing?

[@LukeStephensTV]

Small correction: The game is being sold at $59.99 USD on PS5 and PC, not $69.99. Thanks for watching!!

[@MrWar2050]

Big correction.

[@gerutzu575]

dunno it's 69.99 where i live

[@LukeStephensTV]

ALSO. I said bonfires "campfires." I am extremely sorry for this horrible mistake. Please accept this as my resignation from the internet... *Sobs on kitchen floor in front of my refridgerator*

[@R3TR0J4N]

its 40$ here in PHP

[@liszt646]

​@@LukeStephensTV You have just lost all credibility and I cannot forgive you for that! Jokes

[@Marco1995Mega]

I imagine the reason they mapped the parry and dodge to the same button was to discourage spamming the circle button as a way to ensure successful deflections, and encourage precise timings and composure on the player's part. Sekiro did this by reducing the amount of parry frames if you spammed L1. Dodging is really only good for creating distance and repositioning in Wo Long in my opinion, though that can still be a good way to avoid certain attacks, like the wild horn combo from that boss.

[@sodalangstson9438]

It make me spam it more because a parry and dodge are wildy different command

[@Ocean5ix]

At the same time, allowing you to hide behind a block and still be able to parry is very lame. Parry should be a risk/reward mechanic, you either get it or you don't. The way Sekiro and Wo Long does it is pretty much an "option select" like in fighting games.

[@ryanlllemin2045]

bro pff get this comment some likes... wtf are these infant spoon fed baby gamers these days. it actually makes the combat better! you have to steel your nerves when deflecting and it makes combat feel so much more rewarding !

[@Marco1995Mega]

@@Ocean5ix It's not that simple. While there are other options, deflection is still the primary form of defense, and even offense at times, in these games; it's not at all an option. Having these small safeguards minimizes frustration while still learning the combat, and creates a bit more room for error while not neutering the enemies and bosses. Constantly blocking would still take a toll on the spirit meter, which discourages reliance on it.

[@gporr7004]

@@ryanlllemin2045 People are like you say spoiled babies. Always find a problem. Of the parries and everything were like Nioh or Sekiro and they had stances still, they would find some other issue. That’s why I watch reviews and see comments but ALWAYS play for myself and decide. Most of the time I have fun. People take reviews way to seriously. Imagine these spoiled brats years ago before you tube when you had to actually by a game and take a chance not knowing how it was? Don’t know how old you are but that was a better time. Sick of these hour long nitpicking reviews. You can technically find things wrong in ANY game doing this. Witcher 3 had horrible NPC design for example. People loved that game yet they cry when NPCs look like shit in other games

[@MrNuclearz]

I think that the fact that the dodge and deflect buttons are the same is quite intentional. If you are spamming the deflect button, you'll dodge, your punishment for not pacing your actions.

[@southernsun9890]

To me in a game like this graphics and level design actually matter. In elden ring I was so compelled to explore and see more, that it’s the very thing that gave me strength to persevere in its many challenging times.

[@braevinmaund1210]

graphics always matter. people like to deny it, but it's true. similarly to how people deny physical attraction to be too important. we are humans, we like visuals. it may not mean the game has to look realistic, though. no, it has to look good. there's a difference. and this doesn't look good

[@Timbo6669]

@@braevinmaund1210 I liked your comment but this game did look good. I was hoping it would have better gameplay though.

[@redninja3056]

Eh I think the combat in this game is way better than elding ring so I don't need exploration just good combat which I think elding ring lacked

[@TRONiX404]

​@@braevinmaund1210 The whole point to video game's is it's graphical presentation. Imagine reading a book with blurry writing, poor grammar and spelling.

[@GRGCompletionist]

@@braevinmaund1210 art direction is way more interesting and appealing than fancy graphics though, just look at Ghost of Tsushima. That game didn't had any next gen level graphics like TLOU2 or RDR2 but it's still a more beautiful game than the two in my opinion.

[@Il-JayD-lI]

For a TIP of players struggling with the ‘roll’ instead of ‘deflection’: If you hold your block button and then hit the deflect button you will not roll. It’s also forgiving if you miss the deflect window because you will at least block the attack.

[@spacespz5947]

wait, they have a block button? Then why isn't the block button the parry button? A well timmed block working as a parry has been done and it is a good alternative.

[@connorbrown4241]

I played the demo and had some trouble at parts but then used this technique in the game and it's been a savior. Best advice I could give too.

[@gporr7004]

@@spacespz5947 it’s like Sekiro. L1 plus circle would be deflect. I think it’s the same here I’m not sure I haven’t played yet. Just assuming

[@MarkHogan994]

@@gporr7004 Wrong, it's not like Sekiro at all. In Sekiro deflect is simply L1, you don't press circle for a deflect. In Wo Long, deflect is circle, dodge is double circle, and block is L1.

[@MarkHogan994]

The attacks you really want to deflect, the red aura critical ones, are unblockable. You will take massive damage through a block.

[@cyberpunkdarren]

You can't have a "SKEPTICAL REVIEW". You can only be skeptical BEFORE you have all the facts. For example. "I'm skeptical this soup will be the best I ever had." You cant then say "I ate the soup and I'm skeptical its the best i've had." You now have all the data. So either it is or it isnt. There can be no more skepticism.

[@Deehn]

good to know is that you can *dismiss any AI companion* with the branch item they give you at the start - So you don't have to suffer them if you want to go at it entirely solo.

[@bladechild2449]

The issue with this is the game is clearly built around them. A lot of sections are filled with multi-enemy encounters and much like Sekiro, this game isn't built for that. It's even worse because you can just get stun locked into losing your stance meter if you play solo

[@vulkarin8616]

@@bladechild2449 got platinum a few days ago and the game was a breeze even without the npc help, they destroy the flow of the combat. You have wizardries and wide range weapons that easily take groups of enemies, you can bait one without pebble or assassinate one after the other with the bow. They should’ve left the npc‘s only for a few missions, like the shadow clone guy.

[@joshuachesney7552]

Maybe this is over exaggerating but the parry button issue sounds literally game breaking. Like the game doesn't work as designed with it set up like that. What the actual hell were they thinking? EDIT: Now that I've actually played the game it makes a lot more sense. This game feels slick as hell, absolutely would recommend.

[@Swamileoni]

“These games aren’t really fun if they can’t live up to that standard” is a HUGE stretch my dude. Plenty of busted games are fun as hell. Nioh wasn’t perfect but it was a blast to play.

[@Aybee.AB-.-72]

Agreed

[@susanna8612]

Wo Long is not fun or interesting, Lies of P is. Lies of P is perfect in every way.

[@Arkyubus]

Game feels a lot easier than Nioh 2 for me. I don't mind deflect and dodge being the same button, and kind of like it. Think of it this way: If you're panicking and being pressured by enemies you might instinctually rapidly press the button, and you'll gain distance away from that enemy so you can regroup and rethink your approach as you wait for your spirit to recharge. If you're confident, and pressing the advantage you might be more inclined to watch for counter attacks, deflect a combo, and build your spirit to set up a martial art or magic, furthering your advantage. I like that a lot.

[@dw3504]

I did spend hours on the first boss and get frustrated, but what a feeling when I finally beat him 😮‍💨

[@yinbrown6212]

only played the demo for that cool looking helmet (never bought/played official release) and man was that absolutely absurd but felt so good to tell my friends who did buy it, that i already beat him.

[@susanna8612]

Second boss was way harder.

[@OneArmedShinobi7388]

I honestly love how the parry and dodge are the same button, because in my mind with this game at least the parry is just a dodging block that's why you can still move when doing it, then you just transition from a blocking step forward into an actual dodge

[@chasegaetze4507]

Yeah I don't think it'd be a great idea to split them because once you understand the combat you'll nail all the parries

[@DRickAnderson]

It forces the parry to be a very deliberate action. You can't 'flutter' the parry button like you can in Sekiro, because you'll just dodge. I thought it was genius.

[@Antarttix]

Exactly what I'm thinking

[@SøIeYT]

Yeah it's also extremely common in action games that double tapping your dodge button turns into a longer range roll. Very common and natural for anyone who's played 3rd person action games

[@TrevorIsCommenting]

@@SøIeYTyeah it’s also common for the average gamer to not be anywhere near as good as they think they are. They can’t do things like switch button layouts or change how they play to save their lives

[@Luxuriouswhite]

They prolly put dodge and parry on same button to discourage button mashing and make u hit the button once precisely when the attack lands. But it is inconsistent and I dont think it's a good design choice at all. Amazing combat tho!

[@MarkHogan994]

14:21 This is a misunderstanding of Sekiro's combat system. Yes, in Wo Long the red aura attacks have to be deflected. In Sekiro however, the red perilous attacks are specifically *not* meant to be deflected. Perilous sweeps cannot be deflected, you have to jump over them. Perilous grabs cannot be deflected (except for two of them), you have to dodge them. Perilous thrusts can be deflected but this is always sub-optimal, you're meant to use mikiri, which is superior in every way.

[@SubiKinubi]

Which evolves and extends the combat, something wo long does not, it’s as shallow as a puddle

[@courier6640]

Genichiro and Isshin Ashina, Lu Bu, the Demon Tigers, and Malenia taught me (very, Very *VERY* painfully) how to dance in battle. These games aren't about the loot, Luke, it's about the Gud we Gitted along the way... scrub.

[@andyscoming4919]

Lol he is a scrub. Crying about the horn attack being too fast. During that attack the enemy stays in place and doesn’t track/chase you, meaning, dodge away when you see that attack coming. But yeah, dude needs to just git gud lol

[@E2STOPTV]

I wish one day Luke will find his one 10/10 game

[@bemboing4338]

There was a day one day but now that Days Gone.

[@dawsynasay4841]

No game is perfect

[@E2STOPTV]

@Dawsyn Asay well, 10 is different for everyone. A 10 from me is not necessarily perfect but something that I see as masterpiece or a complete experience.

[@R3TR0J4N]

@@bemboing4338 lol witty

[@R3TR0J4N]

@@dawsynasay4841 yea its subjective.

[@bannedmann4469]

Wu Tang Clan ain't nothing to mess with.

[@joshuawhinery208]

People that think it's perfect are just stoked to have another semi souls-like game i think, and people that think it's a complete pile.of trash are comparing it to nioh 2, which i totally got for the first 5-8hrs until i realized I could just hold the block button with practically zero conscequence and be patient about when I actually deflected an attack or not. Games gotten WAY easier since then. This is the best, most Fair review of this game I think I've seen so far; not calling it a hundred percent perfect masterpiece, but also not calling it absolute trash which is the truth; Its enjoyable, but inwouldve preferred a nioh 3 instead of team ninjas take on a sekiro atyle game since loot and skills halfway between sekiro and nioh feels like itndoeant achieve what made eithwr game's systems truly great

[@YeOldeMachine]

I think the parry/dodge button works really well. Sekiro made the block/parry button the same, because blocking is pretty useless in sekiro. You really never want to just block in Sekiro. In Nioh and Wo-long blocking is important and useful. The most efficient way to play is to deflect from a block. Holding block while deflecting keeps you from getting hit if you miss a deflect. If you're rolling instead, just calm down and stop spamming the button.

[@astralblades8846]

You just said blocking wasn't usfull in sekiro, to then transition to blocking in wo long is usfull by describing how block is used in sekiro. It's literally they same way blocking can be used in both games, but sekiro doesn't feel clunky.

[@YeOldeMachine]

@AstralBlades I misread what you were saying at first. So, you're saying block is used the same way in Sekiro? That's news to me. Especially since block/parry are the same button, so you have to stop blocking to deflect.

[@human-animalchimeraprohibi2143]

@@YeOldeMachine basically you want to parry in Sekiro but the block acts as a fallback option if you miss the parry with one less button. That being said people just need to stop mashing the circle button. The controls are fine.

[@xx_amongus_xx6987]

@@human-animalchimeraprohibi2143 But the block in Sekiro is tied to the parry button. Are you saying you would hold on the button when you wanted to parry to get the fallback block instead of just tapping to parry?

[@human-animalchimeraprohibi2143]

@@xx_amongus_xx6987 Yes you can hold the block until the last second you can get a parry. But I’m speaking more about instances where one would spam the parry button. Often times it would end up registering as a block.

[@allandm]

You can get rid of the companions by using the willow branch item. To get this you need to go to 'reinforcements' in a bonfire

[@MyPronounsHeWhore]

thx, I might actually buy the game now. Watched some on youtube, that blindfold guy wont stfu. That boring generic anime male voice. Even if I got older/slower and can't parry like I did in Sekiro, I'll give it a shot. But I just can't with those companions.

[@allandm]

@@MyPronounsHeWhore the first mission has to be played with a companion (i think), but after that you can use the willow branch to get rid of them. The gameplay is pretty fun, but the story is very very basic and makes me want to skip every cutscene or dialogue.

[@MegaTuber86]

Wow the visual downgrade from when they first showed this game is pretty extreme. Still waiting for that next gen looking game.

[@xDeadPoolHD]

To be fair the dodge is really op at light weight. You only have to press the dodge button twice the first time but than you can press circle once after that to keep dodge and you go very far.

[@Luckytrapt]

The customization in this game is crazy. I went red right eye purple left eye. If you know you know. The demo was pretty fun I recommend trying it for sure.

[@R3TR0J4N]

its great, it was as par as those korean mmorpg's

[@OmniscientlyMe]

It's basically just Nioh 2's character creator with some option changes to some features to fit the ancient China theme.

[@combatwombat2134]

I think Koei Tecmo use the same character customisation across games. I've been playing Wild Hearts and it's an absolute copy paste - which is fine for me because it's really good. 👍

[@matsimurf_5900]

I know, so amazing, i used the default character👺

[@TristanMundell]

Rinnegan sharingan?

[@CygnusX-11]

they spend all the time and resources on combat and literally forgot EVERYTHING ELSE

[@thatonepenguinperson618]

I kind of like that parry and dodge are the same since it forces me to stand my ground instead of running away, but also thoughtfully press the deflect instead just spamming it. Though, I do wish there was the option for a separate dodge button/making it share a place with the block button for accessibility purposes

[@davidfoley8546]

This dude manages to say nothing for three minutes and then hits us with a three minute commercial lmao

[@DRickAnderson]

Putting the parry and dodge on the same button was genius. It means that a parry has to be very deliberate .. you can't spam the button. I love it.

[@vulkarin8616]

Yea up until the 2nd dlc where some boss attack up to 3 times within a second.

[@Darkasasin80]

I played the demo a good bit and I honestly don't get the dislike people have for the controls. Especially the deflection/dodge/roll, I never had an issue with it at all. Maybe it's because I learned to actively block while I eas waiting to deflect and that may have kept me from accidentally rolling? I haven't got my coppy of the game yet so I can't test it myself but I saw on Reddit that there's a Switch Attack too. I think it was hold Right Bumper (button you use for Martial Arts) deflect. It'll do a deflect as well as swap to your other weapon. Personally it's not the controls that bothers me but rather in my limited time with the game so far it seems like Spells and Arts are rather lackluster and I don't really see the point in many of them. If they offer utility then sure but if it's just damage I feel like I'm better off spending my Spirit on Spirit attacks. Either way, I'm excited to jump back in and play more.

[@justyouraveragehumanbeing7411]

tbh yeah, the parry being the same button as roll isn't that annoying. Coming in with a good ammount of playtime in sekiro, i wasn't that disoriented. It feels kinda weird in the beginning, but it's easy to get a hang of it. The game is also much easier than sekiro lmao..

[@null5489]

I honestly like the fact that the parry and dodge button are the same input. Sekiro made parrying too safe with the way it worked there, imo. I feel like I shouldn't be able to spam the parry button repeatedly and have a fairly high success rate doing so, it's better if it comes with some risk and is an input that can't be rapidly tapped. Yeah, charmless Sekiro makes you take chip damage through blocks, but that doesn't change the fact that tapping the parry button with a certain tempo produces a successful parry more often than it should. The chip damage is pretty negligible, as well.

[@Johnathanbyers]

Damn i kind of agree with you. Only kind of tho. Overall i think mapping both actions to two separate buttons would add to the games quality of life and feeling of fairness. But yeah bro you make a good point in them not allowing us yo spam the parry really does add to the difficulty and challenge of the game

[@rocopoco1361]

Well it was you fault then. Give the charm back and you see what happens

[@runimcomingforyou.4505]

@@rocopoco1361 what was his fault?

[@rocopoco1361]

@@runimcomingforyou.4505 Because if you give the kuro charm back you get punished for not deflecting perfectly.

[@null5489]

​@@rocopoco1361 I've played through Sekiro, including the gauntlets, charmless and with demon bell on. I've even played the Sekiro Resurrection mod, which is much more difficult than the default game from the get-go, charmless+demon bell. The point still stands, Sekiro's parry is just too good. Tapping the parry button with a certain tempo works way more often than it should, and chip damage though blocks isn't that big of a deal tbh.

[@kooljoshboy8210]

I personally don't find the one button issue that bad. From my experience you dodge when you push in a direction at the same time.

[@pokey_tv669]

You won't accidentally dodge if you don't spam the party button.

[@xXNeOnSwAgXx]

I broke my controller on the first boss lmao

[@ozarkeusful]

It's soo dumb honestly. I'm struggling more on this boss than I did on any boss in the entirety of Elden ring smh. It's a balancing issue in my opinion. Apparently this is one of the hardest bosses in the game And they made it the first boss...

[@fernandes327]

@@ozarkeusful Listen i know it's easier to say, but i will try and give an advice that helped me, maybe it will help you too... As i said, it's easier to say buuut, what i found that worked very good to me was: 1° Phase - Simply spam attack on the boss, because he will probably not be able to attack you if you spam, also you can do critical hits using Tirangle / Y when his poise breaks and a red icon appears above him 2° Phase - Don't try and rush him to get hits, simply focus on his body and try and deflect his attacks and land a couple hits using the Spirit Special Strike (Triangle / Y) after deflecting, and make use of the crit strikes when his poise breaks, same as first phase. Doing this will be fairly easy if you focus on the second phase, as i said if you do this, on the first phase you will technically defeat him flawlessly, he won't be able to get a single hit on you on the 1° phase. This is my advice, hope it helps.

[@kowxley1793]

@@ozarkeusful I felt this way too then after around an hour it clicked for me and I finally got him. In the second phase you're supposed to dodge and wait for his red attacks, parry them 3 times and the fight is over.

[@ozarkeusful]

​@@kowxley1793 thank you for the help!

[@ozarkeusful]

​@@fernandes327 thank you soouch for the detailed suggestions! I'll use them next time I try. Would you recommend using a different type of weapon than the sword?

[@hazelcrisp]

I've never really tried these Souls games so the demo was my first go at one of these games. I really enjoyed my time and will look to getting the game later when I have some time and save some money. I didn't mind the dodge and parry being the same because if I missed the parry timing I could get lucky and dodge the right way. But parrying feels pretty nice, and feels good learning the pattern and baiting the boss, plus the combat is cool and flashy. I like the variety of having spells, ranged weapons and melee weapon options. And I love the more eastern setting of Three Kingdoms compared to the western looking Souls games so it's a plus for me. Really happy so far with Wo Long.

[@liszt646]

You must try Elden Ring, Sekiro and Bloodborne (actually all the SoulsBirne games lol)

[@calebstevens9446]

You haven’t at least tried Elden Ring? It does everything you just described except the setting, and imo does it extremely well. Also Wu Long is great so far I 100% agree.

[@hazelcrisp]

@@calebstevens9446 ER is on my back log and not very high priority and still expensive for me. I'll play it...eventually... If you know what I mean. I know everyone (well mostly/a lot of people) loves the game but I just haven't seen anything impressive about it. I'm coming from a stance of ignorance, but it's just looks like Dark Souls but open world and dead space between the actual things. Doesn't seem to be a very interesting narrative, setting or characters either. And Wo Long has a really cool character creator and armour and weapons too.

[@calebstevens9446]

@@hazelcrisp yeah I get the price, I didn’t buy it either, game share with a friend n he got it. It’s the only Souls game I played bc like I said he got it, so I said fuck it why not, and was pleasantly surprised, like blown away. Wasn’t expecting anything close to the whole experience it game me and ended up totaling 150 hours by like august. But if he hadn’t bought, no clue if I would’ve played it, but I’m telling you give it a chance when you get the chance.

[@TheBurningcage27]

​@@calebstevens9446 and parries. Elden ring SUCKS for parries. Sekiro deflect is the way to go

[@Kingconquest89]

If you roll when you wanna parry, you’re gonna have a bad time

[@DourFlower]

I really liked this game but the morale system sucks. it just sucks. At 20 morale every boss is a cakewalk, it's so OP being high morale that it makes it feel like collecting all the flags (which I would like to do) is an active detriment to the games challenge and enjoyment

[@grogwire]

“Always fair”, while I flashback to waterfowl dance

[@pauldapoo]

Dude, i search every nook and cranny of every Souls game and always attempt enemies that are at a higher level.

[@ricklubbers7761]

If you struggle with the roll/reflect issue: Stop moving your L stick when you are deflecting.

[@caseyhart4999]

Anyone who has ever played a ufc game understands this haha

[@frenchcoupon3391]

Yeah, the narrative, what narrative? Team Ninja is definitely failing at storytelling and worldbuilding. Want the difficulty+frustration in a vacuum only- then it’s a masterpiece. For the rest, thanks, no thanks.

[@jrrtt25]

I’m not going to lie, I know it might sound petty but once you explained that you can’t separate the parry from the roll input it instantly made me not even want to pick the game up. Seems like such a nonsensical decision

[@mikedelgrande5296]

It’s about that drip! I usually choose my armor by what I think looks the most dope and make up for the stats with skill. But I totally understand how grinding out a mini boss to get lower stat armor could be frustrating.

[@xTrident999]

Same. I’ve been playing without body armor so it shows my tattoos.

[@Farkararka]

The tiger wasn’t a mini boss. It’s a regular enemy😂

[@mikedelgrande5296]

@@Farkararka I posted this before I was very far into the game or knew much about it. I didn’t even realize there was a transmog system yet. I think it was on the first day of release. I was just speaking in general with most SoulsLike games.

[@pandav1231]

It would be cool if they had a standard story with enough beats to make you atleast care for the characters alongside the awesome gameplay rather than being relegated to the back or like Luke said a cellophane story which is there solely for the justification of the gameplay.

[@kaibah555]

Stuck on the Lu Bu boss fight, it makes me mad that i keep comparing the hit boxes and timing to elden ring, the boss fights in this game don't feel fair at all sometimes

[@TimedRevolver]

I played this on Xbox One via Game Pass. The first boss was unbeatable for me. There were times the game just didn't read my inputs. I'd hit the button to parry and my character just stood there and got hit. Then I'd parry sometimes, but the attack would smash my bar down to red for no reason, then I'd lose 60% of my health in a single blow, dying to the follow-up attack I couldn't deflect because I was still in the being hit animation from his previous attack. I've never had this much trouble with a first boss in a Soulsborne game. Not even the Nioh games. Those first bosses definitely sucked, but I managed. The issue here is the controls not always responding. When deflecting and parrying are so critical, players can't afford dropped inputs.

[@hatchell18]

I didn’t have that issue bro and haven’t heard of or seen anyone else have that issue. I’m sorry you ran into that though. Maybe it’s just a bug or your game is glitched?

[@andyscoming4919]

I beat him in an hour. You’re probably letting your spirit deplete which you won’t be able to move or deflect or dodge. You’ll be stuck. In other words, GIT GUD

[@learntoswimify]

I agree with pretty much all your criticisms here, but then I parry a lightning bolt and all is forgiven. Wish a Wo Long sequel would have even a quarter of the budget of God of War just to see what they could do.

[@michaelmichaelson8861]

Well, I wouldn't call Sekiro, for one, a completely "fair" game as it did have some problems with hitboxes and stuff.

[@Krabzz95]

I’ve been loving Wo Long but I gotta say this game is hard. I was on the first boss for about 2 hours but still had fun 8.5/10

[@mookiestewart3776]

all the other reviews say the first boss is actually one of the hardest in the game and that the rest are much much easier. In fact they say outside of boss 1 the game itself is much easier than nio or sekiro

[@R3TR0J4N]

had similar experience with Nioh 2, but it aint that long

[@Krabzz95]

@Chosen One I went straight for the boss and didn’t focus enuf on the leveling system

[@user-bg6qr9mh3i]

It’s very easy if you spam in phase one and be careful in phase 2

[@Krabzz95]

@@user-bg6qr9mh3i Phase 2 was hard for me but I eventually defeated him

[@BaxBoogey22]

Honestly I'm not saying I like this but I think they made the deflect and roll button the same to keep people from spamming the deflect button like you can in sekiro. Even in sekiro when you spam you don't get a perfect deflect anyway but thats the only reason I can see why they did that.

[@ZKForbiddenParadise]

You are the only reviewer i really trust. As a student i cant contribute as a member, but as soon as i graduate the first thing ill do will be supporting you. Keep with the great work.

[@100kageyamashigeo]

The dodge/parry button situation is the same reason I hate playing Sekiro. Whoever setup the controller config and made it unchangeable needs to be fired.

[@nezzivancic3644]

Honestly, the dodge and parry being bound to the same key taught me to parry, and I love how it feels. In games like Elden Ring, I never even attempt to parry, but playing through Wo Long, there was multiple times where I attempted to dodge, forgot to double tap, and parried it perfectly. After a few hours, I started learning timings and was deeply impressed with my ability to parry. If dodge and parry were separate buttons, I doubt I would have ever even tried.

[@connormccarthy2745]

Many Sekiro players had a real issue with tapping deflect over and over, spamming until they happened to get through. Moving dodge and deflect onto the same button is a brilliant way of getting around this, players won't learn to spam the deflect button because it has consequences.

[@mr.921_]

I mistook this game for black myth: wukong, and now I'm happy that my doubt is cleared.

[@mathdash4236]

What killed it for me is that the deflect is the same button for dodging and because I come from sekiro where you hit the deflect repeatedly it felt unfair how I was failing for small mistakes

[@Il-JayD-lI]

If you hold your block button then press the deflection/dodge button you will not roll and it’s forgiving because if you miss your deflection window you will at least block the attack. 👍🏻

[@mathdash4236]

@@Il-JayD-lI Oh my god shake my hand thank you so much.

[@soysaucehairdye7869]

@@Il-JayD-lI helpful advice thanks

[@Il-JayD-lI]

@@mathdash4236 gotcha! 😁

[@Il-JayD-lI]

@@soysaucehairdye7869 your welcome 😊

[@Shawn-fu3mp]

Button smashing should NOT BE TOLERATED!

[@TheLaggyBills]

Was having so much fun until I got to the boss fight in the demo. Still haven't been able to beat it, so I don't think I'll be getting it. Souls games have always just been too difficult for me, and I just don't have the spare time to git gud.

[@TerraWare]

Really im on the 6th boss this game feels easier than souls to me. I really like parrying in general and this game is all about it. If you are trying to roll don't, there are no invincibility frames in this game as far as I'm aware. Parrying is clutch and blocking too.

[@ozarkeusful]

​@@TerraWare there's always got to be one person to reply to someone who says the game is hard and saying "this game is easy". Lol imo It's a balancing issue. The first boss is one of the hardest bosses in the entire game. In my opinion that's really dumb to throw players into that that early.

[@xTheNooB]

Skill issue

[@TerraWare]

@@ozarkeusful I never said "this game is easy" I said the game "feels easier than the souls games to ME" . I made a vid of the first time killing the boss it was sloppy lol. I just feel I do better with this system than the traditional Souls games which I never really made a whole lot of progress in with the exception of Elden Ring which I felt was a bit more refined.

[@emilioneto6129]

Yes its Hard, let me try to help u with some tips. First level up your moral to 25 before the boss fight by killing normal enemys, this will make you stronger and with better spirit Second, Combine your equipment in a way that you can stay on the green zone of the Weight, that way your spirit will not be very affected and it will be easy to counter and Block. If you have the counterstaff make use of it, at least on the phase of the boss, when you spirit charge up to the maximum press the heavy attack yo get the most damage output and break the boss spirit, this weapon is very good for breaking guard of the enemy. Don't focus too much on magic and make sure you are leveling wood for that first boss. At his second phase you will need to counter more, i recomend a sword or the counterstaff and try to make a good fight on the first phase so you can have at least 2 Healing potions for the second phase. After succesfully dodge a heavy attack, try to use one heavy attack on the enemy so you can lower his spirit This is one of the harder fights of all the game, don't worry, it took me 5 hours but now im good Sorry for my bad english

[@monk3yd1c7_6]

Man I’ll tell you what I have a friend who buys literally almost every game that comes out and wants to play through it and well this is one game I’ve actually enjoyed so far. Last night we stayed up and played till like 3:00 am and he was like man I’m tired I wanna get off and I was like brooooo no I just beat the big guy. (I didn’t) But we decimated him and we went on to beat the third boss on the second try. The game is pretty fun, the first boss was difficult without knowing how to play the game but once I figured out what to do in the second phase it became super easy. Anyway 8/10 great game so far.

[@yullu65]

Luke: "Team Ninja is most known for Nioh" Me: *Crying over my copies of the Ninja Gaiden games*

[@neals6348]

This game really has me excited for Rise of the Ronin; if they slapped this, Stranger of Paradise, etc together on the side while primarily focused on that the last 7 years it's gotta be something special

[@jinsakai409]

I hope rise of the ronin isn’t like this tbh. It would be better if combat is closer to nioh or less parry based at least. The combat in wo long is super fast paced which seems more suited to a game with levels than an open world

[@hawkeyedsentinel4648]

@@jinsakai409 i disagree, most open world games have very slow pacing whenever its basic gameplay or old fashion design. Wu long's gameplay will work excellent in ROTR because it would keep the player engaged and not lay down on bed playing.

[@neals6348]

@Jin Sakai @Jin Sakai Considering the dev time and direct support from XDev I imagine RotR will have the typical complex combat systems, RPG gear systems etc but with a very high level of polish throughout. The focus on single platform development for launch vs multi platform should ensure a really solid product at launch. (Hopefully they follow w PC launch 6-12m later much like Rockstar ensuring both versions launch well polished and relatively bug free) Not sure what direction they'll take the combat, Nioh vs Wo Long, we'll see but I have faith in Team Ninja (also believe producer of Bloodborne from Japan Studio directly involved).

[@jinsakai409]

@@hawkeyedsentinel4648 i kinda doubt they will. The hud attached to this parry system would kinda ruin the open world feeling. Imagine ghost of Tsushima but now you have a big ass health bar on Jin’s body. When the screen is open you see things you want to explore and can enjoy the graphics and tone and slow down. I’m not gonna argue since you seem like you’re into niche games like this so thats cool

[@jinsakai409]

@@neals6348 idk their last 2 releases, this and wildhearts leave a lot to be desired. Wo long kind of feels like a filler cash grab much like fallout 76 for Bethesda while they work on es6 and starfield

[@EmileTherese]

I'll probably pick it up once it gets a discount. Looks fun, but I like meaningful exploration just as much as combat.

[@MonoDree]

It's on game pass if you want to play it now but not spend full price.

[@TheFallen3]

Making you fat roll when physics says a slow parry better, easy and actually possible when you have heavy armor is just the state of gaming now.

[@kristofviola855]

Luke, massive thanks for mentioning the bad texture quality, it is one of the most annoying aspects of this game for me

[@DukeofNukem98]

They honestly should have done what sekiro did and tie the block and parry button to the same button

[@slash7242]

Just a PSA: Raycon isnt actually good but Luke go get that bag

[@travismarnie8745]

Really good watch thanks mate. I like your long form critiques and i haven’t played this but you came across as fair and gave some good pros and cons overall. Thank you!

[@MisterK-YT]

How many times do we have to complain about Team Ninja’s level design before they freakin do something about it. They have so much potential but they always have boring level design. Do you think this will be BETTER or WORSE in their open world game? Ronin or wtvr it’s called.

[@Leon_2777]

This game was far more fluent for me than Sekiro, and the parry system was far easier to comprehend as well. It was so good in fact I didn't even know there was a Block button until I was 24 hours into the game. Honestly, the Morale system is a huge blunder for the game and it is simply because once you learn how it works, it becomes very easy to manipulate. Toward the mid-way point of the game I often found myself max morale rank, which is 25, without ever needing to find the flag posts, though I often did out of a weird sense of obligation.

[@Leon_2777]

Side Note: After having finishing the game already I just discovered the special spirit attacks you have to hold RB/R1 to use

[@sator_project]

Ya, I don't think it's really fair to compare every 'souls-like' to Fromsoft. Fromsoft does like 5 things very well in all their best games, and most souls-likes are taking inspiration form 1 or 2 things, while trying to cut their own path. It's like comparing animation to Ghibli. Yes Ghibli is good, and lots of studios are inspired by them, but not all animation needs to be Ghibli.

[@wo0o0o97]

I think the reason why they made the dodge and deflect the same button is to avoid button mashing, this is an issue that a lot of games with parry-based combat have to deal with. In Sekiro, they made a system to where the game can more or less recognize when you're frantically button mashing and made it so the parry isn't actually the good parry, but a simple block. Wo long could have done something similar, but they didn't and it's all the worse for it.

[@mickeybat5816]

Well tbh there's a simple fix on the players end, jus don't mash. To do the dodge, you have to push the button in a type of rythm that's very different from when you're deflecting multi hitting attacks. Most attacks in Wo Long don't require that much speed to deflect, so if you see yourself constantly dodging, then you're probably hammering down on the deflect button. Something that made deflecting not so hard for me was holding down the block button and deflecting. If you miss the deflect then you'll just block the attack, and if you land the deflect. . .then you land the deflect lol

[@esmenardvictor6261]

I quite liked the review but you didn't really understand the game intentions or philosophy. The fact that the dodge and the parry are the same button is a design choice,the Nioh/wo long type of games are not really soulsborne,there are more akin to the Ninja Gaiden 3D era of games(same developers),it's there core philosophy to punish button mashing,that's also why by taping dodge and the left stick,you'll fail to deflect,it's to punish your urge to flee. The first Boss is a good example,the first phase forces you to be aggressive and the second phase more defensive to bait his red attacks.The game try to assess if you' capable of attacking aggressively without mashing then ask you to relax and to be a parry god in second phase,it's a smart design. If you're interested you should research the interviews and work of Tomonobu Itagaki,he really started the idea that easy and normal difficulty shouldn't really exist and that the best game are the more demanding in the skill department. Even if i personally don't agree 100 %. Ps: I seriously doubt they'll patch it.

[@gogadev]

It is so hard I'm deleting the game

[@loverana4441]

Man I kept thinking he's talking about Wu Kong and i was so excited watching it 😂 And then I was like..wait the graphics aren't as good ...what's going on.😂

[@Frank-kq4te]

Luke has evolved into this skeptical review, a format wich has the ability to speak for 40 minutes while not saying anything interesting. At the end of the video, you have the feeling you left without knowing what actually makes the game good or bad eventually. Saying the most basic and reiterated concepts ever while performing a small commentary on what's on screen, while being an easy format, is not a format worth continuing.

[@3diamonds524]

I wish they would make a game that has longer levels and more enemy variety. I loved Nioh 1 & 2 and all the Fromsoft titles, but this isn't fun to me. The forced deflects to beat bosses is as bad as forcing stealth to me. Give us a choice in combat style. Parry always had a place in these games, but I loathe baiting critical attacks so I can parry for actual damage. I also find most of the bosses are terrible, especially the dude with a room of clones.

[@LorenTR]

Thank you. Honest reviewers are hard to come by.

[@GripChief]

Why does this game look worse than Nioh? The demo looked like a ps3 game, was hoping the final version would look better.

[@alcoyot]

The reality is, the standard of a game has gotten to be too high for most studios to realistically reach. AAA studios almost have it even harder cause they have terrible management and politics. Fromsoft is the gold standard, and even they have many shortcomings in their games if you expect everything to be the ultra next gen. The reality is that both game companies and gamers need to lower the standards of what to expect. We’ve reached a limit in what they can put out, it’s just not possible for every game to have a world like BOTW. And just because technology has made better graphics possible doesn’t mean it’s always feasible to develop a game. Each new gen of graphics makes it more difficult and costly to develop.

[@FirstLast-yc9lq]

LOL BOTW is the worst example of what a world should be. That game is empty as fuck with actual quality content.

[@alcoyot]

@@FirstLast-yc9lq I agree with you. I guess I meant the good things about it. Like the size and interesting terrain. But even that “golf standard” aaa example of an open world has serious shortcomings. It proves my point even more.

[@topgamer101]

I'm NEVER excited to JUST parry things. If developers want to give you a parry as an OPTION in a tool set of ways to engage encounters and get through them, cool. Those that like parry can use it and I might on rare occasions too, but I don't like parrying and I probably never will. I'd rather dodge or block the attack, which is what I almost always do in every game that gives it as an option. When the game forces parry into being the primary thing you are supposed to be doing at the detriment of doing the other options, well I don't consider that good design for me personally. Some might argue it's focused design, and they'd be right, but when you have the ability to have more than one option but strongly emphasis the one option I'm not very fond of, guess what's going to happen? I'm going to do my best NOT to use it, or I'm just not going to play the game.

[@gfslamguitar]

So, I played this on Xbox One on gamepass and had some issues with it. The framerate seems really low and the animations felt choppy. It felt like the character didn't move right in the world. The parry and dodge button was definitely weird to get used to. I have played both Niohs and FF Strangers in Paradise on PS5 and they felt great. On Xbox, this game felt too floaty and loose. Not sure if it feels that way on stronger consoles, but it really turned me off to try to keep playing. The player controller just felt really off to me.

[@HandsomeKing808]

This game is like the son who went to college and became a millionaire (Sekiro) and the son who decided to drop out of highschool and smoke crack(this game)

[@adamgonzalez9138]

Luke, thank you for the details and the length of your videos. Helps me get through work more easily. I always appreciate it. Keep it up, man

[@Nightstar_]

Deflect and dodge being on the same button makes sense if you're the type to spam dodgeroll. You can get a few parries in unintentionally. Also, for anyone whining about why it can't be L1 you can change the controls in the menu.

[@Primordial_Being]

I just buttoms smash my PC for this boss because I didn't listen the call of that Blind folded guy to summon the Dragon to start the cinematic

[@ñeo4life03]

I feel like the point of the same dodge and parry is to prevent being able to spam parry and work for your deflections

[@TheLazarusOperation]

We need Bloodborne 2, so that 'Souls-Borne' doesn't sound as iffy these days It's really 'Demons, Soulsborne Die Twice Ring's lmao

[@alexrogers9051]

At some point games need to not cater to new players. If you can’t learn how to parry, than don’t play Sekiro or Wo Long. Or learn it like everyone else has, Sekiro was way harder to learn than this game.

[@AppleShrapnel]

I'll be interested to see how the future dlc's change things- maybe some refined or new mechanics..? But overall, I loved the demo, so I'm one of those day-one purchasers. :>

[@bubbleclouds3188]

It is almost like they created the flag mechanic so that players would explore the game...hmmm. Also it is absolutely pointless to compare this game to fromsoft games. While this is a souls-like it is also nothing like elden ring or dark souls and to expect similar things will just leave you disappointed. Accept that this is a different game and enjoy it for what it is not for what it gets compared to.

[@coopplusone]

Double tap circle is roll/dodge. They did it to prevent spamming.

[@korytoombs886]

I didn't really understand the deflection system until Lu Bu. I feel like you can cheese all the bosses prior to him without knowing that much really. The first boss, phase 1, if you rush attack him very aggressively, you can win that phase.

[@ReaIistik]

My game crashed yesterday on Xbox Series S. And lost about 2-3 hours of progress because for some reason the game doesn’t save mid-level. Awesome

[@wilmernolasco9369]

You are starting to come off as the Pete Wells of video games and I say that with respect as the words you speak carry quite a bit of weight at this point. Thanks for chilling out with the plugging 16x, that was getting annoying. Thanks Luke - love the channel.

[@jhitcho2026]

Level and world design I feel hasn't been their strong suit. Combat- A+. Every game of theirs I've played failed to immerse me but the excellent combat felt like disjointed training practice

[@mickeybat5816]

Team Ninja made Nioh 1&2 most famously Ninja Gaiden: "Damn am I a joke to you?" 👁👄👁

[@improbablyyourdad8458]

I’m tired of every action game just being a Dark Souls clone or a Arkham clone with a new paint job.

[@improbablyyourdad8458]

Jedi Fallen order is a perfect example of a shameless clone that marketed itself around being a clone of another “popular” series. Why do y’all praise bad games like Jedi Fallen Order simply because it’s a Souls clone with a Starwars “aesthetic”. That game is a bland clunky mess that does nothing interesting or original. Also it’s a Starwars game where you spend 80% of the game fighting real world animals 🤦🏽. At least the force unleashed games had unique mechanics and gameplay authentic to Starwars, even tho it’s simular to old GOW games.

[@willcooper8028]

Confused wo long fallen dynasty with black myth wukong and got super bummed when I heard the reviews were mixed lol Still so excited for black myth in ……. 2024 :(

[@alexrogers9051]

If you hold RB you can hit up or down on the DPad to get your companion to attack

[@DourFlower]

Team ninja nioh type games story really do play out like bullet points of a historical period, with context you'll recognize characters but without it you'll be mostly just confused or uninterested

[@maxwallach47]

Idk, I didn't find the level design to bad it's pretty typical stuff and is similar to nioh. I like this game a lot . Way more accessible then nioh but I hope they tighten performance