"Wo Long," meaning "Hidden Dragon," is an appropriate name for a game that basically comes out of nowhere and tears apart the prospects of action RPGs, as the legacy of "Nioh" and "Dark Souls" is still in place, and the game's name is aptly descriptive of its "hidden dragon" nature. But by removing the traditional constraints of this subgenre, "Wo Long" is able to take off.

The project is the result of a partnership between Team Ninja and KOEI, a publisher best known for its games based on the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, especially "Warriors." "Wo Long" is set in the same era and combines historical fiction and Team Ninja's signature Wo Long" is set in the same era and combines historical fiction with Team Ninja's signature style of finely honed combat and fantastical, demonic elements. You are a nameless warrior, an unknown figure caught up in a great event. As if to prove that you are an unknown warrior, the first boss is the toughest in the game. Before you have any significant skills, spells, or special weapons, you encounter this giant of a man. Although he is only the first boss, there are still two formidable phases. Defeating him is the price of admission, the test that proves you are ready to stand beside the legendary heroes of China. As Wu Long seems to say, "You have to be this good to gain admission."

Being unknown does not mean feeling like an unknown. Right from the start of the match, there is a dizzying dance of spins, leaps, and kicks that echoes the tradition of the martial arts films to which the game references; Wo Long's combat is very different from that of other Soulslikes and Team Ninja's "Nioh 2." It is very different from other Soulslikes and Team Ninja's "Nioh 2," which focuses on exploiting gaps and striking deadly blows to keep one's defenses from collapsing, whereas in Wo Long, there is a constant flow of movement, rather than a back-and-forth.

This is due to the absence of stamina, a staple like soul, which is replaced by a spirit gauge. When the gauge is positive, you can attack, block, and dodge at will, but you have to watch your timing. If the player becomes too defensive, launches a series of powerful attacks, or is blocked by an opponent, his spirit will decrease, and if the gauge is negative, he will faint. On the other hand, hitting an attack or successfully deflecting or parrying can restore Spirit. The beauty of this is that if you know what you are doing, nothing can prevent you from doing it. By creating an opening with a gentle parry, dodging attacks, and running into the enemy, you can get through a fight and rack up kill after kill without losing momentum.

Even the toughest bosses can die just as easily as you can if you can keep pace with them; you can spend an hour learning and dying to a boss, and even if you succeed, you only have 60 seconds. It's always all-out effort, so the moment the fight pings, you feel as if you're performing a choreographed scene to perfection. Despite the breakneck speed of the battle, the game clearly communicates the attack, allowing me to follow the action and decide to parry in a way that games of the same genre like "Sekiro" really made me struggle.

As if this wasn't enough, you have spells and the ability to summon spirits to help you. The spells are all related to the five statuses of the game (each representing one of the five stages of the philosophy of the warrior gods) and embody the relevant element (fire, water, etc.), but you are not a wizard. A spell is not something you assemble yourself, but something you use to complement your movement, such as adding lightning to your blade or planting a circle that slows down an enemy's movement. Spirit summons are special abilities that can be invoked after the meter is full, bringing powerful beings to cover you with serious buffs. These summons are the ace in the hole for pulling victory out of the jaws of defeat. Thanks to these things, I never felt hopeless in Wo Long. Frankly, it may be the peak of action RPGs. The time between encountering a seemingly invincible enemy and absolutely kicking its ass is the shortest loop of this kind of game I've played. The word "exhilarating" is not enough to describe it.

If there is any difficulty with the design, it would be Team Ninja's insistence on handing out large amounts of randomly generated loot. It's hard not to yearn for Elden Ring's more tailor-made item placement as you organize your inventory to put away two dozen pairs of Han Officer's pants. Special weapons with their own movesets and martial arts specialties are still available, and unique options abound, but there are so many details to go over that comparing +10 health to 4.8% defense can get tedious.

Mastering combat is only part of the battle. Don't expect the vastness of the Elden Ring; Wo Long has no open world, but consists of a central hub (where you give upgrades and take side quests) and individual missions. Picking a level from a selection screen isn't as cool as wandering all over the place, but it does mean you get to experience a series of more distinctive areas. In one mission, you'll cross a rickety rope bridge over a deep ravine, and in the next, you'll find yourself in a snowy battlefield taking on a besieged castle. There are labyrinths made of shipwrecks and haunted bamboo forests. While not as wild as "Dark Souls" or "The Elden Ring," its gritty battlefield is pleasantly intricate, full of shortcuts and secrets.

Exploration, though, is not limited to admiring the scenery; every area is littered with banners as well as battle flags that serve as checkpoints. Raising a flag raises morale, increases status and decreases difficulty. Enemies also have a morale level, which is indicated by a number at the moment of collision. The moment you bump into an enemy, the number is displayed, and you can defeat it on the spot or search for it and offer yourself a helping hand. You can also demoralize the enemy by defeating the leader or wizard.

Wo Long emphasizes with this thematization that everyone is part of a larger battle. Not only can up to three players engage in full-fledged cooperative play (menu-driven for those who dislike From Software's esoteric approach) and competitive invasions, but they can also collect a roster of NPC allies that can be called upon when needed. Leveling them up and bonding with them can also provide additional benefits.

These allies can feel like friends in a way that From Software's NPC summoning never could. They were essential in several missions and I couldn't help but love them. Zhao Yun, one of the first heroes, was my main character and my best friend. Knowing more about the history of the Three Kingdoms, and the Three Kingdoms in particular, makes their appearance, whether it be in Warriors or in countless other adaptations, feel more meaningful. Like cameo appearances in Avenger movies, it's fun to have historical figures in your life.

Despite its references to history, "Oolong" puts dark fantasy front and center, shaking things up with demons that bypass the natural course of history. The monsters are hideous, more akin to body horror than mythological creatures (fitting considering that the game's producer, Masaaki Yamaguchi, worked on "Bloodborne"), and the cries of locusts eating corpses on the battlefield are truly haunting. stirring. At times, "Garyu" feels like a mash-up of genres, with the protagonist of a love story caught up in a horror story. But the two are well balanced, and while "Wo Long" doesn't create the enchanting mythology and worlds of FromSoft's best work, its mix of history, horror, and fantasy is compelling.

Unfortunately, Wo Long is marred by technical problems with the PC version. The frame rate was generally maintained at 60 fps (there is no option to unlock fps), but there were a few miserable drops that risked bringing the game to a halt. Additionally, there were a few visual bugs, such as a strange glow that covered the screen until it reloaded. We also encountered a few crashes. Tweaking the settings would improve performance, but there is not much that can be done about the glitches without a patch.

Aside from these technical shortcomings, Wo Long is a very complete evolution; it lacks the variety of Elden Ring, but its focus on martial arts in a chivalrous style sets it apart from other games. The learning curve is so exquisite that mastery feels sublime, making the challenge feel exciting rather than painful. If you like martial arts movies and action RPGs, you won't want to miss this game.