Wuchang Fallen Feathers preview: heavenly soulslike combat with a twist

Wuchang Fallen Feathers has plummeted into a very populated genre, with loads of games all hoping to capture the same lightning in a bottle that made FromSoftware the renowned studio it is today.

Not many souslikes transcend to a similar level of excellence but I think Wuchang Fallen Feathers stands a good chance.

When playing it at this year’s Summer Game Fest it felt like deja-vu to when I first played Lies Of P. I didn’t go in with high expectations so I was pleasantly surprised by its quality.

After navigating what was essentially a tutorial area and picking up the basic mechanics I felt nigh unstoppable, and actually wondered when, if ever, the game was going to give me a challenge aside from the first boss, which was one of those fights that you’re pretty much supposed to lose.

It was only when I reached the game’s first proper boss that the air shifted, and I realised Wuchang has more than feathers, it’s got teeth too.

The fight was an earth-shattering clash that had me on the backfoot the entire time, and while I did get pretty close on a few occasions it proved to be just a bit too much for me to handle, and I unfortunately didn’t have time to wander off, level-up and come back later as I’m sure you’re meant to do.

It was a skill issue and one I’m not ashamed to admit, but in my defense the game threw me a bit when it revealed perfect dodges were essential to dealing the most damage in a fight.

Upon a perfect dodge you get powered up with a special energy that can be spent performing an action. This can either be a swift strike, a magic attack, or a quickdraw of your second weapon, though it’ll yield other uses as you level-up.

Understanding these moves, when to use them and when to save them felt paramount for victory, and with time I’m sure they’ll be really fun to master.

One mechanic that really stood out to me though came after a few deaths, when the game increases your damage output but also the amount of damage you take. This glass cannon change didn’t do me many favours, but I’d imagine it could prove to be a powerful early-game tool for elite soulslike players, and speedrunners of course.

I was also surprised to see the game sends phantoms after you if you die too many times too, which drop decent rewards when killed but aren’t pushovers by any means.

It’s worth noting as well that the game is gorgeous, I often found myself dropping whatever I was doing just to take in the environment around me.

Wuchang Fallen Feathers feels fresh and vibrant, and I’m already a big fan of what it’s selling. I’m positive I’ll be there on day one, after all I’ve got some unfinished business with that first boss.