MeinMMO author Caro has already gained her first experiences in the new Soulslike WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers on PS5 and fought through its world plagued by a disease. The expectations were high, but after a few hours, it became clear that she had nothing to worry about.
Since I got a taste for Soulslike games, I was definitely ready and excited to test WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers from Leenzee Games.
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is a new action RPG considered promising by the Soulslike community, set at the end of the Ming Dynasty. It takes place in the land of Shu, which, besides warring factions, is also plagued by a mysterious disease called Feather Madness, from which monstrous mutations arise.
I have stepped into the shoes and one of the stylish outfits of the titular protagonist Wuchang for about 15 hours. She herself is also affected by this Feather Madness and is seeking a cure for herself and her world. With this premise, I set out to explore the world of this land, slay monsters, and unravel the mystery of Wuchang’s past and the disease.
I am definitely not a Soulslike pro, but a big fan. After titles like Elden Ring and its spin-off Nightreign, I was hoping for a successor that could evoke the same excitement in me. And I am pleased to say that the enthusiasm for Fallen Feathers is definitely there – at least after initial worries.
Admittedly, I must say that I (unjustifiably in hindsight) compared every single aspect of Fallen Feathers with my beloved FromSoft blockbuster and struggled like a miserly old man with thoughts like “But I know this differently”.
But let me preempt you here – after a short time in the game, I no longer wasted any thoughts on Elden Ring, as Fallen Feathers captured me so completely.
Here you can see the trailer for WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, where Wuchang encounters a beautiful woman, who becomes more monstrous than she initially appears:
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is ruthless but beautiful
At the beginning of the game, a certain concern arose quickly, because after the first boss I thought: “Damn … that was really easy.” In the context of another game, that might sound positive, however, that is not the thought one wants to have after a battle with a Soulslike boss.
But, I continued to engage with the game. And although Wuchang gained new abilities and became more powerful through a skill tree and spells, fortunately, the game also became increasingly complex. With my growing understanding and skill, the challenge also increased, which I gladly embraced with open arms. Where I initially managed to defeat a boss on the first attempt, they started to become more cunning and posed real hurdles, at which I sometimes really had to gnash my teeth.
I was stomped into the ground, crushed, spat on, swallowed, set on fire, or paralyzed by a poisonous kiss by mutated monstrosities, enchanted (and simultaneously enchanting) women, as well as by a demonic version of myself before my heart was ripped out. So I had a grand time.
The bosses and their respective fights are diverse and have their own identity. I particularly remember a battle with a creature against which I faced about 20 times until I finally understood that I could use the environment against it.
However, this did not frustrate me, but gave me an extremely enlightening lightbulb moment, making me feel truly responsible for the success.
The world, its inhabitants, and levels look superb
In my first hours in Fallen Feathers, I noticed, as probably everyone with eyes in their head, that the game is really beautiful both graphically and conceptually. Not only Wuchang and her outfits, but especially the environments, as well as the level, character, and creature design. I traveled through sun-drenched bamboo forests, gloomy caves, adorned temples, and hellish landscapes of rotting bodies and flesh mutations in toxic lakes of bubbling blood.
It is not a true open world, as you are guided fairly linearly through the world. However, the more you uncover and carve new paths for quicker navigation (literally), the more options you have for how to proceed.
There is also the option to travel back and forth between certain points in the game, but they are still quite sparse. Therefore, you often have to take long distances on foot, which is absolutely acceptable with enough signposts along the way. The journey can indeed drag on without these points.
At one point, I had to run for about 2 minutes without any obstacle to reach an enemy, which is absolutely okay once, especially in such a beautifully designed game like Fallen Feathers.
However, when you have to fight a boss, which in the Soulslike genre is often linked to multiple attempts, the long path becomes tiring and unfortunately frustrating after the fifth time. Here I would have appreciated another save point before really strong opponents.
Dodge and timing become core elements
Instead of blocking and parrying, dodging is especially one of the most important elements in Fallen Feathers. You not only evade damage, but also gather energy, the so-called “Heavenly Power”, which can be used for spells and special attacks.
This energy can be collected, as particularly powerful spells require more Heavenly Power. How much you have and which spells require how much of this power is marked in blue in the UI. Additionally, collecting this power is accompanied by a small spell sound and haptic as well as visual effects, which is another nice reward for successful dodging.
Alongside magic and weapon attacks, you can utilize various builds that support your play style. At shrines, which serve as loading points, teleportation, and upgrade options in the game, you can level up Wuchang and improve through the skill tree. Here, there is also the option to assign different movesets and weapon talents that can be used in battle.
Although I quickly found my favorite in the longsword and the blade step, which proved to be a reliable method with the right key combination, there are enough options with the large selection of 40 spells and 5 weapon classes, so that every player should find something suitable for themselves.
I particularly like that the player is given so few boundaries. The spells work independently of the equipped weapon, allowing you to make a new preparation for different challenges at any time without having to completely disrupt your build.
The skill tree also supports this freedom, with builds that are not set in stone. You can reset all gained aspects of the skill tree without cost so you can try out new playstyles as often as you want.
Risky actions are rewarded
In Fallen Feathers, there is a “Demon System” that can reward but also punish players. If too much madness accumulates in Wuchang, her attacks become significantly stronger, but she also becomes more susceptible and cannot take damage as well.
And if Wuchang dies in this state of madness, another dangerous consequence arises – a demonic version of herself that must be defeated to stop this madness and regain the lost red mercury (the currency for leveling and trading). This demon is not an illusion, but real. And she fights, but not only against me, as other enemies can also see her.
I had several moments when I could lure the demon to a group of enemies, who were then torn to shreds by her, still providing me with red mercury. However, one should notice in time when the demon turns against oneself again, otherwise this freshly acquired mercury will quickly be lost, just like the amount already seized before.
Fallen Feathers pushes me to my limits, but I want more
So far, I have only experienced a fraction of the game and must nevertheless mention that it has captivated me in a very short time. I feel increasingly confident in handling Wuchang’s abilities, and yet the challenge does not wane at all.
Besides the thrilling fights and the world, it is primarily the immersion that excites me. Despite the diverse environments and bosses, the mysterious disease of Feather Madness is always present, manifesting through corrupt landscapes and its inhabitants.
Wuchang herself is infected with this Feather Madness. But instead of mutating, she draws her power from it, which provides interesting gameplay. It remains exciting to see whether and how the disease might affect the protagonist more than she would like.
I am still eager to uncover the mystery behind the Feather Madness and Wuchang’s past, no matter how many monsters or demonic women will stand in my way. I will die a lot, get upset, scream – but that is what the experience is all about for me … and the success even sweeter.
By the way, MeinMMO author Ody has also tried WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers. And he has a lot to say about it as well.
Ody especially loves the parallels to Bloodborne
What direction will the gameplay take? Will it be more like Sekiro or a classic action RPG?
How hard will the game really be? Developer Leenzee itself says that their game is meant to be a Soulslike – but the difficulty level also varies within the genre, sometimes quite significantly.
Over time, I found my answers: Instead of Sekiro, I found Bloodborne, but with some very exciting improvements and peculiarities. The bosses hit hard, they strike quickly and relentlessly. However, their attacks rarely feel “unfair”. Over time, you always develop a strategy that leads to victory – and that is what these games are about, at least for me.
The atmosphere and opponent design also convinced me immediately. The world feels truly melancholic: sometimes almost inviting, yet corrupted and sick. WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is a successful Soulslike for me, in which I want to explore every corner of the game world for hidden lore and defeat the grotesque enemies thrown at me.
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers will be released on July 24, 2025, for PC, Xbox, and PS5. Even though it is very soon, I am glad and thankful that I won’t have to wait.
After writing this report, I will head back to my console, as I still have a score to settle with a particularly nasty enemy after about 20 attempts. If you want to learn more about new Soulslikes in 2025, you can discover more games here on MeinMMO: Have you already finished Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree? These Soulslikes are coming in 2025
