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In soulslike video games, whenever you get knocked down, you retain getting up and attempting once more. That is why the sub-genre continues to flourish to today. The cycle of repeatedly dying whereas slowly studying a boss’s assault patterns ultimately results in a shocking and fulfilling victory when it is defeated. In Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, nevertheless, generally you keep down as a result of you possibly can’t rise up in time.
Although my very own assaults barely trigger bosses to flinch, many are in any other case capable of fairly simply stunlock me, knocking me right down to the bottom the place I slowly, laboriously attempt to rise – giving simply sufficient time for it to cost up one other assault to kill me earlier than I may even regain management, not to mention my composure.
These have been a few of the issues I had with the sport’s in any other case extravagant fight. However like some other soulslike, I persevered and discovered the right way to alter to its mechanics to beat its spectacular boss fights. It additionally helps that the journey in between these fights feels worthwhile, with dungeons crammed with hidden paths and rewards, in addition to sightseeing the breathtaking recreations of historic China’s landscapes.
Dynasty warriors
Quick Information
Developer: Leenzee
Writer: 505 Video games
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Collection X/S
Launch date: July 24, 2025
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers follows a younger lady named Bai Wuchang, who’s contaminated by the Feathering Illness. This illness drives its victims mad, however Wuchang is in some way extra proof against its results, and units out on a journey to uncover the secrets and techniques of the illness. It is set in the course of the late Ming dynasty, with varied Chinese language historic figures featured within the story as NPCs.
Regardless of the intriguing premise, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ cryptic story is tough to comply with. This challenge is exacerbated by the truth that NPCs present up at random areas throughout your journey and spout background details about the bosses and enemies you have confronted to this point. Whereas taste textual content is appreciated, the NPCs seem so sporadically that I will normally overlook what I had discovered beforehand from one other one a number of hours earlier. This makes it laborious to piece collectively a coherent story, and all too simple to only cease paying consideration.
Nonetheless, I do not actually go into soulslikes for the story, and Wuchang is not any totally different. That is extra of a vibe session about persevering by magnificent surroundings. The environments are completely gorgeous, with dense forests, elaborate temples, and vivid tundras. As somebody who’s additionally Chinese language, they evoke emotions of familiarity, as I’ve seen historic paintings depicting these environments in work hung round my childhood dwelling. Since developer Leenzee Video games is a studio primarily based in China, I can really feel that they crafted the settings with meticulous authenticity.
There’s additionally substance to again up the model too. Exploration is extremely enjoyable and rewarding with divergent paths to search out useful gadgets and powers on the finish. As a rule, I might discover consumable Crimson Mercury (this recreation’s model of Souls/Runes) or a small therapeutic merchandise like Steamed Buns that will assist me on my journey to the following save level. It by no means felt like I picked up a ineffective merchandise. The additional consumable Mercury I had available was all the time simply sufficient to push in direction of buying a brand new degree up, and utilizing the smaller therapeutic gadgets let me preserve my well being flasks for after I wanted them essentially the most. Discovering secrets and techniques and shortcuts to your earlier save factors is gratifying too.
Wuxia arts
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ mechanics are the place most gamers will both be turned away or totally embraced. Fight revolves round pulling off flashy abilities and chaining assaults, making it a blast to play if you happen to’re expert sufficient to execute your combos. Equally to Black Fantasy: Wukong, your major defensive tactic is dodging. By timing your evasion accurately, you are rewarded with a single stack of Skyborn Would possibly, which powers up your abilities and spells, making them stronger and do extra harm when consumed.
Enemies are extremely tough to stagger and this finally ends up normally ruining your combo potential.
Not solely are you rewarded for enjoying properly defensively, but it surely additionally encourages you to remain on the offensive. It is a balancing act that stops fight from encouraging turtling up or attacking continuous. No less than, that must be the case in principle.
Actuality is a bit totally different. Enemies are extremely tough to stagger and this finally ends up normally ruining your combo potential because you may be hit out of it. And this challenge is extra pronounced throughout boss fights. I discover that many bosses do not present sufficient openings so that you can punish them after efficiently avoiding their combos. After doing so, I might go in and start to execute my very own combo, however since bosses are tough to stagger, my chain of strikes will get interrupted. Because of this, I am always on my backfoot and taking part in a extra defensive recreation, ready for the very best time to strike.
Soulslike video games are recognized for encouraging you to be taught the assault patterns of bosses with a view to finest them, however that is much more so with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. A go-to technique of mine was wielding my longsword with its Blink Kick talent. After I’d discover a gap, I might shut in and ship a devastating kick that normally staggers, then I might again away and repeat it time and again. If I could not get a number of small hits in with out with the ability to stagger the enemy, I figured I simply get one massive strike in and retreat to security.
It additionally takes perpetually to recuperate when knocked down. In comparable video games like Nioh or Elden Ring, you possibly can normally dodge roll in a special path if you happen to’re toppled over, permitting you to bounce again somewhat shortly. However Bai Wuchang has little to no invincibility frames throughout her lengthy animation getting again up. This nearly ensures that the boss will join with a follow-up assault, knocking you over as soon as once more, and almost definitely killing you. It is demoralizing and makes fights extra annoying than they need to be.
Regardless of that, boss fights are additionally surprisingly simple with a couple of problem spikes each as soon as and some time. By simple, I imply that boss assaults are predictably choreographed and haven’t got as a lot area-wide protection as I anticipated from different soulslikes. This makes them simple to dodge and keep away from harm. The primary cause I might typically lose is as a result of I might get too grasping about getting a final hit in earlier than the boss assaults.
One other design resolution I’ve seen with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and its bosses is the relative lack of shock second section fights. In most different soulslikes, there is a first rate variety of boss fights the place after you have taken down their first kind, a cutscene performs and now you are preventing their second kind. It may be extremely discouraging to search out out that the primary section you have had a lot bother profitable in opposition to and working by your whole therapeutic flasks was solely simply the primary half of the combat. This was a difficulty that plagued Khazan: The First Berserker earlier this 12 months.
Whereas there are some boss fights in Wuchang which have two phases, they’re nowhere as frequent right here and I actually respect it for doing that. When two-phase bosses are overused, it lessens their impression and makes them really feel low-cost. Wuchang solely pulls them out a handful of instances, making these specific boss fights really feel way more rewarding than traditional whenever you lastly overcome them.
Customized Wuchang
You are inspired to experiment with the totally different weapon varieties.
Wuchang’s customization and talent tree choices are plentiful and really feel distinctive in comparison with most soulslikes. It is harking back to the Sphere Grid from Ultimate Fantasy 10 and it is intuitive to make use of. There are 5 totally different sorts of weapon varieties: axes, spears, twin blades, one-handed swords, and longswords. As an alternative of a devoted common block or parrying mechanic, every weapon has its personal distinctive defensive talent, which makes them act form of like conventional RPG courses.
For instance, the spear has the Aerial Bulwark talent. When timed proper as an enemy hits you, you will evade and launch a counter. The twin blade is ideal in opposition to enemies and managers who wield blades, as it will probably conflict with their weapons and cancel out their incoming assaults. In case you’re searching for a standard block mechanic, then the axe has that. So primarily based on the way you sometimes play soulslikes, you may go for a sure weapon sort. It is an fascinating tackle the standard block and parry mechanics discovered within the style. It takes some time to get used to, however that manner you are inspired to experiment with the totally different weapon varieties.
That is additional supported by the truth that you possibly can respec your talent tree at any time totally at no cost. That freedom is paramount and takes away the concern of whether or not you invested within the fallacious construct. Moreover, Wuchang’s fight makes use of Swift Draw, the place in case you have two weapons geared up you possibly can devour one Skyborn Would possibly to unleash a particular brutal swap assault as you immediately swap weapons. Switching between your arsenal retains fights recent and allows you to chain collectively some satisfying combos.
Apart from the varied weapons, there are a number of different assaults, like spells, to make use of. By stacking Skyborn Would possibly, you possibly can incorporate magic spells into your combos. A few of my favorites are the Echo of AI Nengi, which summons an enormous bow to shoot 5 thunder arrows, and the Echo of Huang Yan, which requires a swarm of bugs to assault enemies. It is a ton of enjoyable customizing your arrange of weapons and spells because of the talent tree’s fluidity.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a strong soulslike recreation, but it surely takes some time to get used to its quirks. The story is somewhat uninteresting, however fight is certainly greater than makes up for it. Nonetheless, the bosses’ unwillingness to flinch generally makes their fights irritating and might get in the best way of the wonderful wuxia choreography-style combos that Wuchang in any other case tries to encourage. Its historic tackle historic China is a gorgeous one with wealthy environments to take a look at, and whereas some gamers might fall off, it is nonetheless setting out on this journey.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers was reviewed on PC, with a code offered by the writer.
