Wo Long avoids the clumsy heavy-handedness typical in games inspired by Chinese literature, where random Eastern-looking motifs are injected as a symbol of otherness. Wo Long avoids the clumsy heavy-handedness typical in games inspired by Chinese literature, where random Eastern-looking motifs are injected as a symbol of otherness As was the case in Nioh and its sequel, Team Ninja demonstrates a deep understanding of what makes the “Soulslike” genre tick, and it deploys those learnings with an expert hand in its most ambitious project yet. You traverse a fantastical Chinese countryside, spending your time gathering loot recruiting companions in the form of military generals and mythical allies and unlocking checkpoints and shortcuts in the vein of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and, most directly, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. This is the sort of demanding, almost onerous practice you need to maintain to overcome the harsh encounters in Wo Long. And just when I think I’m done, I should steel myself for an even more difficult second phase. I should understand the cadence and flow of this seemingly impossible skirmish. To achieve victory, I need to be familiar with the game’s key maneuvers of quick ripostes, dodges, and magical spells, and be able to perform them at exactly the right moment - before my enemy seizes the upper hand. Take my battle with Zhang Liang, which could only be won when I finally internalized his attacks and movements, doled out in rapid, erratic intervals: a leap into the air and the slamming of his mace onto the ground several hefty swings of the same weapon, whirled around like a weightless twig and unblockable critical attacks that drained my health rapidly. Wo Long has zero patience for ineptitude - a refrain you probably expect if you’re familiar with Nioh or Nioh 2, Team Ninja’s soul-crushingly brutal games set in feudal Japan - as well as an unwillingness to tolerate negligence. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences.
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