A brand-new Souls-like adventure from Team Ninja is called Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. The game, which is a spiritual successor to Nioh and its sequel, offers a dark fantasy twist on Chinese mythology with a difficult learning curve and a wide range of release platforms. During today’s tech analysis, we’ll be analysing the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and the older Xbox One and PS4 consoles. There are a total of 11 ways to play with seven consoles and two modes on each of the current-generation consoles. As would be expected, some alternatives are massively superior to others. The finest gaming options are Series X and PS5, but there are interesting plot twists along the road as well.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s performance and resolution modes run at 60 frames per second rather than the usual 30 and 60 that we would expect to see in a current-gen game. The only visual difference between the modes is the resolution they aim for; both offer uncapped frame rates as well. On PS5 and Series X, the performance mode has an internal resolution of 2240×1260 while resolution mode aims for 2560×1440. Really speaking, there isn’t much of a visual difference between the two modes, and the performance mode helps each console in settling on a tighter 60 frames per second lock.
While small battles and exploration run smoothly at 60 frames per second on the PS5’s resolution mode, there isn’t enough GPU headroom for more complex effects work. Drops in frame rate into the 50fps range, occasionally into the 40s, are brought on by fire spells, habitable operations, and counterattack particle effects. No of the mode, the game’s endings are limited to 30 frames per second (with irregular frame-pacing). Similar events occur in Series X’s resolution mode, which provides a little higher average frame rate. A VRR display works wonders for both machines in this mode to level out the varying frame rates. Yet, because it allows for far longer stretches of 60 frames per second and less severe frame rate dips, performance mode is eventually the better mode.
There are two sports modes in Series S as well, however this time, the frame rate is affected. While the performance mode seems to aim for 60 frames per second, strangely enough, it also renders at 900p as its native resolution. Resolution mode renders at 900p at 30 frames per second, but with irregular frame-pacing. The good news is that Series S does a great job of maintaining 60 frames per second in its performance mode. The resolution counts don’t vary significantly, but it’s plausible that DRS was used more aggressively to help the performance mode achieve 60 frames per second. As a result, it is clear that the 60 fps performance level is the greatest option here because it has a frame rate that is comparable to the best of the PS5 and Series X.
On appearance, Series S appears to have done okay since then, but there is an associated cost with its primary visual settings. Series S has inferior shadows, textures, and even physics. And if you ignore the fact that it supports 60 frames per second, the game’s visuals start to surprisingly replicate a last-gen experience.
Let’s take a look at the downgrades one by one. Since Series S uses lower-quality components for mountain walls, rocks, mossy terrain, and other textures, it is clear that the texture mapping has been affected. Moreover, the scenery’s shadow detailing is lost, and the sharpness of the transparency effects also suffers. For Series S, the quality and density of the sprite work employed for plants have both decreased. The draw distances for grass are also farther away from the player, although the draw distances for geometry and shadows are equal. Most unexpectedly, though, is the considerable reduction in cloth physics. In Series X and PS5, the flag checkpoints, for instance, dynamically billow with the wind; but, in Series S, you simply get a simple scripted motion. even movement. Here, there is more scrambling in the movement, which degrades even the motion blur. Wo Long is perhaps one of the most aesthetically distinctive Series S releases—in a bad way—but the last-gen machines demand even deeper cuts.
Beyond the discussion of accuracy and performance, any tech review of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty must acknowledge the game’s faults and the need for plan helps. We’ve noticed visual issues when playing, including flickering shadows on both old and new Xbox consoles and a single multi-second freeze on Series X. Additionally distracting are the frequently missing shadow maps, which leave entire patches of grass and terrain devoid of ambient occlusion and shadow. The best-case scenario
hardly qualifies as “next-gen,” not even on PS5 and Series X. Wo Long has the appearance and feel of a 60-frames-per-second last-gen product in both instances. Fortunately, the SSDs included inside the PS5 and Series X/S ensure that loading times are much quicker than on PS4 or Xbox One.
It’s difficult to avoid having déjà vu after just reviewing Wild Hearts, another Koei Tecmo-produced game from a different developer. Even while Wo Long and Wild Hearts heavily borrow from other media, they are both enjoyable, mechanically sound games with tight combat, excellent art direction, and unique locations. I’d suggest both of these, but due to their shaky technical execution, particularly Wo Long’s frame-pacing troubles on last-gen and Series S’s simplified aesthetics, any advice must be qualified. The PS5 or Series X is without a doubt the best platform on which to play these titles. I simply wish these games would scale down to the less powerful devices more elegantly.
