WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers

This game is such a sleeper, I can’t even. FromSoft games are my favorites, and I try literally every soulslike that comes out. To me, this is currently the best non-FromSoft soulslike out there. The game takes a lot of inspiration from earlier FromSoft titles, mainly Dark Souls 1, but you can see some hints of Sekiro in there as well. At its core, though, this is a slow-movement game in the DS1 style, where every hit has weight and both you and your enemies can die very quickly. I love the world-building, the characters, the hubs, and the bosses. I played for almost 12 hours straight today, just hit level 30, and took down the first six-ish story bosses. The way you build your character is nicely done, with a lot of customization through amulets, weapon talents, elemental affixes you can add to weapons, and so on. There are no official classes, but all weapon styles have large skill trees with unique moves that can be developed into different versions. It gives you plenty of room to shape your build without locking you into one rigid path. Another great quality-of-life feature is that you can fully respec for free, as many times as you want, at any bonfire. That makes experimentation way less punishing and lets you actually play around with different weapons and builds instead of being locked into early choices. The game also kind of forces you to try different styles, since some of the more difficult bosses hard-counter certain playstyles. Think of the bosses in Armored Core 6, if you are familiar. Instead of being annoying, that works here because respecing is free and instant, so changing your build feels like part of the game rather than a punishment. The graphics are really nice too. Movement is a bit slow and clunky, and while the world itself is great, sometimes it does feel like you are exploring a vast network of tight tunnels. Again, very DS1. There is also a little bit of clunkiness all over the place, like action prompts only appearing when you are standing at the exact perfect angle. That said, the dodging feels very tight, and since that is basically the main mechanic of the game, it works. Most of the jank is tied more to traversal and interaction than to combat, which is the important part. Aside from those minor issues, the game is absolutely stellar. I would probably rate it an 8.5 or 9 out of 10. I’ve had maybe a few weaker bosses so far, but overall I’m having an absolute blast. If you loved DS1 like I did, and you want something that feels like Dark Souls Remastered Remastered set in Asia, with great graphics, great fashion souls, strong bosses, and that same dense interconnected world design, this is it. Honestly, no non-Fromsoft soulslike has clicked with me this much. It has that exact same vibe as DS1 all over the place, and if you are a sucker for interconnectedness, this game maxes it out, even more than the early areas of DS1. Very much worth full price. It is a love letter to DS1 and one of the best soulslikes out there. You just have to be okay with a bit of AA clunkiness. The devs did a great job overall, but there is still some minor jank left. Thankfully, it does not really affect the fighting, mostly just traversal and interactions.