Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an action RPG from Team Ninja set in a fantastically reimagined China of the Three Kingdoms period, where the historical Yellow Turban rebellion against the Han dynasty mixes with demonic forces and supernatural enemies inhabiting a devastated landscape. The game builds on a combat system based on a so-called "morale" system and precise parry timing called Deflect, in which the player must deflect enemy attacks at just the right moment to disrupt their balance and open up a window for a devastating counterattack — a mechanic reminiscent of the studio's previous titles like Nioh, but here faster, more aggressive, and less dependent on stamina. Magical elements of five elements are also available, which the player assigns to their character and combines with a combat style of their own choosing.

On Xbox Series X/S, the game offers a choice between a resolution-focused mode and a mode with a higher frame rate, which plays a crucial role for comfortable and fair play in a title dependent on precise combat timing. Visually, it combines realistically depicted environments of a war-torn China, from burning villages to snow-covered mountains, with fantastical, demonic elements, and music drawing on traditional Chinese instruments rounds out a unique atmosphere that sets the title apart from other soulslike games set in a Japanese environment.

Upon release, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty was praised for its fast, aggressive combat system and for its day-and-date availability on Xbox Game Pass, which brought the title to a much wider audience than is usual for demanding soulslike games. The game continues Team Ninja's reputation as one of the leading creators of demanding action RPGs, and on Xbox Series X/S it offers a technically polished experience that proves the genre still has room for new variations on tried-and-true foundations built on precise timing and risky aggression.

Why play it: For its fast, aggressive combat system built on precise timing, which thanks to day-one Game Pass availability made a demanding souls-like accessible to a much wider audience than is usual for the genre.