Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty vs Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Which is the better Soulslike game?

Team Ninja's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty revolves around the Three Kingdoms era of the Later Han Dynasty in Ancient China. The game is the successor to the Nioh series, one of the most acclaimed titles during its release.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was 2019's Game of the Year by FromSoftware and CEO Hidetaka Miyazaki. It was the first title to introduce bespoke fighting mechanics in the Soulslike genre. The game had high expectations, which it surpassed.

This article will compare these Soulslike titles, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

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Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is similar to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice but different in a lot of ways

Difficulty

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has a variety of huge bosses, but most of them tend to give opportunities to attack with every perfect deflection. These enemies usually take a slight pause after attacks.

The game also allows up to two companions during battle who are decently powerful to change the course of the fight.

The bosses of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice come in different shapes and sizes. The course of the fight goes on at an extremely fast pace which makes it difficult to perform counterattacks on them. It takes a lot of effort and perfection to overcome the problems. But to make proceedings more frustrating, bosses perform imperious stances and moves that can only be dodged.

Sekiro provides a better challenge to players compared to the semi-forgiving nature of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

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Combat mechanics

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty contains a lot of different combat mechanics. It has a spirit bar system that gathers spirit with every perfect action, but loses it with every miss.

Once the meter is filled, players can inflict critical damage. But it does not end there. It also has Wizardly Skills that players can use to perform magic and Martial Arts to enhance their weapon power.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, on the other hand, does not appeal much to the health system but promotes a posture mechanic.

Parry is the key, and the game rewards the player for every successful deflection, which initially stacks up and breaks the posture of the bosses and ends the phase immediately. The game also contains various Combat Arts, which can be learned to perform different skills during the fight.

Although Sekiro has one of the most enjoyable combat mechanics, Wo Long can influence the fight in a more approachable way because of the various options.

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Storyline

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty occurs in the second century during the Three Kingdoms era. The game is a mixture of mythology and stories about rulers passed down from different generations. The narrative is mostly linear and progresses after defeating every boss.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is based during the Sengoku period and portrays multiple connected storylines. The story is highlighted by Wolf, the protagonist who must protect his master Kuro.

As the story progresses, it goes deep and shows different prospects of emotions among different characters. Players can find scrolls and talk to NPCs around different locations to get an in-depth view of current affairs.

Sekiro can be considered the winner here due to its ability to portray multiple narratives in a well-explicated manner.

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Endings

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has three good conclusions and a bad ending which alters with every decision, quest completed, and storyline progression. Meanwhile, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty supports a single ending.

Sekiro is the winner here due to its increased replayability.

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Conclusion

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the clear winner of this comparison, as the title provides a challenging environment, a better storyline, and more replayability for Soulslike fans.

Those who want to try out the difficult genre for the first time or play casually should opt for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.