Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Patch 1.5 fixes major flaws, but combat buffs spark debate over whether it’s now too easy for a Soulslike.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers' latest Patch version 1.5 simultaneously tackles major issues reviewers had with the game relating to difficulty, story, combat and bugs. However, have they inadvertently made the game too noob-friendly? The die-hards seem to think so.
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is a Soulslike game, a sub-genre of action-RPG titles that are synonymous for unforgiving deaths and challenging combat. WUCHANG: Fallen Feather at launch was no different. In fact, the recurring criticism from reviewers was that it was perhaps a little too unforgiving.
The three major issues reviewers had with the game in terms of combat were a lack of counter-play in boss fights, inconsistent difficulty, and that they were knocked down too often, with little or no chance to fight back. All three of these issues were addressed in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers version 1.5, for better or for worse.
Combat changes in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers PC patch 1.5
- Invincibility frame after being knocked down increased
- Healing animation speed increased
- Healing animation can now be cancelled with a dodge
- Light Weapons can now interrupt enemies more often
- Players can now chain spells, weapon skills, and more into follow-up light attack combos
The changes to combat in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers version 1.5 are substantial. The healing animation now not only happens faster but can be cancelled with a dodge. Invincibility frames after being knocked down - something that happens often - have been increased. This change, along with faster, cancellable healing, makes combat more forgiving and helps players push past the early-game grind into mid-to-late game content.
"This is to prevent players from being attacked during the getting-up animation to optimize the player’s early game experience."
Light Weapons - which are a go-to early on - have also been buffed. They now are more effective at interrupting enemies, and players can chain spells and skills to follow up with Light Attacks. Light Weapons are the quickest weapons and more "noob-friendly" than the spear or axe which can easily get punished.
Related articles
A difficult balance to strike: "Easy mode" vs die-hard
A vocal minority of die-hard gamers on social media have accused Leenzee of unnecessarily dumbing down the game for the "noskills" in response to the version 1.5 PC update. "Thank god I 100% the game before this patch, looks like the game just got easier for the cry babies," said one user on Twitter/X.
So is this true? According to Steam, 22% of PC players have already defeated the final boss. While this number might seem low, for context only 31% of players who picked up the iconic Dark Souls 1 ever managed to get all the way through. Dark Souls came out 14 years ago, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers on the other hand is just 3 weeks old.
While some veteran players see the WUCHANG update changes as a nerf to the challenge, the numbers tell a different story.
Editor's Note: Although given only 3% of people have unlocked all WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers achievements and trophies, there seems to be a suspiciously overwhelming majority of "die-hard" who claim to have platinumed the game on social media.
Version 1.5 patch targets the greater good
Die-hard purists aside, if we look at the bottom end of the Steam achievements for WUCHANG we see another side of the story. There is huge drop off in terms of players after the first few bosses.
There are a total of 9 obligatory bosses, but more than 40% of players have yet to conquer the 3rd boss. One reason for this could be Chapter 2's rather tedious environment which includes landmines and spikes, both of which have been nerfed in the version 1.5 PC update.
Environmental changes in WUCHANG Patch 1.5
- Increased the trigger interval for Spike Traps.
- Further reduced the damage of landmines in Chapters 2 & 3.
- Reduced the number of landmines in Chapter 3.
What seems evident - even from my own playthrough - is Leenzee is looking to push players further along in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, to avoid a bottleneck of players buying the game and giving up less than half-way in. Based on the statistics and sentiment it seems the right choice, there's plenty of room for self-imposed handicaps or 1-hit play-throughs for the die-hards.
As for the casuals well now you can heal quicker, get up faster and stagger enemies more easily with Light Weapons. It's a great time to be a new WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers player.
