Item: WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers
Rating: 4.9
Author: Gamohol

In a world filled with soulslike action RPG games, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is set in the land of Shu during the latter part of the Ming Dynasty, at least that’s how the game is marketed. Fortunately, WUCHANG is more than just another soulslike, it’s a game that can stand on its own two feet. Let’s talk about it.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Visuals Review: Art Direction, Animation, and Performance

In terms of graphics, I can’t say anything bad about WUCHANG. It’s a gorgeous game, and the game’s choreography is top-notch. It’s beautifully animated, and the game performs well even on lower-end PCs.

The world around Bai Ziyun, or Wuchang, as the game would introduce her to us, is masterfully crafted, blending the best of Chinese culture with existentialist dread-inducing imagery that’s long since been associated with soulslike games. Every detail is placed with the intention of telling a story.

The character designs are amazing. Every second of the game felt like I was immersed in an Xianxia story. The enemies all look varied enough for me to understand the difference in their combat patterns and the bosses are all either mired in tragedy or dread.

WUCHANG is definitely one of the more good-looking games in recent memory, and they wear that technical achievement with pride.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Combat Review: Weapons, Builds, and Challenge

I’m a big fan of action RPGs, and one of my biggest gripes is that most action RPGs don’t allow users to use a spear as their main weapon. It’s one of the most beautiful weapons in Xianxia and Wuxia and being able to use a spear among many other weapons is a godsend, at least in WUCHANG, where every single bit of combat power is needed.

I don’t think WUCHANG is particularly difficult for the sake of being difficult, at least in terms of being a soulslike game, but it still provided a worthwhile challenge especially for enemies that the players meet for the first time.

The combat is a bit closer to Sekiro and Lies of P than other more prominent soulslike games. A lot of the combat patterns in this game is a bit deceptive in that it takes more than a few tries to fully understand and learn an enemy’s kit.

The game features an extensive weapon system, including one-handed swords, spears, and even magic. Players can let Wuchang wield whatever weapon they want, along with magic, basically, you’re free to play the game however you want to, and that’s a good thing because we all have our own ways of dealing with the Demon of Obsession, no? (That’s a bit of an inside joke, go play Wuchang to find out why!)

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Bosses and Combat Feel: Gimmicks, Screen-Filling Fights, and Consistency

One of the more common complaints with WUCHANG is that the combat sometimes feels too gimmicky. Some of the wilder boss monsters take up the entire screen, or at least what feels like it while having the mobility of a much smaller and more agile creature.

While that may be true, I think that it provides a consistent experience like the other soulslike games before it. I think that this is a common experience among this genre.

On a more positive note, during my full experience with WUCHANG, I never experienced any bugs, sudden shutdowns, or even weird glitches with the assets or landscape.

WUCHANG is an experience I went into blind, no trailers or second-hand opinions, and even after a year or so of it being out, it was still one of my best gaming experiences in recent memory.

STREAMER SCORE

Performance
Streamability
Audience Engagement
Replayability

4.9

Summary

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers stands out among soulslike action RPGs thanks to its strong art direction, smooth performance, and combat that leans closer to Sekiro and Lies of P. It has a flexible weapon system, satisfying spear play, and boss fights that can feel gimmicky at times, but the overall experience remains consistent and memorable.