Wo Lengthy: Conqueror of Jiangdong DLC Assessment (PS5): Uneven Territory

Wo Lengthy: Fallen Dynasty‘s first enlargement, Battle of Zhongyuan, was a by-the-numbers affair. It demonstrated why Workforce Ninja’s motion recreation excelled whereas additionally not addressing its faults. Conqueror of Jiangdong, the second DLC, is in an identical boat and has a handful of unbelievable and difficult boss fights. However whereas its positives are nonetheless evident, this follow-up enlargement additionally extra clearly factors out Wo Lengthy’s shortcomings.

Wo Lengthy continues to be — and can seemingly all the time be — a implausible motion recreation with clean controls. Melee bouts are quick, and deflecting blows is a responsive central mechanic that may greater than assist your complete recreation. In contrast to Lies of P, the window is a little bit on the large facet, however this enables gamers to really feel extra highly effective with out requiring perfection. Utilizing the stamina-like Spirit Meter intelligently (which this replace has additionally buffed) is an easy-to-grasp mechanic that yields extra depth with out overcomplicating all of it.

There simply aren’t many new enemies to train these fight talents on. Its lobster creatures are each foolish and an amazing addition to the bestiary, however there’s not a lot else moreover that; even the degrees themselves don’t stand out from what Workforce Ninja has already created. Conqueror of Jiangdong’s handful of phases has the everyday jungles and wet shipyards which can be additionally within the base expertise. Nioh 2’s DLC improved over time by going an increasing number of fantastical so as to stand out from the bottom recreation, but those self same ideas haven’t been utilized to Wo Lengthy.

The brand new boss fights fare a little bit higher however are unnecessarily hamstrung. As is the case with virtually each different a part of Wo Lengthy, these climactic showdowns are held again by the pleasant AI. They both make battles laughably straightforward or create an excessive amount of chaos and artificially crank up the issue. Whereas they’re seemingly meant to dial down the general stage of problem and create a extra distinctive expertise, they simply make Wo Lengthy worse.

Nonetheless, these showdowns are nonetheless good at their core, and that is solely evident if gamers exit of the way in which to dismiss the AI or play the facet missions that strip away companions. This enables gamers to truly study patterns and persist via talent, not luck. Each one in all these bosses is excellently designed and has a ton of strikes that require speedy reflexes to deflect, so it’s disappointing that these higher battles can solely shine in optionally available quests. The final boss doesn’t get its personal facet mission, although, and is likely one of the hardest and most rewarding fights in the entire recreation. Though, that’s solely evident after dismissing each dumb allies which can be simply liabilities carrying armor.

Pleasant characters diminishing Wo Lengthy’s fight was an issue within the unique marketing campaign however is much more prevalent and annoying right here. Any irritation like that’s solely going to compound if it retains taking place, and this DLC has given it that area.

This holds true for Wo Lengthy’s different annoyances, like its straightforward problem and countless provide of ineffective gear. Conqueror of Jiangdong isn’t a lot of a problem, particularly for anybody who has completely mined the remainder of the sport. These comparatively easygoing ranges make the ultimate boss much more stunning for the reason that problem spike is so ludicrously sudden and steep. There’s additionally a brand new function that routinely sells armor, weapons, or equipment underneath a sure threshold when resting at a battle flag (which is useful), however it doesn’t handle the underlying drawback of how bloated its gear system is. 

The one new notable piece of kit is the brand new weapon: the lengthy sword. It’s terribly defined within the temporary tutorial pop-up, however it’s an attention-grabbing blade that’s constructed round charging assaults. Charging doesn’t go away gamers completely weak, both, because it’s nonetheless doable to deflect incoming blows whereas focusing. Parrying whereas charging builds energy even quicker, so it incentivizes and rewards expert play and those that are keen to threat enjoying offense and protection on the similar time. As was the case with the cestus gauntlets in Battle of Zhongyuan, Workforce Ninja has repeatedly proven its knack for creating distinctive weapons that may change how the sport is performed.

Wo Lengthy: Conqueror of Jiangdong DLC Assessment: Closing Verdict

Workforce Ninja nonetheless can’t inform tales, although, as Conqueror of Jiangdong’s cutscenes are nonsensical and haphazardly stitched collectively to justify going to every stage. And whereas the plot doesn’t matter right here, it’s one more instance of how the studio is treading water with Conqueror of Jiangdong. This sophomore enlargement consists of some superb boss fights, however ones which can be nonetheless sullied by unhelpful allies and relegated to facet missions. These hiccups sit on prime of the sport’s small pile of issues that’s slowly rising because the DLC rolls out. Wo Lengthy continues to be a high quality motion recreation and Conqueror of Jiangdong is a reminder of that, however it additionally factors out — and magnifies — its weaknesses.

Disclaimer: This Wo Lengthy: Conqueror of Jiangdong DLC assessment is predicated on a PS5 copy offered by the writer. Performed on model 1.018.000.