Few developers have successfully replicated the Dark Souls formula in a way that keeps true to their own brands like those at Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja. The two cooperatively developed the stunning Ninja Gaiden remakes (which could be considered Soulslike precursors), and the Soulslike-inspired Nioh games. Ninja Gaiden protagonist Ryu Hayabusa even appears in both Nioh games. Nioh and Nioh 2 are especially significant as they are filled with brilliant visuals, mesmerizing soundtracks, and challenging forms of combat.
All areas of Nioh and Nioh 2 can be explored and re-visited on the main map menu, allowing for a significantly sized in-game world mainly set in Japan. The first Nioh game has a few levels in London, but that's it. The two games span from the late 1500s to the early 1600s. Now, Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo aim to give ancient China the same treatment with their newly announced Soulslike Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Though the aesthetic of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty appears similar to that of the Nioh games, the historical period is considerably earlier, taking place in the late Han Dynasty circa 184 AD. Wo Long's visuals are on track with Nioh's, showcasing vibrant colors against stark backdrops of death and destruction. Many of these colorful images appear connected to magic and otherworldly creatures, much like in Nioh.
Just as the Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty trailer builds to reveal a gigantic dragon creature with piercing red eyes, the music that swells in the background is suspiciously reminscient of Nioh. It's an eerie choir-like sound that is prevalent through both Nioh games. The similar soundtrack might even suggest a connection between the two games' mythologies.
Along with the fantastic visuals and soundtrack, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's trailer depicts the main character, who will be fully customizable like in Nioh 2. The protagonist is engaged in complex combat throughout most of the trailer. He is seen blocking, dodging, flipping, and parrying attacks on a chaotic battlefield before he starts to glow with what presumably is a form of magic. The complex combat likely means Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will feature a similarly satisfying combat system like the Nioh games.
What the Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty trailer does not show (but what the developers have promised) is a large-scale in-game world. Because Wo Long is set in China, it affords Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo a more vast setting than Japan to explore. Though the in-game world will be much bigger than Nioh and Nioh 2, it likely won't be a free-roaming open-world game. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will presumably feature a main map screen, showing all the in-game locations spread throughout the world as its predecessors did in Sengoku Japan. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is certainly a Soulslike to keep an eye on, as it promises a fascinating world of rich visuals and stunning gameplay in line with Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo's other masterpieces.