2025 is quite the year for souls-likes. After having reviewed The First Berserker: Khazan and the Lies of P DLC, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has come to prove itself to me. Sure, this particular action RPG subgenre may be a tad oversaturated at this point, but this year has provided some exceptionally strong titles, with Wuchang being no exception.
In fact, Wuchang may very well be the strongest contender so far, delivering a shockingly fantastic experience. Make no mistake about the game’s lower price tag, as what’s here rivals the cream of the crop. It may be easy to dismiss this title on the basis of it being yet another souls-like, but here’s why you may want to reconsider that notion.
Frightening Feathers
The events of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers occur during a grim, fantastical interpretation of the late Ming Dynasty. A strange disease known as the Feathering has been corrupting the Land of Shu, including our titular pirate protagonist, Wuchang. As the name implies, those afflicted with the Feathering have to deal with literal feathers growing on their body, but that’s not all there is to it.
As the disease progresses, memory loss occurs, and it transforms its victims into monsters. However, despite Wuchang being an amnesiac herself, she somehow still retains her agency and can use the Feathering to her advantage. As such, these feathers become a central game mechanic, allowing her to utilize powerful spells against her enemies.
As far as apocalyptic sicknesses in souls-like go, Wuchang‘s is a pretty neat one. It serves as an intriguing introductory point to the game’s world, making the player want to unravel the mysteries going forward. If that isn’t enough to hook you, I’m sure the game’s gorgeous presentation will.
A Painting in Motion
Even on its lowest settings, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a treat to look at. The Land of Shu is concept art come to life with its beautiful lighting and scenery. It’s rare that a game has my mouth agape in awe of its visuals, but this is very much an exception to that. Breathtaking views are a common sight in Wuchang, making exploration all the more exciting.
I can remember one point in particular as I entered a giant room inside a palace, bathed in rays of warm light, verbally uttering to myself “that’s freaking beautiful”, albeit with stronger language. These serene moments outside of combat are truly rewarding and make the experience that much more memorable.
From white, snowy mountains to lush, green regions, Wuchang features a healthy variety of environments to explore. The Land of Shu truly feels like a fully realized world with plenty of history behind it. However, just because it looks pretty doesn’t automatically make it fun to explore.
A Journey to Remember
At first, the game’s fancy graphics had me skeptical. I couldn’t help but remember last year’s Black Myth: Wukong, a game held in high regard by many, but a title that I have great apathy for. Sure, on the surface, it has some fantastic art direction and some insanely detailed environments, but the level design itself was among some of the worst in any action game I’ve played.
Fortunately, the more I played Wuchang, the more my fears dissipated. The level design found here is among some of the most engaging in any souls-like I’ve played. These locations don’t just feel like a backdrop for combat or shallow spectacle; they’re meant to be explored.
While still a linear game, these levels are largely constructed in an open-ended manner. With tons of shortcuts and branching paths, Wuchang is more than happy to reward observant players. There are many items and hidden treasures to find, with many of them being incredibly useful.
Furthermore, checkpoints aren’t always easy to come by, increasing the sense of risk. There’s a sense of progression in not only combat skill but map knowledge as well. Finding the most efficient routes through areas never ceases to be satisfying, and likely lends itself well to casual speedruns.
Wuchang‘s Satisfying Combat System
Of course, a good combat system is vital to any souls-like experience, and Wuchang feels fantastic to play in this regard. I mostly stuck with long swords throughout my playthrough, and every swing is animated with satisfying precision. Thanks to this, it doesn’t take long to get acquainted with a weapon’s capabilities and limits.
What really makes the game’s combat system stand out, however, is its magic system. Skyborn Might is the primary resource used for spells, and there are various ways to gain it. The simplest method is to dodge at the right moment, which will instantly add Skyborn Might to the player’s stack.
By progressing via the game’s skill tree, the player can unlock other methods to obtain Skyborn Might. For instance, the second consecutive strike with a long sword will add Skyborn Might if it connects. This layer of resource management makes for quick decision-making, in addition to some risk and reward.
This Skyborn Might can be spent to use the game’s various spells or pull off certain techniques. It can be as simple as making a heavy attack come out more quickly, which can be incredibly helpful given the right opportunity. This doesn’t mean you should ignore the spells either, which can be incredibly powerful and oppress opponents with status ailments.
Thrilling Encounters, Uneven Difficulty
There are many different enemies and bosses the player will encounter throughout Wuchang. Perhaps one of the more impressive aspects of the game is the behavior of these enemies. Some are weak, attacking only in groups, but are otherwise begging to be spared. Other enemies will taunt the player when an attack whiffs.
The attention to detail is commendable, and for the most part, enemy encounters are engaging. The Madness system adds a whole other layer to this, which increases with every death. Full Madness is a double-edged sword, making the player more powerful but also making them more susceptible to damage. This creates some insanely intense encounters that can result in death at any moment.
However, there is a noticeable issue with the game’s difficulty curve, or lack thereof. Wuchang dishes out many dips and spikes in difficulty. There’s quite a disparity between some boss encounters. Certain fights take very few attempts to clear, and others can be incredibly oppressive and punishing.
The whiplash of taking five minutes to beat a boss to taking over an hour to master another can be a bit much. It’s not the end of the world by any means, but a more consistent difficulty curve would be nice. The game is still a blast to play, nonetheless.
The Deep RPG Mechanics of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Most of Wuchang‘s progression is handled via a single skill tree. While this may appear to be simple at first glance, this tree soon reveals itself to be absolutely massive. Weapons, attributes, and the game’s healing item are all upgraded from here. The paths you choose to prioritize have a big impact on the build you will end up with.
Do you want to prioritize one weapon type over another, or do you want a more even split? It all depends on the play style that works best for you. If you want to primarily focus on casting spells, you can choose to do that. I imagine many will be replaying this game several times thanks to this system.
Outside of the skill tree, there are items that can assign certain effects to weapons. I didn’t experiment too much with this, but it adds another fun layer to character builds. Overall, progressing in Wuchang always feels fulfilling.
Some Technical Concerns
If you plan to experience Wuchang: Fallen Feathers on a lower-end rig, you may wish to proceed with caution. While I could get decent performance on low settings most of the time, achieving a consistent 60 FPS was somewhat difficult for me. As spectacular as the game is, it’s important to set realistic expectations going in.
Unfortunately, upscaling will likely be a must for most users. A messy image is certainly not desirable, but as this is an action title, it is recommended to prioritize performance. I’m not so sure how much of this comes down to optimization, as the game is quite graphically impressive.
The last time I checked, I couldn’t even get the game running on the Steam Deck, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up even if that has changed. This is clearly a title only meant to be played on beefy hardware, for better or worse. It’s far from the worst-performing game I have played this year, but the experience does leave a bit to be desired.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Soars to Success
Wuchang is a game that only became more compelling the more I played it. What’s here is incredibly high-quality. Excellent combat, satisfying progression, addictive exploration, and stellar visuals easily make this one of the best action RPGs of the year.
Sure, there may be a few shortcomings here and there, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Most action games only wish they could achieve this level of quality. This may be one of my favorite souls-likes of all time.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Additionally, the game will be available to play via Xbox Game Pass on day one. For more reviews, be sure to keep an eye on Final Weapon!
Disclaimer: 505 Games provided Final Weapon with a Steam copy of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers for review purposes.
