“Following the launch of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Complete Edition on Nintendo Switch 2, our worldwide player count has surpassed eight million! Thank you for your continued support of the Wo Long series, and we hope you look forward to Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember in early 2027.”

The last major milestone hit by Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty was back in March 2024, when the company announced that it had been played by more than 5 million players worldwide across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It is worth noting that the title is also available through a Game Pass subscription, which likely played a major role in growing its audience.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty was released back in March 2023 and served as an evolution of many of the gameplay systems and mechanics that developer Team Ninja had worked on with games like Nioh. It also featured entirely new mechanics as well, like Morale, which determines how challenging combat encounters can be. It set itself apart from the studio’s other games by focusing more heavily on parrying mechanics.

In our review from back when the game first came out, we gave Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty a score of 7 out of 10 thanks to its flashy deflection system, Morale mechanic, and excellent enemy design. However, we criticized the game’s overreliance on parrying and deflecting attacks, and its poor companion AI.

In the meantime, Team Ninja has already begun working on the next game in the franchise. Dubbed Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember, the title is slated for release in early 2027 and will come to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The sequel was unveiled back in June with a trailer that gave us our first look at its visual style.

While not too many details about Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember have been revealed yet, the trailer has indicated that it will revolve around a protagonist who is trying to end a vicious cycle of conflict where everyone is vying for an elixir that can grant immortality.

More recently, the studio has confirmed that the Morale system will be getting revamped, and that Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember will also focus more on exploration thanks to its “open field” world design, which contrasts quite sharply with the more linear structure of its predecessor. Producer Masakazu Hirayama had spoken about how the studio wants to avoid the monotony that can often set in when playing games with gigantic open worlds.

“Regarding the monotony of open-world exploration, this time it basically depicts an entire battlefield. Changes on the battlefield will affect the outcome of the battle, causing changes in other parts of the scene as well. I think this will alleviate the monotony to some extent.”

The studio has also spoken about new additions to the combat system.

"When you take a closer look at exactly what you’re getting, the shine starts to fall off a bit."

Right off the bat, Hell Rising doesn’t quite feel like a compelling deal, since it doesn’t really add too much to the core of Nioh 3. Sure, the engaging gameplay remains, and there are a few new encounters as well as an entirely new weapon type. However, when you take a closer look at exactly what you’re getting, the shine starts to fall off a bit.

Let’s get this out of the way; Nioh 3: Hell Rising recycles quite a few things from the base game. Many of the “new” enemy types you’ll encounter are things you’ve already fought before, and eagle-eyed fans will be able to spot returning creatures like Nuribotoke and Jakotsu-Baba. While we’ve already faced off against these enemies in the base game, the DLC tries to freshen the encounters a bit by adding some extra hurdles, like surrounding them with more mobs that you also have to deal with.

Hell Rising is rife with enemies reused from the base game but there are a few additions here and there. A few yokai boss encounters return as well, like the Giant Toad and the Onmoraki. However, the vast majority of the bosses I encountered during my time with Hell Rising were largely humanoids, like Berenguela the Whimsical. These fights are certainly interesting, since they all tend to have fun movesets that you have to work around and are typically just as fast as you, if not even faster. However, what the human bosses offer in terms of pure gameplay tends to also contribute to the overwhelming feeling of Team Ninja not being at its creative best with boss design variations.

Regardless, I had some memorable experiences. One of my personal favorite boss encounters was one against a pair of ninjas and a Robust Spear Samurai. The fight against the three enemies was made interesting due to the fact that, while the two ninjas are working together, the Samurai is hostile to everyone present in the room. Add on that the claustrophobic boss arena, and it was a constant clash of blades and explosions going on all around me.

"Samurai and Ninja styles all get new martial options that revolve around the new weapon’s gameplay style"

One of the highlights of Hell Rising is the Hoko & Shield weapon archetype, which pairs a short spear with the defensive capabilities of the shield. Both Samurai and Ninja styles support the archetype, and while you can experiment with the moveset quite a bit, it largely comes down to some of the strong attacks being able to mitigate incoming damage from enemies. The closest comparison I can think of for this weapon is the Charge Blade from the Monster Hunter series, where certain moves end in a “Guard Point” that, when properly timed, can allow you to stay on the offensive while blocking damage without interrupting your combo. The Hoko & Shield similarly rewards aggressive gameplay, and in the hands of a truly skilled player, it will likely be a sight to behold.

Thankfully, you don’t have to get too far into Hell Rising to try the weapon out; you’ll get your hands on your first Hoko & Shield quite early on. Both Samurai and Ninja styles get new martial options that revolve around the new weapon’s gameplay style, with some boosting your damage with small pokes and giving your blocks a counter-attack in case you favor a more cautious play style. Fans of the pistol weapons also have plenty to look forward to thanks to the addition of ninjutsu techniques that enhance that style of gameplay. The best thing about these additions is just the sheer amount of options available to players going through the game now. Nioh 3’s buildcraft is definitely going to get a lot more interesting.

Speaking of Samurai and Ninja styles, even the new Hoko & Shield archetype offers some varying play styles between the two. While the Samurai style tends to stand its ground with the new weapon, especially when using the heavier attacks, the Ninja style is more focused on quick evasions that can be paired with the quick jabbing attacks of the Hoko & Shield to reposition yourself. The difference in playstyle between the two is quite stark even with the addition of just one weapon.

Ninja players get access to some fun new water-based elemental abilities, as well as boosts to status effects, and even new techniques that emphasize aerial movement, even allowing you to use items right after an aerial counter.

The story in Hell Rising is a major disappointment. Much like the base game, the narrative here doesn’t really do much to push you forward. Following the events of Nioh 3 where Takechiyo has been made the Shogun of Japan, the protagonist learns that the Crucible is coming back, and with it, all of the demonic forces that he already fought off. To stop this from happening, Takechiyo travels forward in time to Edo in 1651.

"The level itself makes the DLC’s story feel grander and more interesting than the actual writing."

We don’t really get much out of this narrative aside from the setup and the ending, and the story simply comes down to a series of new fights that Takechiyo must win in order to once more banish the Crucible. While you do meet a few new characters along the way, like the opening boss Yagyu Jubei, they don’t do much to push the story forward either, and even their colorful personalities that can often shine through in a few moments largely tend to fade into the background as you make your way through the world.

The DLC also makes a strange decision by ending things with a cliffhanger, which will likely get resolved when the second story expansion, Bloody Insurrection, comes out. All in all, things end on a low point with regards to the overall quality of the story. I was simply left wanting more once I completed the expansion.

Speaking of which, the new zone brought into the game with Hell Rising does a lot of the heavy lifting with regards to the quality of the DLC. You get a rather colorful open field to explore, and it isn’t strictly divided into distinct levels. The map is a large one, and there’s an impressive degree of variety present here, with the player getting to travel through villages that are filled with attractive colors, creepy underground levels, dense forests, and even strange libraries that reminded us of Bloodborne. An interesting note here is that the level itself makes the DLC’s story feel grander and more interesting than the actual writing. The pacing of the new zone is done quite well, starting off with a war-torn take on Edo’s castle before you move on to exploring more of the surrounding areas in your attempts to destroy the Crucible.

On the performance front, we ran the game on a PC equipped with an RTX 3080 Ti, a Ryzen 9 5950X, 32 GB of RAM, and an SSD. Even with every setting cranked up to the maximum, frame rates remained largely stable, with only occasional drops. Nioh 3 is one of 2026’s best-looking games, and Hell Rising continues that legacy.

Generally speaking, Hell Rising’s appeal depends on whether you were satisfied with the base game’s existing formula. If you loved Nioh 3, then Hell Rising is a great excuse to dive back into the game. If, however, you wanted more from the base game in terms of narrative and enemy variety, you’re out of luck here, since the DLC continues to deliver the same core experience. While the new zone itself is quite fantastic, and there’s plenty of fun to be had with the Hoko & Shield once you get used to its gameplay style, the lack of new yokai bosses and the abundance of humanoid encounters are certainly a disappointment.

To conclude, with a five-to-eight-hour runtime and a $20 price tag, Hell Rising simply doesn’t add enough to Nioh 3 to justify the cost for anyone other than die-hard fans of the base game.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Hell Rising takes players to Edo in the Keian era, where the region has been taken over by the Crucible. This has also sparked intrigue surrounding the Spirit Stones, which players will be thrown in the midst of.

Along with new missions and enemies, the Hell Rising DLC also introduces the new Hoko and Shield weapon categories. The developers have described these new weapons as being able to “combine the offensive capabilities of the short spear and the defensive capabilities of the shield”. Players can test out their new weapons with the Hundred Demon Realms Picture Scrolls, which are used to set up customizable battles that can be repeated.

The DLC introduces a new difficulty mode as well, with additional benefits that provide options for more character builds. Other gameplay additions include new Guardian Spirits, Martial Arts, Skills, Ninjutsu, and Onmyo Magic, all of which can work in tandem to provide interesting ways to take on combat encounters.

Following the release of Hell Rising, Koei Tecmo has also confirmed that the development team has started working on the second expansion for Nioh 3, dubbed Bloody Insurrection. While it doesn’t yet have a release date, the Season Pass indicates that it will be out by February 2027.

Our first look at the Hell Rising DLC came thanks to a trailer from last month. In the trailer, Takechiyo found himself confused by his surroundings, since he was unknowingly transported to 1651, where they had mysteriously died in the future, which led to the Crucible coming back. Some of the characters that players will get to fight alongside are Yagyu Jubei and Rodrigo.

Nioh 3 was released back in February, and while general reception has been quite positive, studio head Fumihiko Yasuda acknowledged in March that it’s a “great game” that isn’t yet quite “perfect”.

“Nioh 3 is a great game, but it’s not perfect. I think there are a lot of things that we could improve upon. We want to take that knowledge that we gained with Nioh 3 and open-field elements and to be able to work on that, and hopefully incorporate and improve upon that in future titles as well.”

Similarly, producer Kohei Shibata also spoke about player feedback regarding Nioh 3, noting that “we do hear the criticism” about the general lack of enemy variety throughout the Soulslike game.

“But some people might have felt that there was a little bit of variety lacking there. So we do hear the criticism, and we do hope that, if there are future titles, we can improve upon this. We would like to take that opportunity to look into that and see what we can do better.”

For more details about Nioh 3, check out our review.

You can now wall-run and attack in the air, further leaning into the Chinese martial arts that defines its identity. Much like the first game, environments will have verticality, though you thankfully won’t take fall damage. As for combat, Wo Long 2 will implement a new mechanic that players must use rather than simply deflecting everything.

Aside from the new open-world structure, you can expect to battle multiple bosses once more. However, Team Ninja is focusing on improving their AI and reducing instances of the player being off-screened into an early grave.

Based on everything revealed thus far, it seems that Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember is looking to address its predecessor’s shortcomings. Performance remains a big question mark, but for now, we’ll wait and see how it fares (especially if a free demo is on the cards).

The release date has yet to be revealed, but you can expect Wo Long 2 to launch sometime in early 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Yes, you read that right. Producer Masakazu Hirayama also told Automaton China (translation via WCCF Tech) that the previous system, where you needed to plan flags to raise morale, is being changed. “This time, with the open world setting, the morale system will indeed be adjusted to reflect this change. Specific details cannot be revealed at this time; we can only say that the morale system still exists, but it will be different from before.”

Of course, the exploration is also seeing revamps. This time, your actions on the battlefield will actually have an impact. “Regarding the monotony of open-world exploration, this time it basically depicts an entire battlefield. Changes on the battlefield will affect the outcome of the battle, causing changes in other parts of the scene as well. I think this will alleviate the monotony to some extent.”

It’s worth noting that this “open world” structure could take more than a few cues from Nioh 3. The latter’s developer avoided the moniker – instead opting for “open field” – as you essentially explored regions with various quests, points of interest, shrines and whatnot, slowly growing in power before venturing into the Crucible.

Whether Wo Long 2 will take the same approach or embrace a true open world like Rise of the Ronin remains to be seen. Either way, it’s an exciting proposition, even if it doesn’t do much to alleviate performance concerns.

Out in Q1 2027, Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. It’s also launching on day one for Game Pass.

While the entire series is available to experience, you can expect rebuilt cutscenes and new “story developments” which involve fighting the Nine Titans. Omni-Directional Mobility Action is apparently more flexible (with the option for simple controls), but the Titans will be less predictable, making for more engaging battles. And if that wasn’t enough, you can take on Special Exterior missions to battle alongside other squadmates in the wild.

Besides the Standard Edition, there’s also a Digital Deluxe Edition for $89.99, which includes the base game, 72 hours’ advance access (except on Switch 2, and a Character Customization Pack. There’s also the Original Equipment Pack, Starter Item Pack and digital official art book.

If you played Attack on Titan 2 and Final Battle, then good news – you can transfer your save data for a bonus in-game gift, though how that works will be revealed later. Stay tuned for more updates and gameplay en route to the title’s release.

In the short term, the company wants to release “six major console and PC titles, 19 mid-range titles, and two (already announced) original online and mobile titles.” This is part of its larger plan to “build a portfolio that combines not only major titles but also mid-range games”. Among the bigger games slated for release in the fiscal year are Attack on Titan 3 and Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember.

Earlier this month, Attack on Titan 3 got a brand-new trailer, confirming that it is being developed for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2, and is slated for release this winter. Along with showcasing some epic fights against the game’s various titans, the trailer also went into detail about how players will be able to strategize with their allies and ensure that their gear is good enough to take on its various challenges.

Along with this, Koei Tecmo also confirmed that the studio behind the final season of the Attack on Titan anime, MAPPA, is producing a unique opening animation for Attack on Titan 3. This production will involve storyboard artist, key animator, and scene animator Arifumi Imai. More details are slated to be revealed about the opening animation as we get closer to the game’s release.

As for Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember, Koei Tecmo hasn’t revealed any details since it unveiled the game last month during the Xbox Games Showcase. The trailer it was announced with showcased some of the game’s slick action and visual style, and provided hints that the main narrative will revolve around the player trying to bring an end to an endless cycle of violence. The trailer also featured plenty of gameplay, giving us a look at some of the epic boss fights from the game.

As its name might imply, it is going to be a sequel to 2023’s Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, which was released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Earlier this month, Koei Tecmo had revealed that the success of Pokémon Pokopia came as a surprise. President and CEO Hisashi Koinuma noted that the company didn’t really have high expectations for the title.

“From among our spin-off titles, I do feel a strong sense of accomplishment. We worked to make it the best-selling spin-off game, but before launch there weren’t any real expectations (laughs). However, directly ahead of launch, lots of overseas media played it and rated it very highly, and then I felt it spread from there.”

For more details, check out our review of Pokémon Pokopia.

If you’re confused like Takechiyo, the story sees them travelling to Edo during the Keian Era in 1651. Despite becoming Shogun, they mysteriously died in the future, leading to the Crucible’s re-emergence. Working alongside Yagyu Jubei and Rodrigo, they seek to discover what’s happening, taking on Yokai, rebels, foreign alchemists and much more.

To even the odds, new weapons have been introduced, including the Hoko and Shield (complete with a Ninja version). It’s great for blocking attacks, after which you can stab with the short spear or use the shield as a ranged weapon. Aside from new enemies, equipment, bosses and Soul Cores, the DLC also adds The Enlightened One’s Journey, Nioh 3’s take on New Game ++, with better loot and a level cap increase.

If that wasn’t enough, you can partake in Hundred Demon Realms Picture Scrolls, which involve clearing difficult customizable battles, leading to earning the scroll itself as equipment, complete with unique effects. Best of all, you can play them solo or with others online.

Stay tuned for the launch of Hell Rising in the coming weeks and for more information on the second paid DLC, Bloody Insurrection, which launches in February 2027.

In the gameplay shown off, the player is able to explore the world of Attack on Titan and even make use of environmental hazards to slow titans down. Along with this, players will also have to strategize with their allies and craft better gear. There also seems to be a buff system in the title that revolves around the kinds of food you eat before setting off on a mission.

Among the highlights of Attack on Titan 3 is the inclusion of Exterior Scouting Missions, where players can freely explore the world outside of the city’s walls. In these missions, players will have to construct supply bases and take on dangerous titans and, in the process, expand humanity’s domain. Exterior Scouting Missions will also have an emphasis on resource management, since players will have to deal with running out of ODM (omni-directional mobility gear) fuel and blades.

Attack on Titan 3 was unveiled in early June with a trailer, and Koei Tecmo has described the title as being a conclusion to its trilogy. Taking on the role of a Scout Regiment member, players will get to experience the major historical events that end up shaping the world of Attack on Titan. Along the way, players will also deal with allied members of the regiment, each of whom has their own unique skills that can help you out in crucial battles.

As a treat for fans of the original Attack on Titan anime, MAPPA – the studio behind the anime’s final season – will be producing a unique opening animation for Attack on Titan 3. This means that action scene animator, storyboard artist, and key animator Arifumi Imai will also be involved in the creation of the opening. More details about the opening animation will be revealed as we get closer to the title’s release.

Koei Tecmo’s series of Attack on Titan adaptations began back in 2016 with the release of the first game. Covering the first season of the anime, the title also included story elements from future episodes that hadn’t yet been aired. It was originally released for PS4, PS3, and PS Vita. A follow-up – Attack on Titan 2 – was released in 2018 and focused on the events of the first two seasons of the anime. It also got an expansion pack, dubbed Final Battle, that brought in events from season 3.

Neither Koei Tecmo nor Omega Force has revealed any details about the story of Attack on Titan 3. However, considering the fact that it is going to conclude the trilogy of games, it will likely involve the events of the anime’s finale.

Well, I can’t say it clicked for me personally, but there’s definitely a lot of potential for this one to work its magic on fighting game enthusiasts who love nothing more than a deep combat system that’s mechanically accessible but quite challenging to get right in the heat of battle.

Let’s begin with the mechanics. The controls are quite simple, although I quickly remapped the buttons for the hold function, switching them up with the inputs for punches and kicks to a layout that made sense to me, and the option to do so is a welcome addition to this one. You’ve got inputs for punches, kicks, holds (which I’m going to talk about in a bit), throws, and a special input that lets you pull off a flashy combo to gain a bit of breathing room in a fight.

That’s excellent in terms of making the game welcoming to newcomers, and the tutorial that you can dive into at the start of the game does a good job of introducing you to the basics. This is where the Break Gauge comes in, giving you access to two important meter-based options: Break Hold and Break Blow.

This is where things get interesting. At 50%, it lets you use Break Hold, a meter-based counter that can answer high, mid, and low strikes when timed correctly. At 100%, you can cash out with Break Blow, the heavier cinematic attack. Fatal Rush, meanwhile, gives newcomers a simple way to apply pressure and can flow into that bigger payoff when the gauge is full. It creates a neat push-and-pull: do you spend meter defensively to escape pressure, or save it for a more damaging offensive sequence?

It’s great because it brings in a tactical layer to a combat system that would feel a tad insipid without it. Do you use your Break Gauge to stay on the defensive, or preserve it to unleash Break Blow and a more damaging offensive sequence? It was definitely a highlight of the combat system for me, and it is one of the mechanics that make DOA6 stand apart once you begin to understand its rhythm.

As for the rest of the combat, I’m personally more inclined to the dial-a-combo mechanics in games like Mortal Kombat and Injustice, but DOA6 does bring the potential for chaining together combos with juggles and launches once you get the hang of things. With that being said, actually pulling those off is going to take a significant amount of time with a character, as you learn their animations and figure out their moves.

For this review, I spent time sampling a wide range of the roster rather than fully mastering one or two characters, so my impressions here are based more on broad feel than high-level character knowledge. I’d recommend picking a couple of your favorites and sticking with them before you begin to branch out. The Story Mode is a good place to start since you’re going to be given control of a significant chunk of the game’s roster, which is good for finding the ones you want to devote yourself to learning.

Of course, knowing your opponent’s moves is also key to victory, given that you’re going to have to time those Break Holds to the last second if you want to pull them off. That’s where the DOA Quest and Arcade Modes come into play.

The former is a great way to fine-tune your mastery over the various mechanics you’ve got at your disposal, while the latter lets you pit your skills against a rotating roster of combatants, letting you gain the much-needed knowledge required to take them down in a fight.

I’d pick Survival Mode for that very purpose, since it involves single-round fights that give you a chance to quickly test your mettle against as many different fighters as you can in a short period of time. Of course, Arcade and Time Attack are equally handy, and the difficulty options on offer work well to gradually ramp up the challenge.

I must say that anything above Medium is going to be an uphill climb, though, and it’s where you’re going to have the most fun once you put in enough hours to learn your character well. Just know that this one’s going to take time and patience before its depth reveals itself to you, but it’s certainly worth sticking with when the results are as satisfying as they are.

"The online modes should have been the star of the show, but the lack of rollback netcode, cross-platform play, and crossplay with the original DOA6 seriously hampers its ability to stay interesting."

But that also leads me to my biggest complaint: the online modes should have been the star of the show, but the lack of rollback netcode, cross-platform play, and crossplay with the original DOA6 seriously hampers its ability to stay interesting. My time with Ranked Mode saw very long waits to get into a single fight, and laggy inputs and freezes made stringing together even a basic combo a chore.

It doesn’t help that wait times for a match ranged from nearly three minutes at best to more than five minutes to find an opponent on occasion, a detail that had me sitting in front of my console aimlessly doomscrolling on my phone before the game finally told me I had somebody to play against.

That was with the highest possible connection quality selected, and it’s an omission that’s probably going to cost Last Round quite dearly. Finding a lobby was equally tedious, presenting me with long waits before telling me there wasn’t one available. It was time that I could have otherwise spent fine-tuning my skills in the elaborate Training Mode, or perhaps even playing the story.

The story on offer may not be as egregious as the Online option, but it doesn’t come with enough to serve a purpose other than acting as a trial run for a significant part of the game’s roster. Your mileage with it is going to vary depending on how engaged you are with the franchise’s lore, but as someone more interested in the fighting itself than the franchise’s lore, I found myself dropping off in favor of the Arcade options fairly quickly.

The presence of an expansive roster of fighters is certainly welcome, although I do take objection to Mai and Kula Diamond still being locked behind a paywall. The teased debut of Minato, a brand new character, would have me intrigued if a lot of the game’s roster didn’t feel different enough from each other for them to be unique.

Sure, fighters like Brad Wong and his drunken style immediately stand out, but while approaching the roster broadly rather than from a competitive DOA background, some characters made a stronger first impression than others. Long-time players will obviously find more nuance in their move sets over time, but several fighters initially blurred together for me.

"The game still gives players plenty to work through, with a sizable roster, varied fighting styles, and enough unlockables to keep completionists busy."

However, the upgraded visuals and frame rates definitely made fights look and feel smoother than what’s on offer in the PS4 version. The loading times are vastly improved, too, but that’s not really a surprise at this point in the current generation of gaming hardware. On my base PS5, the visuals, frame rate, and load times were excellent, and I found no hints of frame drops or bad textures during the dozen or so hours I’ve sunk into Last Round over the past couple of days.

The arenas are quite cool, looking really good, while there are enough ways to use the environment to your advantage. I only saw one stage transition over my time with the game, but they’re quite hard to pull off, needing you and your opponent to be in the right place at the right time. The one I saw was cool enough, involving my opponent crashing through multiple wooden boards on their way down to the next stage in a well-animated sequence that looked like the fall really hurt. It was cool enough to make me want to find more of them.

The game still gives players plenty to work through, with a sizable roster, varied fighting styles, and enough unlockables to keep completionists busy. The post-fight reward system is generous enough to make getting to them a challenge without it feeling too stingy, and you’re probably going to enjoy that more than fighting online if you ask me.

That brings me to Photo Mode, which lets you pick two characters and a stage, and then set up shots with the option to set poses via a frame-by-frame selector for each character, set expressions, and generally set up the shot you want quite well. It’s going to keep you entertained for a while if that’s something you like to do in your games, but it isn’t anything special either.

"If you’re a DOA fan who skipped the original DOA6 release, Last Round should still entertain you despite the online mode needing improvements."

With all that’s been said, it’s time to answer the all-important question: should you buy this one? If you’re a DOA fan who skipped the original DOA6 release, Last Round should still entertain you despite the online mode needing improvements. If you’re an existing owner, the lack of a cheaper upgrade option is a bummer, and I wouldn’t recommend paying full price for this one. If you just like fighting games in general and want something that lets you dive into some well-tuned animations and comes with a fair bit of mechanical depth, this one is worth picking up on sale.

Last Round’s good, but not good enough to be a must-have day-one purchase. You’re going to want to try out Core Fighters, the free-to-play variant, first to see if it’s something that interests you.

I’m probably going to spend the weekend trying to learn my favorite fighters and perhaps have an evening of local matches with my buddies, but this one doesn’t have enough meat on it to remain a title that I’d keep going back to, and that’s a damn shame given its combat system’s depth.

It’s still a good enough way to cope while you wait for whatever comes next for Dead or Alive, though, so that’s something.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.