On the sidelines of the Paris Games Week, Koei Tecmo invited us to an exchange Fumihiko Yasuda etc Masaaki Yamagiwaboth producers up Wo Long: The Fallen Dynasty. The opportunity for us to learn more about Team Ninja’s next production, their vision of the Masocore genre and some hints on the studio’s future projects.
Nioh’s legacy with new features
Hello Yasuda-san and Yamagiwa-san. Last September, the first playtest of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty took place. What was the player feedback on this game?
FY: We received a lot of feedback from players. The vast majority of these were quite positive. Especially compared to those held on the license nioh, the players were really happy. It was great to be able to report this to the developers. We’ve taken player comments into account and will work to address these issues in the run up to release.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty explores the history of the Three Kingdoms and their hero, Zhang Jiao, a historical figure. The studio had already done that with the first episode of Nioh. What motivated the decision to leave this story?
FY: In the case of the Nioh series, the story takes place in the Sengoku era in Japan. For Wo Long, it is set in China and specifically on the story of the Three Kingdoms. In this particular case, there are many characters that have existed and are present in Chinese history. This brings a dramatic element to the story that unfolded during this period. All the different twists that could have happened. Being able to stage that and show it to the players is important. Having these powerful military commanders from Chinese history appear in the game, some as allies or enemies, lent itself well to the title’s action genre.
The game is built on an edgy action base. Will it be possible to take a more stealthy path?
MY: We can certainly inflict stealth hits, but there will be no stealth or stealth strategy builds. The game is mainly based on Chinese martial arts, fast action in essence. In that sense, there will be no assassin or ninja side.
The bravery/morale system is particularly well thought out. When an opponent is too strong, he invites us to look for nearby flags to reduce the difference in difficulty. Do you have other examples of in-game mechanics that tell players how to adapt to a situation?
MY: There are other aspects like the multiplayer mode that helps the player get through some complicated stages of the game not only with other real players but also with military commanders and characters. It will be another great element of this universe. On the gameplay side, there’s a lot more verticality than in our previous games, like jumping. You can climb a building and perform an airstrike on an enemy below. Players are given much more freedom of movement.
Lifetime and full cooperation
How long does it take to complete the adventure?
MY: We’re looking for Wo Long to have the same volume of content as Nioh. So if we go straight it takes about forty hours. It all depends on doing side quests and side quests.
What if we aim for 100%?
MY: At 100% we don’t know yet how long it would take, but it would take a lot longer.
Wo Long: Will Fallen Dynasty have any form of replayability?
Similar to the Nioh License, one of the things you can always do and pick up better gear, keep upgrading it. There will also be elements that will be unlocked as the adventure progresses and that can be explored for longer.
Can equipment and weapons be customized?
FY: There won’t be as much loot as in nioh, but it will be possible to find a lot of treasures by defeating the enemies. There will also be a Blacksmith who will upgrade and customize the player’s gear to their liking.
How does the cooperation work? Will it be possible for two players to play through the story together?
FY: Two possible approaches to multiplayer. You can either play with your friends or strangers, from start to finish, either way.
The Game Pass and the future of the studio
Wo Long will be the first Team Ninja game that Day One releases on Xbox Game Pass. What do you think it can do for you?
FY and MY: We think more and more games will find their way into Game Pass. We believe that the release of Wo Long on day one will be really beneficial and will allow more players to discover the game. As producers and also as developers we will be very happy if more players start playing a game that we have worked on a lot. But also for multiplayer, matchmaking and an active and healthy community in the game. Overall, it’s really something positive and a win-win situation.
Souls-like and Masocore have been on the rise for a number of years. how do you explain it
MY: It’s hard to say why it’s so popular. If I had to look at the elements that can attract gender, I would say it is the feeling of satisfaction after overcoming a challenge. And it’s not just difficult to be difficult. You can work hard, put in the time and put in the effort, there’s an element of trial and error. You must learn to overcome these trials and become better. That in itself is fun. The more Souls-like/Masocore come out, the more refined the genre becomes. And with that, there are more and more players for these types of games, which increases the affinity of the audience. Whoever says more successful games also says fewer reasons for players to leave the genre.
FY: Elden Ring also brought the genre to a new dimension by combining it with an open world. This naturally led many people to this type of game.
What are the plans for the game after its release?
FY: We announced a deluxe edition of the game with upcoming DLCs. These will be weapons, equipment, as well as story content and characters that will join the adventure. As the first part of a franchise, we want to make sure we bring lots of content and updates post-launch.
Can we consider an upcoming sequel?
FY: We currently have no plans for a sequel to Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. The team wants to focus on the game to make sure it arrives in top form. Where Long takes many elements from Chinese history, I would like to take this topic further. There is still so much to talk about, but nothing is going on at the moment.
I have to ask this question that is burning on the lips of many fans. Can we expect the return of the Ninja Gaiden series?
FY: (laughs). I have already announced Where to go etc Rise of the Ronin, which is a lot of projects going on. I see and hear the fans, I know their excitement Ninja Gaiden. At some point I would like to bring the series back. I don’t have anything to announce at the moment, but I hope the fans can wait a bit longer.
Do I understand that we will see Ryo again in the next few years?
FY: (laughs) I want to do something about this as soon as possible.
Wo Long: The Fallen Dynasty Coming March 3, 2023 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, day one in Game Pass.
