The calls for for fewer Souls-likes within the gaming launch calendar make numerous sense once they’re as formulaic and acquainted as Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.
From developer Leenzee, the debut effort is a principally competent try at a Darkish Souls expertise, nevertheless it does not do practically sufficient to face out from its many, many friends. Apart from its Chinese language aesthetics and setting, you might think about the sport in your sleep and also you’d be many of the approach there — it’s simply that spinoff.
Mazy stage design guides you thru jungles and temples, battling more and more troublesome enemies and managers, all whereas upgrading your personal stats, gear, and weapons. There’s a shocking quantity of NPCs to speak to providing quests, and a compass offers higher steerage than what’s typical of the style, however by and enormous, you’ve seen all of it a number of instances over already.
The twist is, although, that whereas Wuchang: Fallen Feathers feels overly acquainted, the Souls-like trappings it subscribes to virtually at all times produce a good expertise. It’s no totally different right here, as a fight system primarily based on dodging makes fights quick and fascinating. Then, with a singular Insanity mechanic, you possibly can remodel your customisable protagonist to unlock new talents and enhance your harm. It’s neat, and one of many few issues the title has going for it when in comparison with some other Souls-like.
Once more, it’s a completely satisfactory expertise that proves enjoyable sufficient within the second however not significantly memorable just a few days faraway from a playthrough.
It’s the technical efficiency that lets Wuchang: Fallen Feathers down essentially the most, nonetheless, at the very least at launch. You’ll be able to choose between High quality, Balanced, and Efficiency modes on PS5 Professional, however on high of them, you possibly can unlock the body fee, flip movement blur on and off, and modify the depth of discipline between low, medium, and excessive.
A PC-lite providing on paper, in observe, it truly offers you the quite distinctive alternative to decide on what technical flaw the sport will undergo from. In testing, we struggled to search out an appropriate mixture of settings, with some introducing absurd display screen tearing, extremely blurry graphics, and low-quality environments.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is gratifying sufficient with out its efficiency troubles, however with them, they’re a serious drag on the general recreation. Await them to be ironed out in post-launch patches and also you’ll discover a first rate, if formulaic expertise.