Wuchang: Fallen Feathers – Review
Reviewed by Karan Parmar | July 24, 2025
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is an ambitious action RPG rooted in Eastern folklore and steeped in dark, moody atmosphere. It brings a unique setting to the Soulslike genre, with haunting visuals, heavy combat, and rich worldbuilding, but the PC version is in rough shape right now. What could’ve been a standout title is weighed down by major technical issues, poor optimization, and performance problems that make it tough to fully enjoy the experience.
Story – Cryptic, Grim, and Rich with Folklore
The story centers on Wuchang, a warrior cursed by the mysterious “Feathering” affliction in a world plagued by disease, madness, and spiritual decay. There’s very little handholding here. Much of the story is told through vague dialogue, eerie item descriptions, and the decaying environment itself. The storytelling approach is clearly inspired by Dark Souls, but with a heavy focus on Chinese myth and spiritual folklore, giving it a unique flavor that feels refreshing.
It’s not always easy to follow, but it doesn’t need to be. You’re not here for an exposition dump; you’re here to piece together a dying world’s history through exploration. If you’re the kind of player who enjoys lore-hunting and atmospheric storytelling, there’s something intriguing waiting beneath the surface.
Characters – Quiet, Unsettling, and Mysterious
Characters in WUCHANG rarely speak plainly. Most NPCs offer cryptic guidance or cryptic warnings, and many are infected, broken, or nearing death. Wuchang herself is mostly silent, serving as a vessel for your journey rather than a fully developed personality. Still, the few characters you do meet stand out thanks to their unsettling presence and strange stories.
There’s not much in terms of character development or emotional arcs, but the mystery works in the game’s favor. The people you meet feel like remnants of a world that’s rotting from the inside out, and that makes them memorable in a quiet, disturbing way.
World Design – Atmospheric and Gorgeous, But Let Down by Technical Flaws
The world itself is arguably WUCHANG’s best feature. Ancient temples overtaken by rot, ghostly forests shrouded in fog, and villages frozen in plague: it’s all designed with a keen eye for visual storytelling. There’s clear inspiration from Sekiro and Bloodborne, but WUCHANG makes the setting its own through historical and mythological Chinese design.
Level design is a mix of semi-linear paths, hidden shortcuts, and tight, maze-like interiors. You’ll find secrets, side routes, and optional boss areas just by paying attention. The world feels dangerous and decayed, and you’re constantly pushed to explore, even when the odds are stacked against you.
But here’s the problem: the beautiful world is constantly undermined by technical issues. Texture pop-in, broken shadows, lighting bugs, and asset streaming problems break immersion constantly. What should feel immersive and haunting often feels unfinished, with a distracting layer of jank running through the experience.
Combat and Mechanics – Gritty, Satisfying… When It Works
Combat in WUCHANG is slow, heavy, and rewarding when it’s firing on all cylinders. You’ve got two main weapon types you can switch between, plus special attacks tied to your “Feathering” affliction. Parrying, dodging, and stamina management are all crucial, and boss fights require patience and good timing.
When everything is working, combat feels tense and deliberate, similar to Lies of P or Wo Long, but with more weight. But on PC, that consistency is hard to come by. Input lag, frame pacing issues, and delayed dodge/parry timing due to inconsistent frame rates make combat feel clunky and unreliable.
You can feel that the mechanics are solid underneath the problems, but right now, they’re buried under poor performance and lack of polish.
New Additions – Promising Ideas That Deserve a Better Launch
There are good ideas here. The “feathering” system adds a mysterious layer to both the story and combat. The setting and lore are different from typical Western fantasy, drawing from lesser-seen mythology. Enemy design, especially boss creatures, is genuinely creative: infected warriors, giant beasts, and cursed spirits feel pulled from ancient nightmares.
The problem is, all these cool ideas are trapped in a game that doesn’t run well enough to appreciate them. Enemy AI can bug out. Animations sometimes break mid-fight. Inventory and crafting menus are laggy and occasionally unresponsive. These aren’t nitpicks: they’re roadblocks.
Audio Design – Uneven, But With Glimpses of Brilliance
Audio design is a mixed bag. The ambient sound work is great, with wind rustling through dead trees, distant cries of infected, and creaking wood in ruined temples. These touches build a creepy and immersive atmosphere.
But the mix is inconsistent. Sometimes sound effects don’t play, dialogue can be too quiet or too loud, and audio bugs, like footsteps not syncing or environmental sounds cutting out, happen too often. Music is sparse but effective, especially during boss fights or key story moments.
There’s potential here, but again, it needs polish.
PC Port – Rough, Buggy, and Rushed
This is where WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers falls apart. The PC version is in a rough state, and it shows from the moment you boot it up. Optimization is poor across the board. Even on a high-end rig, the frame rate fluctuates wildly, dropping from 120 FPS to the 50s in the same area. Shader stuttering is frequent, especially during new enemy encounters or transitions between zones.
There’s a good game buried underneath, but in this state, the PC port is borderline unplayable for some players. It desperately needs a series of patches to bring it up to the standard expected from modern releases.
Conclusion – A Promising Game Undone by a Terrible PC Port
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers could’ve been one of those surprise indie hits that punches above its weight. The world is unique. The lore is fascinating. The combat has bite. But right now, the PC version is holding everything back. It’s not just rough around the edges: it’s straight-up broken in places, and the technical problems seriously drag down the experience. If you’re desperate for a new Soulslike and can deal with crashes, frame drops, and bugs, there’s something worth discovering here. But for most players, it’s better to wait for patches. The vision is clear. The effort is there. But the execution needs serious work.
Rating: 7.5/10
Special thanks to 505 Games for providing the review code.
© Images and screenshots used in this review are courtesy of Leenzee / 505 Games.
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