Still having fun with this, but finding myself wanting to like it rather more than I think I acutally do.
It feels like for evey step foward TN have made since Nioh they've made another step backwards (notwithstanding that the Nioh games both got considerably better with DLC).
I like the idea of being able to respec infinitely and freely and try different strategies for different bosses. I find myself quite liking the morale and fortitude system too. It's a new mechanic that adds some options to the process of grinding up for tricky enemies for those who like to do that. I like how satisfying it feels when you deflect a red attack or pull off a deflect counterattack. It really feels impactful. There's a snappy and meaty feel to the combat overall in this title. Also, it now plays okay with mouse and keyboad and I've had no crashes.
But... it feels like has less depth than TN's previous games. Magic seems very underwhelming, and I miss the way you could mix up the abilities, spells and weapon stances from Nioh. The pacing of combat can feel very off for some bosses, too. Given how little damage you do with normal attacks or spells, it seems geared to waiting for their red attacks for big deflect-counters. But that is very RNG. I've had boss fights where I've spent ages chipping away with attacks and deflecting normal attacks just waiting for a power attack to deflect that they refuse to do. And others where the same boss will pull out red attacks one after the other and open themselves up very quickly. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but it feels to me like the snappy combat invites aggression but it doesn't pay off.
It doesn't feel like there's that much at stake with build choices either, other than the utility effects and weapon scaling you want. Maybe it opens up a bit more later on, but early game (well, I say early, but I'm nearly 10 hours and several bosses in now...) it feels a bit lacking. Or maybe it feels like you need to spec up specifically for countering certain elements, which I guess is depth of a sort, though I do prefer having a solid build idea along with a playstyle I can hone.
Typically for me, I have breezed through the bosses everyone else seems to be struggling with and died multiple times to the "easy" ones. First boss fpr me was an absolute cakewalk - he was done in barely a minute without even needing a health potion. Then the second boss who everyone seems to find a pushover ("I could beat it with my feet" as I saw it put somewhere) killed me around 15 times. Oh well, this is the way.
Overall, having seen how From took their formula forward in Elden Ring, I was really hoping for a similiar sense of scale and progression from Wo Long, but so far, whilst it does move certain things on from TN's other games, I get a sense of "Nioh Lite." I am going to persevere, though. I am definitely having fun, but just tinged with an edge of disappointment.
