WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers

Wuchang Fallen Feathers would be a fantastic Souls-like with insanely fun mechanics that are innovative, but it is all buried under performance issues that hurt the experience.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers sets itself apart from other soulslike games through some unique features like the weapon upgrading system. Thanks to a very solid combat system and smooth traversal between areas, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers makes the journey more entertaining than usual. Not tying players to a single weapon for an entire playthrough and letting them choose which weapon to use when facing a specific boss is not only a bold design decision, but also one that elevates Wuchang: Fallen Feathers above some of the best games in the genre.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers feels like a fresh take, forgoing staples like overencumbrance and a reliance on parrying for faster, more aggressive action and stunning set pieces.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers isn't a soulslike without its problems, quite the opposite. And that's a shame, because despite all these issues, the game is convincing: the combat is fun, the setting is appealing, it can be spectacular without overdoing it, and it's also quite long. But then you fall to the floor and get a few extra slaps, you die to a boss and have to walk all the way back, you enter a room and find yet another stupid enemy hidden in a vase, and well, a lot of the charm is lost.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a shockingly great time. Fans of hardcore action RPGs won't want to miss out on this one. Every aspect of the game has been made with clear passion on display.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is incredibly impressive when viewed as the first game project developed and released by Leenzee. It’s ambitiously put together when it comes to the marriage of its various flexible gameplay systems and a game world that’s constructed seamlessly. Its depiction of the late Ming dynasty is fascinating because it isn’t afraid to show the brutal circumstances that loomed over this time period, even when separated from all of the dark fantasy elements that provide flavor to it. I enjoyed my time a lot with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, but its horrid performance and optimization on PC unfortunately damaged my overall enjoyment.

With Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, the wheel hasn't exactly been reinvented, but it's certainly been well-oiled! It takes the popular Souls formula and adds some useful innovations that make the action a bit more action-packed and fast-paced. Souls fans shouldn't miss this game.

Compared to Elden Ring’s chaotic open world, Fallen Feathers is refreshingly focused. The world of Shu unfolds intricately and progression feels like following a line of knotted string. Scratching a path through the labyrinthine mercury mine where a wrong turn can see you plunging to your death feels intense and that’s before you stumble out into dark graveyards strewn with living corpses that grasp at you from every angle. It’s familiar, fantastical stuff.

Overall, while Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has some notable flaws and may require some balancing, the game offers fresh and innovative elements that make it enjoyable and memorable.

While it doesn’t reinvent the Soulslike formula, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers executes the fundamentals with confidence.

If you like the classic souls-like formula, Wuchang Fallen Feathers is a truly exemplary textbook case, but which adds some very welcome touches of originality to freshen up the experience. The Chinese title thus offers a generous, exhilirating adventure, with a level design that is as well executed as it is beautiful to contemplate, and spectacular fights, perhaps a little too much against bosses with increasingly unbridled power requiring you to have a near-perfect mastery of its gameplay. In any case, the Middle Kingdom has here again a very good big-budget game, which proves solid in everything it undertakes, but perhaps a little too conventional for those allergic to a genre that is nowadays a bit saturated.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a stylish and creative game, with an inspired setting, some clever mechanics, and incredible visuals. However, the game struggled with its storytelling, and I suspect many mechanics will be divisive for genre fans. Though I’m sure many will love it, I personally feel Wuchang’s feathers are a little too ruffled to soar.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a pure Souls-like that has absorbed and spat out what all its predecessors in the genre have been able to do in recent years. Overall, a satisfying experience that's worth its €49.99 price tag, even if it doesn't reinvent the formula and probably won't be remembered for years to come. A good summer experience for all fans of the genre, with killer gameplay, even if we'd have liked a little more simplicity in some of the game's systems, which are too complex at times for very little in the end.

Challenging, exciting, accessible, and beautiful: Wuchang pays homage to Dark Souls while still managing to stand on its own two feet.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has qualities that are both appealing and well-executed. With solid art direction and an excellent progression and customization system—for both the protagonist and her equipment—it's clear that Leenzee Games paid close attention to the details surrounding the gameplay. Unfortunately, it’s the gameplay itself that ends up holding the title back when compared to recent competitors like Lies of P or The First Berserker: Khazan. Overall, Wuchang is a good recommendation only for those who, like me, are die-hard fans of the souls-like genre and are willing to overlook some frustrations with its combat and boss encounters—or for those curious enough to try it out via Game Pass.

If you enjoy Soulslike games, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers offers some fun moments, particularly in its combat. However, the frustrating controls are hard to overlook.

A narratively weak Soulslike, it nevertheless boasts a brilliant and challenging combat system and fresh ideas. On top of that, it has one of the best game worlds in the genre and stunning visuals.

What ultimately sets Wuchang apart is how it handles progression and customization. The Madness system adds a layer of risk, allowing players to trade safety for higher damage, while the Inner Demon mechanic creates tension without being overly punishing. The skill tree is deep but flexible, letting players reset one point at a time for free, which opens the door for testing different playstyles without starting over. Magic and melee are both viable, though neither is allowed to dominate, thanks to elemental resistances and boss-specific counters. Benedictions and Temperance bring added depth to weapon builds, while the armor system demands regular adjustments based on damage types and status effects. Altogether, these features give Wuchang a sense of depth that's easy to overlook at first glance, but becomes more impressive the longer you play.

Wuchang brings some fun ideas to soulslike boss fights, but the rest of it is a pale imitation of much better games.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers exceeds all expectations as this year's GOTY-level soulslike. Leenzee finds new remedies for the chronic pains endemic in the genre, and its semi-open world is enriched by Chinese culture and masterful level design. However, framerate drops and familiar UE5 optimization problems can't be ignored.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is a surprisingly polished title—arguably one of the best Soulslikes in recent years outside of FromSoftware’s own works. Leenzee has thoroughly deconstructed and internalized the core philosophy behind Soulsborne-style interconnected map design, crafting a world with its own distinctive take on the genre. The combat system, centered around the "Xuyu" mechanic, stands out for its unique identity, offering both approachability and a high skill ceiling, while delivering a distinct visual and mechanical flair compared to its peers. While the game occasionally suffers from overambition and balance missteps in its early to mid-stages, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers still delivers an irreplaceable and rewarding experience, making the dozens of hours invested feel both worthwhile and memorable.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a solid soulslike game with some unique systems that sets it apart from its contemporaries. Combat is flashy and fun, but it's bundled with some frustrating boss and movement mechanics. Still, a stunning world and excellent dungeon exploration make Wuchang: Fallen Feathers worth trying.

If a high difficulty level was blocking you from trying various soulslikes, Wuchang can act as a gateway game to this genre. It will teach you the basics without punishing you too hard, but most likely will quickly fade from your memory. A few interesting ideas are not enough to outweigh the fact that Wuchang simply lacks personality.

While plenty of soulslikes have fantastic peaks, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is one of a select few that know how to make the valleys feel worthwhile.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is a solid Soulslike offering an interesting setting steeped in Chinese history and lore, and well-crafted interwoven mechanics that power satisfying combat. However, uninspired level design, mediocre PC performance and a formula that relies a little too much on the genre's conventions hold the experience back a bit, making it worthwhile only for fans of the genre who haven't had enough of it, and are willing to look past some shortcomings.

WUCHANG's emphasis on being creative with builds to find the best one for you, with its key to exploring Shu's vast lands to collect the best items, is what makes WUCHANG a soulslike that shows there is much more to be done in this genre.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers follows the classic Soulslike formula, offering challenging and engaging combat. However, its poor level design and underwhelming gameplay structure hold it back. While the game presents some promising ideas, weak execution keeps it from reaching its full potential, resulting in a mostly average experience.