Soulslikes are a dime a dozen, yet the multi-layer, fast-paced, and exciting gameplay of Wuchang Fallen Feathers does enough to stick out in a crowded genre.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers really started to click for me once I learned how to leverage the clash mechanic.
There are a lot of gameplay ideas in Wuchang — we’ll get to ‘em more in a bit — but clashing allowed me to hit through enemy attack animations, deflecting most of the damage. With the blademaster buff activated, I was even able to heal when clashing. Suddenly, I could scrap with a boss for a moment and come out of a combo no worse for wear while my enemy couldn’t say the same. I felt just as powerful as the bosses the game threw my way. I didn’t need to focus on blocking and parrying, but instead on relentless attacking; the game let me engage with it on my own terms, how I wanted to.
This being a Soulslike, however, I still occasionally get my ass kicked until it’s as red as pirate warrior Wuchang’s eyes.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is the latest entry in the overcrowded Soulslike space, with seemingly many games announced nowadays riffing on the formula FromSoftware cracked open more than a decade ago. FromSoft is still the king of the genre, but plenty more devs, like NeoWiz and Round 8 (Lies of P) and Team Ninja (the Nioh games, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty), are putting up a worthy fight of their own. Developer Leenzee throws its hat in the punishing ring with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, its Soulslike with a well-crafted combat system that alone makes that game worth checking out.
You play as Wuchang, an amnesiac pirate with a bad case of a mysterious plague. She awakes in a cave near a temple and ventures off in search of answers, both in terms of her affliction and her past. In true Soulslike fashion, the storytelling in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is opaque, told through NPC dialogue and the environment, with its battle-damaged terrain in parts and villagers hiding behind closed doors. But you’re likely interested in Wuchang for its soulslike gameplay, which it delivers in spades. You’ll explore largely linear interconnected levels dotted with traps, secrets, and, of course, enemies to slice your way through.
