Sub-Missions are a great way to level up and to obtain items required to upgrade your weapons and armor. The overall mission structure is similar to Nioh, with the Main Missions required to progress and the Sub-Missions optional, though I highly recommend you tackle the Sub-Missions if you want a chance at completing the game with the least amount of frustration. After creating your character, you’ll immediately hop into the game, which is broken down into parts, with each part including Main Battlegrounds and Sub-Battlegrounds. When beginning Wo Long you’ll find a fairly robust character creator, which has never been my thing, but should please most players wanting to create a distinct warrior. This is a shame, as once you get past the initial missions there is so much to experience and so many ways to level up, obtain new gear, find help, etc., that you’ll rarely encounter a fight as downright frustrating as the beginning challenge. I suspect a large amount of players will rage quit before seeing the title reveal and beginning the game proper due to the tutorial level and its two part boss. That said, there is a fine line between being challenging and frustrating, and the beginning of the game tiptoes that line in dubious fashion. You will die a lot, but death is merely a stepping stone to mastering the combat. Like all the best Souls games, you learn from trial and error. Timing is everything, and so is mastering the deflect system. Even two enemies at once can take down a hardened warrior.

Wait for the right time to strike, conserve your energy, plan your attacks – avoid rushing headfirst into a fight, even with bosses. Unlike traditional action games, Wo Long does not award aggressiveness, in fact, it punishes it.

Wo Long is not an easy game, nor is it a short game, but please believe me when I say that it is worth the nearly forty hour time investment. Wo Long is a near perfect blend of Team Ninja’s incredibly fast paced action mixed with a smattering of Souls-esque gameplay ideas to create what is sure to become a classic. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a rarity a new IP that oozes quality, has a distinct personality, is brutally challenging while remaining fair (mostly), and has so much to discover and so many opportunities to team up with others that players will be scouring the battlefield long after the main missions are completed.

How hard is wo long: fallen dynasty