Last summer, Black Myth Wukong came out of left field and revolutionized the western audience’s opinion of what Chinese game manufacturers were capable of. While Wukong was a success, fans of soulslike games immediately found themselves entangled in a battle: Was Black Myth Wukong a soulslike or just an action RPG? Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is the next big thing out of the Orient, and this one is unequivocally, a proper soulslike game.
This is a review coupled with a supplemental video review. You can watch the video review or read the full review of the below:
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers
Developer: Leenzee Games
Publisher: 505 Games
Platforms: Windows PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: July 24th, 2025
Price: $49.99
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers makes absolutely no bones about what games inspired its world. There’s undertones of Bloodborne, though instead of flirting with the idea that the protagonist might possibly become a monster, Wuchang herself is afflicted with a deadly Feathering disease that eventually steals the memories, the mind, and eventually the body of its host. The key to her survival comes from understanding the benefits of this affliction and using its demonic power in order to enhance her capabilities to hopefully save what’s left of the Shu Kingdom from total ruin.
All of that sounds cool, but it’s also about as much of the story as I actually remember. The world building is here, and there’s a ton of cool stuff you can do in this game, but its story is by far its weakest component. There’s a bunch of scrolls and hidden items you can pick up to give to NPCs to assist them in discovering more about the world they are in, but none of it really ever grabs you. Wuchang herself serves as a voiceless female insert that would be just as memorable as any created character in a FromSoftware game.
That said, there’s a lot to love here in spite of other story flaws. There are characters who are cute and whimsical, while there are other characters who are sneaky and snide. There are multiple endings to build toward based on how you deal with the people you encounter along the way. There’s even a cameo battle with a hero of legend that Dynasty Warriors fans will appreciate seeing.
Not only is this game incredible looking, but it’s only $50. They took a page out of the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 playbook and hopefully it pays off for them. There’s some incredibly satisfying scenery to be found as you pan around the ancient Chinese bamboo forests, and some of the mines look like they’re straight out of the Devil’s imagination of The Underworld.
The combat in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is fast and fluid, though it almost gets in its own way sometimes even though they were going for some unique combo possibilities. Though the game allows you to click the left analog stick and perform a quick switch to swap weapons while attacking, enemies don’t typically get stunned long enough to see it fully play out.
More often than not, you wind up trying to sprint or flick the stick to avoid an attack and mistakenly swap weapons, often leaving you open for counter attacks and in some situations outright death by grab attacks or getting Sparta kicked off the side of a tower. If you’re heavy on the left analog stick like I am, do yourself a favor and remember to unequip your second weapon so you don’t put yourself in unfavorable situations.
There’s a lot going on with WUCHANG‘s combat, and while it’s always good to have options and possibilities, a little less variety and a little more focus would have likely been for the better. Eventually, you’ll unlock Temperence, and you can embed bone fragments that grant different passive bonuses to your currently equipped weapon, with the biggest and most important component being the bone needle.
Initially, I preferred imbuing my weapon with fire as it’s the first bone needle you’ll naturally unlock, but ultimately I wound up finding a weapon I really liked that worked best with poise damage, so I spec’d my bone needle to give me poise break for attentional build up to perform more Overwhelm attacks.
There are also gems you pick up called Benevolence that you can slot into your weapons, and each of these provide different bonuses as well. Aside from set bonuses, the passives aren’t really all that beneficial and you’re better off rearranging your talismans before certain encounters. It’s a “Jack of all trades” situation, but it’s often underwhelming.
What’s more interesting is that WUCHANG shies away from being Fashion Souls (TM), as you’ll often want to swap your gear to give you the most protection for the encounter. Bosses hit hard but don’t use much magic? Throw on gear that gives you defense against their weapon type. Boss has a sword but also does lightning damage? Better guard up against that stat, trust me, the slashing damage is the least of your concern when paralysis builds up.
Perhaps the most interesting mechanic that WUCHANG introduces is the Madness feature. As Wuchang dies, she builds up madness which can be used to both harm and help. In the shrine menu, you can purchase consumable items that are scattered throughout the world, for the cost of madness build up.
Once you reach a certain threshold, you will get a buff that makes you both dish out and take more damage. This also comes at a cost of not only added vulnerability but you’ll find a demon clone of Wuchang herself guarding your bloodspot. To regain your lost Red Mercury Essence, you have to kill her. This is a cool idea, as she can also serve as an invader in pre-determined areas, so you are just as likely to stumble into a fight with her as you would be forced into one.
Perhaps the biggest drawback to this mechanic is that while you can bait her into fighting other enemies that are near you, using her as a living weapon, she doesn’t spawn in boss rooms where her assistance would make the fights far more interesting since NPC summons are few and far between. This is extremely disappointing cause it somewhat nerfs the most unique mechanic this game has to offer.
Leenzee really did understand the assignment in regard to incorporating the biggest parts of their inspirations. The snow area in this game is now my most hated snow area in any soulslike ever, and I despise the Dark Souls 3 DLC area but the environmental hazards in this game make dealing with the low visibility and the wolves that show up from out of nowhere an absolute joy by comparison.
If you don’t like games that hold your hand but don’t give you any general idea on where to go or what to do, this game has birds that never shut up positioned along the proper path to help guide you. You can also kill them for a feather that will grant you a nice stats bonus, but the downside is that they don’t respawn until the next playthrough, so choose wisely. I’m gonna be doing this stupid whistle noise they make for the next week and a half.
All and all, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers isn’t perfect but it’s more interesting than Black Myth: Wukong was in my opinion, and with a little bit of refinement, this game could wind up as one of the most beloved non-FromSoftware soulslike games.
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers was reviewed on PC using a code provided by 505 Games. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers releases for Windows PC (via STEAM), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on July 24th.
