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The OuterhavenThe Outerhaven
Home»News»Gaming News»WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers PC Review – A Gritty, Gorgeous First Step

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers PC Review – A Gritty, Gorgeous First Step

By Keith MitchellJuly 22, 2025
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers PC Review

I’ll admit it, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers wasn’t on my radar at first. With so many Soulslike games flooding the market, it looked like just another forgettable clone. But then I saw it in action. The eerie setting, brutal combat, and that intriguing Madness mechanic quickly turned it from a “maybe” to “I need to play this now.”

As a longtime fan of the genre, I try to play every Soulslike that comes along, even the rough-around-the-edges ones, and WUCHANG was no exception. After spending hours battling demons, managing Madness, and wrestling with its highs and lows, what did I really think? Read on to find out.

Game Name: WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers
Platform(s): PC (reviewed), PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Developer: Leenzee Games
Publisher: 505 Games
Release Date: July 24, 2025
Time Played: 80+ hours
Did I Roll The Credits: Yes, I did.

Not Your Typical Soulslike

While WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers fits under the Soulslike umbrella, it leans more into action RPG, or even full-blown action adventure, territory. Structurally, it feels closer to Stellar Blade or Ghost of Tsushima, which is a refreshing break from the usual grim, isolated tone most Soulslikes deliver; in a sense is that the world is more alive than most.

That said, I do miss the deeper, layered exploration the genre is known for. WUCHANG has some of it, but it doesn’t feel as dense or rewarding. What it does well is world design, interconnected paths that loop around, unlock shortcuts, and connect naturally between hubs. It reminded me of the original Dark Souls in the best way. I just wish there were more secrets to uncover.

You may have noticed that I mentioned I have over 80 hours with the game, and that’s far from an exaggeration. Most of my time was spent fighting bosses and figuring out the best way to approach them, as well as testing the various abilities I picked up along the way. While most people likely won’t spend as much time as I did, I just happen to enjoy these sorts of games way more than I probably should.

Wuchang Fall Feathers Review image-05

How’s the Gameplay?

Combat feels satisfying, regardless of how you tackle it. You have the standard light and heavy attacks, a range of special abilities, and the ability to dodge. For those wondering about blocking, it’s around; however, since there are no shields in the game, you’ll have to take advantage of weapons that provide that ability. Movement is much faster than most Soulslikes, which gives it a distinct identity. If you’re a fan of Sekiro, Black Myth: WuKong, or Nioh, you’ll feel right at home.

Leenzee Games introduces some clever systems, starting with the Madness mechanic. Defeating enemies increases your Madness level. The higher it gets, the more powerful you become, but the more damage you take. You can cleanse Madness, but doing so becomes a constant strategic choice. Push for power, or play it safe? That risk-versus-reward loop adds tension in all the right ways.

The Perfect Dodge system, called “Shimmer,” adds even more flavor and forces you to play aggressively. By timing your dodge right as the enemy is about to slam its weapon into your face, you’ll earn energy called Skyborn Might, a resource that can then be spent on enhancing attacks, performing magic, or weapon skills. It’s incredibly satisfying when executed well, but punishing when you mistime it, especially in the middle of an intense boss fight.

While I appreciate this new way to make things interesting, I’m not a big fan of the Skyborn Might mechanic as it feels forced.  To take advantage of it, you need to play more aggressively than you may want to, and this can put you into a situation you don’t want to be in. Screw up, and you take a hit to the face or worse, but if you master it, you’ll be swimming in Skyborn Might. But, what if you’re fighting a boss, it’s almost defeated, but you’re out of health potions, and you need a bit more Skyborn Might to get that extra damage in? Mistime that dodge and it’s over, and that’s annoying to me.

Wuchang Fallen Features Review Image-03

Armor, surprisingly, actually matters in WUCHANG, which is a welcome surprise, even though some of the many pieces of armor look less like armor. Many areas require specific resistances, and wearing the wrong set will wreck you. Fortunately, transmog is available right away, so you can keep your stats without sacrificing style.

Weapons are another highlight. Longswords, Sword Swords, Dual Blades, Pikes, and Axes all feel distinct, and each has multiple variants. Better yet, weapons can evolve with your build. You’re not constantly chasing upgrades; you’re growing your favorite weapon. Some even let you swap mid-fight to unleash devastating combos. It takes practice, but adds real depth.

The skill tree is among the best I’ve seen in the genre. It’s intuitive, flexible, and fully respec-able at any time without requiring a rare item, some silly ritual, or waiting until you get near the end of a game to do. Which is key, since there are scores of bosses that are affected by certain weapons or abilities, and the ability to respec on the fly helps you get past them, instead of doing minimal damage against them.

There’s a Demon Inside of You

WUCHANG puts a twist on the traditional death mechanic by adding the Madness mechanic, which, in turn, does some interesting things in the game. First and foremost, you can’t avoid gaining Madness, as you’ll accumulate it when you kill anything that isn’t a bird. Which means you’re going to get it regardless. Now, there are ways of cleansing yourself of it, but it is unavoidable.

As I mentioned earlier, Madness will affect you by providing you a power boost, but at the cost of you taking more damage. But it affects your in-game currency by changing how much you lose when you eventually die. Instead of losing all your currency (Red Mercury) on death, the amount you lose depends on your Madness level. Stay below 50 percent, and you only lose a portion. Go past 90 percent, and it’s all on the line.

However, when you die with your Madness maxed out, the game can spawn a demon version of your character that hunts you down later. If you defeat it, you recover your Red Mercury and reset your Madness. Failing to defeat it still will cleanse you of your madness, but also your Red Mercury. Just a friendly FYI, the demon also attacks other enemies in the world, which lets you bait it into fights. Sometimes it clears the path. Other times, it flattens you. Even though it’s a mirror image of you, it hits like a truck.

While I like the idea of Madness, I feel it does need some tweaks, as it’s a bit too harsh as it stands. Not to mention, I’d love it if you could take advantage of the demon by being able to summon it when you want, instead of it just popping up. I’ve had times where it did make an appearance while I was already taking on a harder enemy, and it just added to the fun.

Looks and Sounds Heavenly

This game is gorgeous. Where many Soulslikes fall into dull, washed-out tones, WUCHANG bursts with color, detail, and personality. Each region feels like a distinct biome, with lush forests, decaying villages, frozen mountains, and more. Right along with weather effects, which just add to the immersion. The environments don’t just look good; they are purposeful.

Visually, it’s steeped in traditional Chinese culture. From the architecture to the armor designs, every piece of the world feels hand-crafted with care. I often stopped just to admire the view. On a high-end PC with everything set to max settings, the game looks breathtaking. It’s one of the best-looking Unreal Engine 5 games I’ve played.

The audio design is equally strong. Weapons sound powerful. Enemy shrieks are unsettling. The voice acting holds up, but the real star is the soundtrack. Boss themes are intense and memorable, as the score shifts from eerie to epic, and it elevates every major encounter.

Wuchang Fallen Features Review Image-04

A Technically Polished Soulslike Experience

I reviewed WUCHANG on PC, and while I’m not a fan of the UI, especially when adjusting graphics settings, the game offers plenty of options. Performance was stellar. My setup included an RTX 4090, Ryzen 9 7800X3D, and a Samsung 990 Pro SSD. It’s admittedly overkill, but during my 80+ hours, I only noticed one brief FPS drop during a particle-heavy boss fight.

I also tested the game on my work/gaming laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, RTX 5070 Ti, and 64GB of RAM. I had to lower a few settings, but the game still ran surprisingly well.

This is one of the rare Unreal Engine 5 titles on PC that isn’t a stuttering mess. That speaks volumes about the level of optimization Leenzee Games achieved. Your results may vary, but in my experience, WUCHANG performs beautifully.

The Pain Points That Drag It All Down

For everything WUCHANG gets right, it stumbles in a few frustrating ways. The get-up animation is painfully slow, allowing enemies to land multiple hits before you can react. I lost count of how many times I was knocked down, mashed dodge to recover, only to watch my character crawl to their feet and get immediately flattened.  This goes double on boss fights, where they take full advantage of your slow-to-rise character. I hope that Leenzee Games addresses this.

Offscreen damage is another issue. Some areas have enemies with perfect aim that can strike from locations you can’t see or reach. That kills momentum. I don’t mind a challenge, but unavoidable hits that knock you off platforms or wipe you out before you can respond feel cheap.

Wuchang Fall Feathers Review image-06

And then there’s the brutal difficulty spike in the second half of the game. Enemies start hitting harder, soaking up more damage, overwhelming you in groups, bosses chain relentless attacks, leaving little room to recover, let alone heal. It’s punishing, and not always in a fair way. It gets to the point where you just want to toss your controller onto the ground, the hard way. That kind of ramp-up could turn away more casual players. As a genre that often finds itself at the center of debates around accessibility and difficulty, WUCHANG may push too far without giving players enough tools to adapt.

Verdict

Going into WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, I wasn’t completely sure what I was getting into. However, with over 70 hours in the game, I’ve come away impressed—well, mostly. Some systems feel like a breath of fresh air for the Soulslike genre, but they still need some tweaking to become truly remarkable. There’s also the issue of difficulty spikes and a few bosses feeling more cheap than challenging. Still, for fans of the Soulslike genre, I believe they’ll enjoy what WUCHANG has to offer, and it will only get better once a few key concerns are addressed. Especially if Leenzee Games wants more than Soulslike fans to dive into this new world it created.

As for me, I’ve enjoyed my time with the game, even though it kicked my ass way more than other Soulslikes that I’ve played in quite some time.

Enough talk, it’s time to start the new game mode, known as New Challenge! Oh, you didn’t think I’d beat the game? Heh. So much for gaming journalists can’t play games ;)

Review Disclosure Statement: A copy of WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers was provided to us by 505 Games for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.

Affiliate Link Disclosure: One or more of the links above contain affiliate links, which means at no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission should you click through and purchase the item.

Beyond Impressive for a First Attempt

Despite its flaws, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is an impressive first effort from a studio with no previous experience in the Soulslike genre. It reminds me of what happened with Lies of P and Black Myth: Wukong; surprise hits coming from developers who never worked on an Action RPG before, that show up and make everyone take notice. I love seeing more studios bring a unique cultural flavor to this space.

I have no doubt Leenzee Games will continue improving the game post-launch. With a few updates, this could become a must-play title not just for hardcore Soulslike fans, but for anyone craving a challenging and visually stunning action RPG.

Pros

  • The game looks and sounds amazing
  • Lots of build variety
  • Able to respec whenever you want
  • Enjoyable combat

Cons

  • Skyborn Might mechanic forces you to play aggressively and is tied to using your abilities.
  • Some of the bosses are way too tough and cheap
  • Sometimes you just don’t know where to go next
Overall
4
505 games action-rpg Leenzee Games soulslike Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Keith Mitchell - Headshot-PS_Gear_400x400
Keith Mitchell
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Keith has been a fan of geek culture and video games ever since his father gifted him his first gaming console many decades ago and has used this love of for the genres to start The Outerhaven. Keith keeps follows on the ongoings of videogames, anime, comics and technology, and while he has been writing about these topics for the past 14 years, he has been a gamer and tech guy for 30 years.

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