Review | Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

Waifu Souls 1 review

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a 2025 Soulslike action role-playing game developed by Leenzee and published by 505 Games. The project was officially established by the studio in 2019, and the game was built using Unreal Engine 5. You can play it on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S starting from 24 July 2025; although if you play any version other than the PS5 Pro version, maybe it's best to wait for them to polish the stuttering and resolution drops. I was really satisfied with the Pro version, minus the constant stuttering and obvious resolution drops, but as the game is so much fun, that just wasn't important for me.

Three options are available on the standard PS5: Quality mode with 30 FPS for visually demanding gamers, Balanced mode with 40 FPS – but only on 120 Hz displays, and Performance mode with a stable 60 FPS for smooth combat.

PS5 Pro is the definitive version (currently): Quality mode with 60 FPS, Balanced mode with a brisk 70 FPS, and Performance mode with an impressive 80 FPS.

For some reason, HDR looks a bit washed out, and I was playing without it; probably they will fix it in the future, but at the moment it doesn't look good (especially in the dark areas).

So, did Leenzee make a great game? Following Wukong's success, they've created something similar, yet different souls-like game. If you ask me, Wuchang is everything I love in the genre, plus some unique additions that make the game fun, constantly rewarding, and interesting. It is my favourite Souls-like game alongside Lies of P.

The whole world feels connected - which is something I love when exploring. Finding shortcuts and secrets is fun even after 40 hours in the game.

Story and the characters

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is set in the war-torn and plague-stricken lands of Shu during the late Ming dynasty. The Feathering Disease is an affliction spreading through the lands, causing the gradual decline and collapse of society and its environment. The story is told as an alternate history centered on the disease and follows Bai Wuchang, a female pirate, who navigates the horrors of the mysterious Feathering Disease.

In terms of understanding the story, you need to be really focused. It's maybe not told in the best way, but I loved the atmosphere and the vibe the game has. When you combine that with numerous characters and interesting dark tone conversations in this world you are in, you get a lovely storytelling worth following. The minus is that you get locked out of endings by choosing certain options throughout the game, plus you can miss many things; but to me, that is the reason I love such games. I love exploring and reading about everything, blending in and living the game. This game and me—we were one entity. There is just something fresh about Chinese mythology and such an approach to games. I love that.

Although the story may not satisfy many, I loved piecing chunks together, and I loved the interaction with NPCs in terms of their progression and world shifts. The protagonist is by far the worst character in my opinion as she doesn't talk, but listening to what happened just made me love her. I felt the struggle, and I helped her live to see another day.

Expect challenge, but you can dress a bit naked and the challenge will be easier for sure.

Expect challenge, but you can dress a bit naked and the challenge will be easier for sure.

Game design, exploration

Exploring Wuchang is my favourite thing besides the combat. The world is beautiful, packed with many secrets worth finding. Every chest matters, every item helps. You will not find tons of weapons, but unique weapons of each type and sets worth having (any finally, there is no weight in carrying an armor set, lovely!). I love when a game rewards you with stuff when you explore. The linear, yet semi-open areas on occasion bring the best art and unique touch to every location in the five chapters available in the game.

If you choose a wrong path or a wrong conversation choice, you can completely miss some chapters. In my opinion, that just adds to the game, especially when you have many combat options to choose from, so playing again will never seem like a chore, but rather another option worth pursuing.

I loved every side lore, quest, or challenge in the game. Some late-game locations are breathtaking, and the world feels connected overall. Every chapter feels like one entity due to many shortcuts which lead to early game locations and camps with NPCs. If I were to compare that segment, it heavily resembles Dark Souls 1 and 3, and these games are my favourite. Brilliant world-building with an even better rewarding system.

Do not quit on some boss fights, especially ones at the end of each chapter. You can respec and beat them, but you will have to get good at times.

Do not quit on some boss fights, especially ones at the end of each chapter. You can respec and beat them, but you will have to get good at times.

Combat

Combat is... something else. You can choose between 5 weapon types (long sword, sword, dual swords, axe, or a spear), and each weapon in a category comes with a unique special skill. The other special skills can be learned and enhanced through the progression system, which makes combat fast-paced and very flexible. Having the option to deflect or dodge is great, and it's even better having small tweaks for everything you choose, so you can adjust further as you see fit. One moment you are dodging, kicking with a heavy attack on the back and staggering enemies, the next you are healing by backstabbing and running for your life.

Every fight is great, although the ones with big boss monsters are not my favourite. Perfect dodge plus heavy counter that gets faster when you chain—that is my favourite combat maneuver at the moment. I was playing with the Long Sword; it's my first weapon love. The combat feels fast and in control, with no lag and no issues whatsoever. The only downside of this segment are some boss difficulty spikes, but I loved that as it made me learn new moves and respec a bit to fit the needs. Many will maybe rage quit, but don't do it. Some early fights are tough, but it gets easier later when you get shield magic.

Fill your Feathering Bar by chaining combos or perfectly dodging, and unleash special moves or magic at enemies. The magic is great, but slow. I've used healing and shield magic—these are a real game-changer. If you love imbuing weapons, invest points here and choose from a few imbue types to your liking. Leech is my favourite. Such progression system is to me the most interesting of all Souls games. You level up through weapon trees, and all stats raise through that. Respec is easy and fast, and tweaking skills is fun even near the end of the game. Loved every second of it.

There is a certain dark tone present. And most of the sceneries are beautiful.

Side Content

Side content is how you handle NPCs and their questlines. You also find secrets and optional challenges that help you level up. Finding accessories can be through both, so basically everything you do matters (especially exploring). Quest progression is weird and missable, but at least when you fast travel between shrines, you can find NPC icons on the list, which means you can progress that quest from that certain location (somewhere).

Having 4 endings and many different paths to choose from (skipping some chapters, killing certain NPCs due to different quest outcomes) adds to replayability, but even without that, it's worth trying different weapons each time.

There is not a single corner I didn't explore, and for sure you will feel the same. It's advisable to follow some non-spoiler guide to avoid missing out on things, or spend more time to figure it out on your own. It's a tough choice for sure.

I have no words to express how I feel about this wonderful game.

I have no words to express how I feel about this wonderfull game.

Conclusion

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a bold, atmospheric, and rewarding Soulslike that blends challenging combat, deep exploration, and a haunting world rooted in Chinese mythology. While it's not without technical flaws or story pacing issues (more in terms of connecting the dots and understading it), its unique systems, strong sense of world-building, and sheer fun factor make it one of the standout entries in the genre. For fans of Dark Souls, this is a journey worth taking—again and again. Lies of P and Wuchang are in my opinion the best souls-like games, well-rounded and most fun of them all. I want more, I am trully blown away.