Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Review

There’s no shortage of Souls-likes dropping this year, and it takes something special to stand out in a genre already packed with contenders trying to recapture that FromSoftware magic. Thankfully, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is more than just another copycat. It’s a sharp, stylish, and surprisingly thoughtful game that carves out its own space in the genre. While it doesn’t reinvent the formula, it refines and personalises it in ways that did manage to surprise me.

You step into the boots of Wuchang, a pirate who wakes up with no memory and quickly discovers she’s afflicted with a mysterious curse called the “Feathering.” As feathers literally begin to sprout from her body, Wuchang sets out on a journey to uncover the origins of the disease, her own past, and hopefully a way to cure herself before she loses what remains of her humanity. The setup is compelling, pulling you into a world that’s soaked in decay, conflict, and mystery.

What really caught me off guard early on was the quality of the performances, especially the English voice acting. That said, this isn’t a game that holds your hand when it comes to narrative. You get your core objective laid out clearly enough, but understanding what’s actually happening on a deeper level requires effort. You’ll piece things together from scattered notes, environmental cues, and conversations that often raise more questions than answers. It reminded me a lot of Dark Souls in that way, though I’ll be honest, Wuchang doesn’t quite pull it off as elegantly. The lore is there, but it’s less cohesive and more fragmented, making it harder to get fully immersed unless you’re committed to putting the pieces together yourself.

Where Wuchang shines brightest is in its combat. From the first clash of steel, it’s clear this game wants you to fight smart. You’re given two weapon slots right out of the gate, and the game encourages you to switch between them mid-combat. It’s not just about variety, it’s about survival. Some enemies demand reach; others punish you if you don’t strike fast and hard. The fluidity of switching weapons adds a rhythm to combat that kept me engaged through even the most brutal fights.

The combat system is built around a mechanic called Skyborn Might, which rewards perfectly timed dodges with a burst of energy you can spend on devastating attacks or special moves. It’s a satisfying risk-reward loop. If you’re aggressive but precise, you’ll be rewarded with more options in battle. It makes dodging feel like more than just a defensive manoeuvre, it becomes a resource generator.

The real strength of the system, though, is its flexibility. Whether you prefer to be a tanky, slow-moving bruiser or a nimble spellcaster dancing around enemies, the game has room for you to thrive. Discipline skills play a huge role here. They’re basically augmentations that let you tailor your playstyle even further, modifying how your abilities work, which passive bonuses you get, and how your character interacts with the world. I found myself frequently experimenting with new loadouts, combining different weapons and disciplines to see what clicked.

And speaking of experimentation, the skill tree is enormous. There are multiple branches, each one leading to new abilities, stat boosts, and combat enhancements. But here’s the best part: you can respec at any time. No penalty, no limitations. I lost track of how many times I reworked my entire build to deal with a boss that was destroying me. It’s a feature more Souls-likes should adopt. Not only does it reduce the frustration of making the “wrong” choice early on, it encourages creativity and adaptability. If something’s not working, change it and try again.

Gear also plays a big role, and the transmog system is available right from the start,something I wish every RPG would do. You can keep the stats and perks of your best armor while making it look like whatever you want. For someone like me who cares probably too much about how my character looks, this was a very welcome feature. You’ll have the ability to make your Wuchang look, just the way you want every step of the way.

But not everything in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers lands as cleanly as its combat. Some of the shrine save points, the game’s equivalent of bonfires, are spaced way too far apart, especially in areas with high enemy density or brutal minibosses. Dying and having to slog your way back through multiple minutes of tough encounters just to get another shot at a boss isn’t challenging, it’s just exhausting. There were definitely moments where that long runback drained the fun out of a fight I was otherwise enjoying.

Then there’s the issue of difficulty spikes. For the most part, the game hits that sweet spot of tough-but-fair. I’d study a boss, learn its patterns, and feel that satisfying surge when I finally beat it. But every now and then, I’d run into a boss that just obliterated me out of nowhere. Like, “what even happened” levels of difficulty. One boss in particular took me well over an hour and multiple respecs to get through, which felt a bit unbalanced considering how smooth the previous stretch had been.

On the technical side, the game looks great, but I did have to mess with the graphics settings on PS5 to get it just right. There are three modes: Graphics (higher resolution), Performance (better framerate), and Balanced. I eventually had to tweak the sharpness and motion blur settings manually to get the image looking clean on my display. I also had to lock the framerate to eliminate some screen tearing that popped up during fast motion. Once dialed in, though, the visuals hold up really well, especially the environments, which are dense, atmospheric, and dripping with dark beauty.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers surprised me in the best way. It wears its influences proudly, but it’s not just following the leader. It brings its own flavor to the genre, both mechanically and thematically, and offers a journey that’s brutal, mysterious, and rewarding. Yes, it stumbles a bit in terms of pacing and balance, and the storytelling doesn’t quite hit FromSoftware’s heights. But when it comes to combat depth, build variety, and sheer style, Wuchang absolutely delivers. If you’re a fan of Souls-likes and you’re looking for something familiar but fresh, Wuchang is worth your time. Just be ready to die. A lot.

A PS5 review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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