The Soulslike subgenre is turning into oversaturated, so it’s tough for brand new takes to face out. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers doesn’t attain the higher echelon of its stronger contemporaries, however it’s a usually well-executed guidelines of style tropes with ingenious concepts for fight customization and a singular type of dynamic issue scaling.
As Bai Wuchang, you’re a battle-hardened pirate contaminated with a supernatural plague known as the Feathering, which causes victims to rework into senseless, bloodthirsty beasts. Nevertheless, Wuchang was someway spared this destiny, however she has misplaced her reminiscence. Because the Feathering sweeps throughout a well-realized Ming Dynasty-era China, it’s as much as you to channel your newfound demonic powers, find the supply of this scourge and eradicate it, discover a remedy, and get well your reminiscences. The story is middling and, in my particular case, wraps up in an abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion, unlocked from a pool of attainable endings. Whereas the artwork course is powerful, Wuchang suffered fluctuating graphical constancy and efficiency (taking part in on a base PS5) that generally bordered on unacceptably dangerous, hampering the expertise.
Fight shines most on this journey by drawing inspiration from Bloodborne. Battles are an often-entertaining dance of aggressively attacking foes whereas evading injury to remain inside attain. Effectively-timed evades reward mana factors known as Skybound May, used to solid spells. I really like how Wuchang incentivizes skillful evasion on this method, and profitable a battle solely by dodging and retaliating with spells, akin to lobbing a crimson spear or a fiery cranium, is a viable (and generally sensible) technique.
Wuchang provides gamers a near-overwhelming variety of techniques to tailor their playstyle by way of numerous weapons (together with massive talent bushes for each), augments, and passive perks. You may equip weapons with three perk-granting stones, which in themselves are available in numerous sorts. Slotting as much as 4 “needles” into Bai Wuchang’s demonically feathered arm bestows weapon “tempering” results, like rising hearth injury or including a health-leeching impact to assaults. A neat weapon-swapping mechanic unleashes a singular particular assault relying on the instruments geared up, including one other wrinkle to contemplate when selecting which two weapons to equip. It’s loads to absorb, and whereas I want Wuchang didn’t throw all of its options at gamers in relative quick order – firmly greedy every part took some time – I like how the sport encourages a number of playstyles and harder encounters typically require shaking up your loadout or technique.
Weapon courses, together with lengthy swords, spears, and axes, sport distinctive particular assaults and traits. For instance, Wuchang can’t block inherently, however axes grant this capability for extra defensive-minded gamers. Those that would moderately depend on spells ought to lean on magic-centric quick swords. By sparingly introducing new weapons, Wuchang permits gamers to turn out to be intimately aware of what they’ve, and development revolves round bettering proficiency with chosen arms; I a lot choose this to commonly biking by way of new loot.
Nevertheless, the large, Path of Exile-inspired talent bushes imply you may’t freely enhance essential traits, like stamina and well being, since you may solely unlock stat buffs in a predetermined order. This feels extra restrictive than I’d like, and I didn’t like spending 1000’s of talent factors unlocking a particular transfer I didn’t need/want simply to seize as many +1 stamina upgrades as attainable alongside the best way.
Repeatedly dying builds a meter known as Insanity that raises your assault whereas rising injury taken. Failing basically makes you a glass cannon, and I like how Insanity dynamically modifications the stakes of encounters by giving me an edge whereas forcing me to sharpen my evasion/counter abilities to nullify my weakened protection. When Insanity peaks, a mini-boss spawns within the type of an “Inside Demon” instead of fallen XP; beat her, and then you definately get your factors again. It is a enjoyable and devious punishment that provides much more stress and pleasure to the train of XP retrieval, although the Inside Demon grew to become much less threatening as I grew stronger.
Wuchang’s neat concepts are wrapped round an in any other case acquainted, if unremarkable, design core. Exploring the customarily corridor-like biomes, from a snowy palace to a hellish forest, and chopping down foes is a paint-by-numbers train of unlocking shortcuts and discovering hidden gadgets off the crushed path, with some annoyingly unfair stage hazards sprinkled about. Whereas powerful in the best way you’d count on from the style, Wuchang is what I’d describe as “comfortably tough:” laborious sufficient to really feel some sense of reward, however by no means overwhelmingly so. Most boss encounters took me fewer than 5 or 6 makes an attempt to topple, and higher challenges have been defeated by way of a mix of pure finesse and light-weight stage grinding. As a Souls fanatic, it’s virtually cozy how manageable Wuchang finally is (comparatively talking), however that does make its greater clashes much less outstanding or memorable.
That final level is my largest takeaway from Wuchang. It’s very competent and pleasing, however a lot of it appears like Soulslike junk meals; tasty with a couple of neat concepts, however nothing will persist with me in comparison with extra substantial choices. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers might not revolutionize the style, however it’s a superb rendition of a favourite track.
