Team Ninja’s Wo Long Fallen Dynasty demo is out now on Steam and the Microsoft Store, and it’s already barrelling its way up the Steam charts as players flock to play the dark fantasy, Three Kingdoms, Soulslike RPG game from the Nioh team. While we’re just a week away from the Wo Long Fallen Dynasty release date, plenty of people are taking the opportunity to try it ahead of time.
The Wo Long Fallen Dynasty demo released on February 24 on Steam and the Microsoft Store, alongside PlayStation and Xbox consoles. It’s already proving popular, with a Steam player count of 50,790 (and rising) at the time of writing, putting it just behind Sons of the Forest as the second-highest trending game on tracking site SteamDB, with well over double the active players of new release Atomic Heart.
The demo will allow you to carry over your save data to the full game, and awards those who manage to complete the demo a special ‘Crouching Dragon Helmet’ DLC that can be used when the game releases on March 3. Wo Long is on PC Game Pass from day one – with the demo also available through Microsoft’s platform, it’s likely even more players than the 50,000 registered on Steam are already sampling Wo Long.
If you’ve yet to try it out for yourself, Wo Long Fallen Dynasty definitely bears the hallmarks of Team Ninja’s Nioh 2, although our time with the game revealed a slightly more approachable combat system with slightly fewer complex mechanics. Instead, your key tool is your dodge – a powerful manoeuvre that works a like less risky Sekiro deflect.
Deftly sidestep an incoming enemy strike and you can counter them, utilising their own momentum against them to push them down and open them up for a devastating blow. It’s an incredibly compelling mechanic, and it’s just one draw in a world filled with fantastical foes including a giant snake lady, seemingly a hybrid of Lamia and Gorgon in design; a huge ape; and several warriors on horseback that can be seen in the game’s launch trailer above.
There’s certainly plenty of reason to give the demo a try, then – not only can you get hands-on with this fantastical take on the Three Kingdoms tale a little early, but you’ll also nab yourself some nice bonus loot for doing so.
Take a look at our Wo Long Fallen Dynasty impressions to see what we thought about our own hands-on time with the game. While you’re waiting for the full release, there’s plenty more of the best fantasy games on PC to keep you busy, along with more of the best games like Dark Souls if you love a spot of challenging action.