WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers | PS5 Review

In today’s gaming landscape, it feels common for a successful game to spawn a new genre, leading to many clones. Metroidvanias (gear-gated games), based on Metroid and Castlevania, are among the earliest examples. More recently, Vampire Survivors and Dark Souls have led to the phenomenon of bullet heaven roguelites and soulslike, respectively. When a lot of studios try to catch the same lightning in a bottle, it can be challenging to find games that take inspiration from these games and put their spin on them, instead of just being shameless clones. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers does not hide from its Dark Souls inspiration. However, I feel developer Leenzee Games has created a unique world and combat system that makes it a soulslike worth playing for fans of the genre.

The Feathering

In Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, you play as Bai Wuchang, a pirate who awakens in a cave with no memory of how she got there. She was also afflicted by the “Feathering,” a disease in which feathers grow out of her body. She must traverse the Shu region, find a cure for the “Feathering,” and rediscover her memories. 

Like many soulslikes, storytelling is not delivered by conventional means. Instead of cutscenes, players will discover the story and lore through item descriptions and vague NPC dialog. While the world is fascinating and Leenzee Games has created a unique setting, I did not feel invested in exploring the world’s lore. However, I rarely invest the time to understand the lore for games with this style of storytelling.

Soulslike Combat

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers does not hide its Dark Souls inspiration. Fans of the genre will recognize features such as resetting the world at shrines (bonfires), punishing combat, and losing Red Mercury (souls) when you die. But as I mentioned earlier, it has some features that make it unique and stand out from other soulslike games.

First, the “Feathering” is not only a disease that has plagued the region, but also affects the gameplay. As you die, your madness level increases. When full, you will gain higher attack power, but also have decreased damage reduction. It also increases the Red Mercury gained, but more is lost upon death. You can use this as a tactical advantage by increasing your “Feathering” stat, giving you the ability to create a high-risk, high-reward build.

Second, combat is just as punishing as you would expect for the genre, but it also provides a lot of variety in its playstyle. You can choose between four weapon types: sword, axe, spear, and daggers. While different weapon types might not be unique to soulslikes, what stands out is how many other attacks you can use with each weapon type. Not only are there light and heavy attacks, but also abilities that require “Skyborn Might.” From an attack that creates separation immediately afterwards to different spells that you can use, there are plenty of abilities that can help with your preferred playstyle.

Finally, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has a distinctive skill tree. Red Mercury is invested in a skill tree that has branching paths that tailor to different weapon types, instead of in stats. Some nodes in the tree increase stats, while others gain different abilities. 

Personally, I would have used Red Mercury to increase stats instead of the skill tree. However, you can reslot your skill points without any cost, and it offers a couple of valuable features. The skill tree does allow you to unlock different abilities as you progress. You can also upgrade different weapon types in the skill tree instead of upgrading just one weapon specifically. I appreciated this feature because I could pick up a new weapon and have it already upgraded if I invested points in that weapon type.

It’s a Mad, Mad World

The artstyle that Leenzee Games has used to create the world of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is fantastic. There are moments of beauty in what is otherwise a grotesque world. The final boss of Chapter 1 is a tremendous sight that has you battling in the pond in the middle of a temple. Yet, the world contains grotesque areas and monsters suffering from the “Feathering.” From tree-like monsters in eerie caves to massive humans on the snowy mountain, it always feels unsettling as you traverse.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Final Verdict

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a well-made soulslike game in an otherwise crowded genre. The setting of the Shu region in an alternate Ming Dynasty is interesting and grotesque. The gameplay feels familiar but different enough to feel like its own. If you enjoy soulslike games, you do not want to miss this one.

To hear me talk more about WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, be sure to listen to the July 29th, 2025 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 57:38 time stamp.

This review is based on a PS5 copy of WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers provided by Diva PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on Xbox Series X|S and PC.