“When first facing a boss, you usually start out in despair, thinking there is no way you can beat it. Figuring out when a boss is open to attack and finding clues on how to beat it through trial and error by yourself is what I see as the most enjoyable part of a boss battle. Not giving the player too many hints is something we’ve been conscious about since the Nioh series, and that hasn’t changed for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.”
So says Fumihiko Yasuda, the brand head of Team Ninja and the producer of Wo Long. While the design philosophy of Wo Long’s bosses is very much in line with that of Nioh – the developer’s first Soulsborne title – there are also quite a few elements that are unique to Wo Long’s Chinese martial arts based combat. The most distinctive feature of Wo Long’s more fast-paced, smooth combat is Deflect, a move that can be activated by pressing the dodge button at the right moment to parry an enemy’s attack. Deflecting attacks lowers the enemy's Spirit, ultimately allowing the player to unleash a powerful Fatal Strike that inflicts massive damage. If you want to defeat bosses efficiently, Deflect is key, Yasuda says.
“Utilizing Deflect to reverse the tide of battle in a satisfying way is one of Wo Long’s most unique features,” says Yasuda. “First, you will need to learn the motion of a boss' attack patterns before you can react. I think that this cycle is what makes Wo Long stand out."
No matter how strong and overwhelming a boss' attacks might appear, theoretically, any attack in Wo Long can be parried with Deflect.
“I personally find it impossible, but I'm looking forward to seeing videos by players who can dodge every single attack in the game," says development producer Masaaki Yamagiwa.
Learning enemy attack patterns and timings is key to victory in Wo Long, but of course that’s not the only thing you will be doing.
“If you successfully Deflect, not only does the enemy’s Spirit decrease, but your own Spirit gauge simultaneously increases,” says Wo Long director Masakazu Hirayama. “Special attacks like Martial Arts and Wizardry Spells consume the Spirit gauge. That means that the more attacks you Deflect, the more special attacks you’ll be able to use. Figuring out which Wizardry Spell is effective against a certain boss or what Martial Art works best against it, and using your Spirit gauge accordingly, is another important layer of strategy.”
“Of course, even if you’re using the same Deflect technique, the timing is drastically different depending on which boss you’re facing,” adds Yasuda. “For a more agile type of boss, you will need completely different timing compared with when you’re facing a bigger boss with heavy attacks. At first, it might be difficult to successfully utilize Deflect, so it will be important to learn the attack motions and habits of each boss.”
Wo Long’s Morale Rank system plays a big role in how difficult you want these boss fights to be. Both the player and enemies have a Morale Rank that is subject to change when the player defeats or is defeated by stronger enemies and by discovering War Flags through exploration. By raising your Morale Rank, you can increase your advantage against a boss. In other words, to a certain extent, the Morale Rank system allows you to decide just how much of a challenge you want Wo Long’s bosses to be.
“Even during battle, it’s actually possible to decrease a boss’s Morale Rank by successfully utilizing a Fatal Strike,” says Hirayama. “Gaining advantage as the boss becomes weaker due to your actions should add a dynamic layer of change to Wo Long’s combat and the sense of being on a battlefield.”
Different from a level-based progression system, Wo Long’s Morale Rank can increase or decrease during battle. In the end, it all comes back to the game’s Deflect mechanic. If you want to decrease a boss’ rank through a Fatal Strike, you’ll first need to Deflect multiple enemy attacks in order to wear down its Spirit.
According to Yamagiwa, Wo Long’s bosses can be classified into different types.
“Since the game is set in the Three Kingdoms period, there will obviously be warlords to fight,” Yamagiwa says. “When they appear as bosses, they stand in front of the player as superhuman beings. There are also demon bosses, which are often ominous giant creatures. Demon bosses provide an entirely different kind of intensity when compared with the warlords.”
The warlords’ characteristics are not only reflected in their visual design, but also in their behavior and attack patterns.
“Some warlords are strategic, while others are more powerful,” says Hirayama. “For a warlord like Zhang Fei, we would want him to have devastating powerful attacks. If the warlord is more of a shady type, they may use a throwing tool or a despicable throw move. We are always conscious of the boss' movements so that they do not diverge from the image of the warlords themselves."
Lu Bu, the strongest warlord of the Three Kingdoms period
As an example of a warlord boss, the Team Ninja developers explain the flow of the game’s epic battle against Lu Bu, one of the most famous warlords from the Three Kingdoms period.
“Lu Bu is not only one of the period’s most well known and popular warlords, but also one of the strongest,” says Yamagiwa. “The main point of Lu Bu’s boss design was that we want people to feel just how strong he is. At the same time, if he can’t be beaten the game doesn’t function, so we had to be very careful to strike the right balance."
At the start of the fight, Lu Bu will be riding his horse, Red Hare. Later, he gets off the horse and attacks with his iconic weapon, the Sky-Piercing Halberd.
“As a boss, Lu Bu goes back and forth between a mounted state and a state in which he fights you on foot,” says Hirayama. “You could say that you’re experiencing two different types of enemies in one boss battle. He is so powerful in his mounted state that even a single hit is dangerous. When he is on the ground, he attacks violently with his Sky-Piercing Halberd and bow and arrow. The heaviness and speed of his attacks change drastically depending on if he is mounted or not. When he is mounting Red Hare, to some extent it is easier to Deflect his attacks. When he’s on foot, it becomes more realistic to guard against his attacks, so you will have to figure out when it is best to Deflect."
With his bow, Lu Bu can simultaneously fire 10 arrows. It’s the sort of superhuman attack that only someone like Lu Bu would be able to perform. That being said, you might be able to use it against him.
“It’s possible to jump over the arrows he fires at you, Hirayama explains. “If you succeed, you might be able to get near him and attack from a closer range.”
During a livestream at last year’s Tokyo Game Show, Yamagiwa fought against Lu Bu. However, even as a developer on the game, he barely stood a chance against the merciless warlord.
“If you are crushed by him countless times, just remember that it’s Lu Bu, the strongest warlord of the Three Kingdoms period,” says Yamagiwa. “Even if you win, it will be a tense, nerve-racking bout.”
According to Yamagiwa, players will fight Lu Bu somewhere in the middle of the game. Based on his explanation, it doesn’t seem to be an event that forces you to lose. Historically, Lu Bu does not die until he is executed by rival warlord Cao Cao, so it will be interesting to see how the battle will end. At the very least, it won’t be an easy one.
The demons inside the warlords
While warlords are human, in Wo Long’s dark fantasy setting it is possible for them to turn into a demon.
"Warlords may transform into a demon by taking a dangerous serum,” explains Yamagiwa. “Once they become a demon, their power and feelings will be manifested in a distorted way."
Zhang Liang, the warlord who sacrifices humanity for his brother
Zhang Liang, the boss players faced in Wo Long’s demo last year, becomes a demon in his second phase. As the younger brother of Zhang Jue and Zhang Bao – the leaders of the Yellow Turban Rebellion – he calls himself the “General of Man”. He is one of the first bosses you will face in the full game.
“When fighting Zhang Liang, many players probably aren’t completely used to the game’s mechanics yet,” says Yamagiwa. “His first phase allows the player to figure out what kind of game Wo Long is and how systems like Deflect play out in a boss battle. Then, when he reaches the second phase, we simply want players to lose hope and confidence,” Yamagiwa laughs.
While partly functioning as a tutorial, once he changes into a demon, it’s fair to say that Zhang Liang turns into Wo Long’s first serious challenge.
“Of course, we have designed it so that in the end players will be able to overcome him, but we hope that you will enjoy the difference between Zhang Liang’s different phases,” Yamagiwa adds.
“Once a character becomes a demon, the energy of their greatest strength will increase,” explains Hirayama. “In Zhang Liang’s case, that is his powerful left hand, and his weapon solidifies with red energy. Whenever a boss becomes a demon, its attacks will also evolve. On the other hand, you can weaken it by destroying the red energy.”
“For warlords, turning into a demon means that they are prepared to die, as they are aware that the serum they need to take will have a dangerous effect on their bodies,” Yamagiwa adds.
“I shall not betray my brother’s trust…” In the demo, these are Zhang Liang’s last words before he turns into a demon. Yamagiwa’s explanation makes it clear that Zhang Liang is sacrificing his humanity for his brother. It will be interesting to see if and how his brothers will appear in the full game.
According to Team Ninja’s Demo Feedback Report, in the full game Deflect will be easier to use and the process of using the recovery item Dragon's Cure Pot will be shortened. This means that Zhang Liang’s second phase might be a little bit more manageable than it was in the demo. We’re pretty certain that he will still be a serious challenge though. This is a Team Ninja game, after all.
Demons based on Chinese legends
Bosses that appear as demons off the bat are often huge and powerful creatures. While quite different from the historic warlords, these demons were designed to match the Three Kingdoms period setting in their own ways.
“All of the demons that we have designed for Wo Long are based on ghosts and monsters that appear in ancient Chinese legends and texts,” says Hirayama. “While their design has been arranged to fit an action game, I think you’ll be able to enjoy demon designs unique to Wo Long’s Chinese setting.”
Unlike humanoid bosses, most creature-type demons are gigantic four-legged enemies. In addition to them being visually impressive, Yasuda says fighting these behemoths is a different experience.
“The movements of a humanoid boss and four-legged bosses are completely different,” says Yasuda. “Wo Long is designed to allow players to enjoy these variations to the fullest."
Aoye, a hairball of horror
Aoye is a fictional creature that appears in the ancient Chinese text Shan Hai Jing, also known as Classic of Mountains and Seas. It is described as a bull-like being with long hair reminiscent of a straw rain-cape. In Wo Long, Aoye appears as a giant monster that attacks with its long hair and creepy tentacles.
Classic of Mountains and Seas is thought to be the world’s oldest geography book, and contains information about the wildlife and vegetation of China’s different regions. However, the text contains many ghosts and other fictitious beings, of which Aoye is one. According to Classic of Mountains and Seas, Aoye is a white bull-like being, with long hair like a straw rain-cape and four horns. Also, it eats humans.
“We thought that it would be interesting to focus on Aoye’s straw rain-cape-like hair and mix it with the scary image of long hair in Japanese horror movies,” explains Hirayama. “We came up with the concept of making Aoye’s hair undulate like a tentacle, and make it use its hair for everything it does.”
While it often lays itself open to attack, each of Aoye’s strikes are heavy and can be fatal. Aoye also has an attack that spreads ice throughout the battle area, which makes it necessary for the player to fight carefully within a more confined environment.
Hirayama shares a strategy tip: "In line with the five elements of conflict, ice can be counteracted by earth, so you can use Earth Phase Wizardry Spells to eliminate the frozen area."
Of course, these are only a few examples of Wo Long’s many bosses, but it’s enough to see the variation of terror that Team Ninja is attempting to bring to the table.
“Bosses are the toughest enemies in action games, so we want to make sure they are challenging in a way that makes sense to the player,” says Hirayama. “When defeated, the player should feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. With power and intensity in all of their motions, we made sure that each boss feels unique. We hope that players will enjoy the fast flow of attack and defense that occurs as a result of Wo Long’s Deflect and Spirit systems."
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is set to release on March 3 for PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/PC and will be available on Xbox Game Pass day one. With Wo Long as January’s IGN First, expect many more exclusives throughout this month. Be sure to check out our gameplay video of the Tianzhushan area and Aoye boss fight video, as well as a detailed article on the game’s weapons.
Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan.
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