Wuchang: Fallen Feathers - Everything You Need to Know Before You Buy

2025 has been filled with bangers, and just recently, we got our hands on the latest release, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. It released on July 24, 2025, and it’s available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

It’s a gorgeous take on the soulslike action-RPG genre, set in an ancient Chinese historical/fantasy theme where majestic and grotesque mythologies come to life. It looks especially jaw-dropping on a silky smooth 120Hz gaming monitor to catch all the action!

It’s a debut title for the developer, Leenzee Games, though it is published by 505 Games, who you may know for publishing Ghostrunner and Payday 2. But is it really worth all the hype?

Today, we’re taking a look at the new single-player soulslike, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, to give you everything you need to know about the game!

What Makes the Game Special – Key Features

A Fantastic Mix of Ancient Chinese History, Mythology, & Dark Fantasy

The first 'unique' aspect of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has to be its setting.

It’s set towards the end of the Ming dynasty, where warring factions are interrupted by the sudden emergence of horrific, monstrous abominations born of the ‘Feathering’ plague ravaging the land of Shu.

The 'Feathering' brings to life a whole host of monsters, like a gigantic & grotesque centipede, to hunchbacked demons that’ll grab & stab you with abandon. You’ll find plenty of ‘feathered’ bird monstrosities in your path, from zombies, demons, strange jar monsters, and everything in between.

Or maybe you’ll find other unfortunate survivors like bandits, military officers, generals, who for some reason, are aiming for your neck too.

All in all, the setting is incredibly unique and presents a fantastic blend of historical accuracy and dark fantasy, the likes of which we don’t often see.

Unforgiving Soulslike Combat

The star of the show here is the brutal and unforgiving soulslike combat. You’ll be equipped with a plethora of weapons and skills to best your foes. You also have spells and a unique ‘Skyborn Might’ mechanic.

Skyborn Might is kind of like the game’s ‘mana’ resource bar, and gives you charges as you fight. For example, performing perfect dodges or landing multiple attacks in a combo charges this up, which can be used to unleash devastating abilities.

Players can equip up to two weapons at a time, and you can even switch mid-combo, which can be used for devastating effect to ‘stagger’ and break enemies’ poise to perform an ‘Obliterate’ attack.

Compared to other Soulslike games, Wuchang does have more of an emphasis on dodging and perfect dodges, so you’ll want a 144Hz gaming monitor to keep up with the speedy action. There is a ‘parry’ mechanic, though for the most part, it is only available on select weapons.

Overall, satisfying and flashy combat that makes the game stand out in a sea of Soulslike games.

Expansive Skill Tree for a Soulslike

There’s one unique aspect to Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, you typically don’t see in Soulslikes; a skill tree, the ‘Impetus Repository’. Here, you’ll use the game’s main resource, Red Mercury, to unlock new skills and general stat increases like HP, Stamina, Strength, etc.

There are a few different categories of upgrades you can unlock here, including:

• Three skill trees tied to weapon-specific attributes/skills
• One general skill tree for more ‘general’ boons

Compared to other Soulslikes, which typically link your skills & upgrades to specific weapons, in Wuchang: Falling Feathers, they’re all affected by the skill tree. Meaning, if you upgrade a certain weapon’s skill tree (Longswords, for example), all Longswords get the upgrade.

This saves you from having to do the same tedious upgrade process for every new weapon you find, while keeping your favorite weapons safe from powercreep since they’re all tied to the skill tree.

The best part is that the skill tree can be reset completely for free, so you can experiment to fine-tune the perfect build for your playstyle.

A Method to the "Madness"

Another ‘unique’ mechanic in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is the ‘Madness’ system. As you progress through the game and slay enemies, whether human or ‘feathered’ creatures, your ‘Madness’ is built up differently.

Typically, killing human enemies or dying increases Madness, while defeating feathered enemies (creatures with mutations) will lower your Madness bar. There are other ways to increase/decrease your Madness, but these are the two main methods.

Madness plays a key role in some aspects of the game. For example, depending on specific skills you unlock from the Impetus Repository skill tree, you can get buffs for higher Madness levels. Higher Madness also increases damage dealt while you take more damage, and increases Red Mercury gains.

It can give you some advantages, but it can also disadvantage you severely. For example, if you die at higher Madness levels, you’ll ‘summon’ your Inner Demon.

This Inner Demon will be situated near where you perished, and if you want to recover the Red Mercury you dropped, you must first defeat your Inner Demon. But fail, and all that sweet Red Mercury you saved up is gone for good.

The Stellar Pros

Fantastic Customization & Armor Options

One of our favorite aspects of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is the amount of customization you have. There are a ton of fantastic-looking armor sets in the game, allowing fashion-hunters to completely immerse themselves in the game’s aesthetics.

You have a variety of armor sets that make you feel and look menacing and all-powerful, to more scantily clad outfits, ornate Ming dynasty-style dresses, and the ‘weirder’ armors made from the carapace of the monstrosities you face.

Breathtaking Visuals & Atmospheric Design

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has breathtaking visuals of the landscapes, detailed areas, and a hauntingly beautiful Ming Dynasty China world at your fingertips. You’ll find dark & menacing ruins to explore, cursed villages, eerie forgotten temples, and much more.

There are plenty of fantastic vistas to stop and admire the gorgeous landscape, which looks phenomenal on an 18-inch gaming monitor, and it’s all brought together with serene & atmospheric sound design that nails the ambiance.

Plus, the areas you explore are detailed and have thoughtful level design. See a roof? You can get there. Found a secret door? Go through it. There’s a lot to explore, and the game looks fantastic, perfectly capturing the essence of Ancient China.

Affordable for a Soulslike

In an age where games can go all the way up to $80, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers comes in at a sweet spot of $50 for the base version of the game.

And for the price, you’re getting a fully-fledged action-RPG Soulslike, without breaking the bank.

It’s a fantastic adventure on a budget and will work great to satisfy your craving for Soulslike combat.

The Unfortunate Cons

A Slightly Lacking Story

The story in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is pretty lacking.

This isn’t unique to just Wuchang since other Soulslikes barely focus on story, but it’s far more noticeable here. Especially since you’ll meet a ton of NPCs that appear, disappear for a while, only to return later in the game, at which point you’ve probably forgotten who they are and what they’re up to.

Most of the lore comes from discovering the secrets in the game, but honestly, it feels a bit too lacking and doesn’t keep us engaged in the overarching story with forgettable and confusing NPCs.

Difficulty Spikes & Dips

One of the most egregious sins Wuchang: Fallen Feathers commits is the game’s difficulty. We’re not talking about the game being too difficult, but in fact it’s the strange way the game sometimes feels too overbearing and impossible, whereas other parts are a bit too simple for a Soulslike.

Some bosses will utterly decimate you with unending combos that don’t give you a lot of room to fight back, while others are a walk in the park and not as challenging. The disparity between the game’s dips and spikes can be pretty disruptive to the overall experience.

We found that certain parts of exploring the world to be more challenging than some of the bosses, since you’re barraged with unrelenting waves of enemies. Overall, it’s still challenging enough to be enjoyable, though certain parts can be frustrating.

Purposefully Annoying Ambushes

The game is filled with a lot of ‘surprise’ ambushes that’s sole purpose is to annoy you. It’s not unique to Wuchang, but in this game, they’re a bit too frequent and can be more annoying than a welcome surprise.

You’ll find that a lot of enemies are simply waiting around a corner or in unassuming forms, like the Shrine Monster, which is a mimic of a Shrine that picks you up and throws you.

This is especially annoying if you’ve barely made it through one area, only to die at the hands of a stupid little monster that was waiting to ambush you. The problem is that these moments are far too many to be enjoyable and can be incredibly frustrating.

Beginner’s Tips – Master Everything the Game Throws at You

Learn Attack Timings & ‘Perfect’ Your Dodges

The ‘key’ to combat in a Soulslike is more often than not learning the enemy’s attack timings. You’ll fight and die at the hands of the same enemy multiple times. That’s simply the nature of this type of game.

But eventually, you’ll start to learn their attack timings, which you can then use to Perfect Dodge and punish them after. Keep an eye on combos, see how long they last, and know when to strike.

It’ll take some time getting used to, but you’ll get it eventually. A good tip is that whenever you encounter a new enemy, don’t just dive in. See how they react, how they attack, and keep your finger on the Dodge button, always.

Get the Right Weapon

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has plenty of fantastic, over-the-top abilities and skills, but at its core, you’re going to need the right type of weapon. There are 5 distinct weapon types you can use:

• Axes – A slower, but heavy-hitting weapon, perfect for ‘tanky’ playstyles. Attacks often interrupt ‘smaller’ enemies, making for easy kills.
• Spears – An all-round weapon perfect for keeping enemies at arm's reach, but is also well-suited to quickly closing the distance or initiating with enemies.
• Dual-Blades – Quick & agile dual-blades allow for a more versatile, speedy playstyle. Perfect for players who prefer agility over raw power and a convenient ‘deflect’ mechanic so you don’t have to dodge as much.
• Longswords – Well-suited for both offense/defense. One of the ‘simpler’ weapons to learn and use. Also has the powerful ‘Sword Counter’ move to parry/stop enemy combos.
• One-handed Swords – Doubles as the ‘staff’ of the game. More suited for players who prefer using magic and fighting from a distance.

We’d recommend trying each weapon out and finding one you like before investing in its skill trees.

Don’t Spam Heals & Manage Your Stamina

You start the game with 3 ‘Manna Vases’, the equivalent of a ‘Flask’ from the Souls franchise. They heal you and are crucial to your adventure. But many newcomers often ‘spam’ the heal, wasting them when you need it most.

You’ll need to get comfortable with getting into fights without full health. And even during fights, if you start healing with a Manna Vase, you might open yourself up for a deadly combo and die.

Another thing is to manage your stamina properly. Most moves in the game consume ‘Stamina’, like dodging, basic attacks, sprinting, etc. Run out of stamina, and you’ll find yourself dead pretty quickly, especially in boss encounters.

Explore the World Thoroughly!

Not only is the world in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers gorgeous, it’s also filled with secrets. Don’t simply go through one path and follow it all the way through; branch out and explore villages and caves you encounter.

Oftentimes, you’ll find plenty of upgrade materials, new weapons, a new mini-boss to fight, armor, etc. You’ll also learn more about the game’s lore about certain characters, areas, and story, so it’s worth exploring the wider world, instead of just beelining to the nearest boss.

Conclusion: Should You Buy?

If you’re a fan of Soulslike games, then yes, you should buy Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.

It’s like the devs studied the classics of the genre and put their own fantastic spin on it. It does have some performance issues and a few glaring downsides, but for the most part, it’s still an awesome Soulslike with a lot to love.

Though if you’re not a fan of challenging combat and are here for the ‘story’, then it’s not going to be the right fit for you.