WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers delivers deep combat and rewarding exploration, but is held back by a flat story and frustrating boss design says reviews.
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers enters the souls-like arena on July 24 with blades, curses, a breathtaking world and plenty of blood. With the review embargo lifted, here’s what critics are saying so far.
Overview of WUCHANG: Fallen Feather Reviews
- 8/10 - IGN
- 7/10 - GamesRader
- 7.5/10 - Metacritic
- 9/10 - DualShockers
- 7.5/10 - NoisyPixel
- 7.5/10 - ZioStorm
- 8/10 - FightinCowboy
- 9/10 - MrTommoTalksGames
- 9.7/10 - XboxEra
The official review embargo lifted on July 23, 24 hours ahead of the launch of the game - Check time of release in your region. Despite a variety of reviews, from media websites like IGN and GamesRadar to independent influencers, there are a few recurring themes.
Positives: Skill Tree, Combat, World-building
In terms of positives, almost all reviews heavily praise the Skill Tree, which is frequently compared to the Skill Tree in Final Fantasy X. LIkewise, the combat options and skill-ceiling felt rewarding outside of certain boss fights.
- Skill Tree: High praise in all reviews, options to reskill for free, immense options
- Combat: Customizing your builds to match weapons, perks and abilities very rewarding
- World-building: Expansive and beautiful world to explore rich in mythology and history
Negatives: Difficulty, Story & certain Boss Fights
In terms of negatives, the four recurring criticism in reviews of WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers relate to boss fights, difficulty and story.
- Boss Fights: No window for aggression/counter-play led to frustration for certain bosses
- Difficulty: Inconsistent throughout the game, big spikes
- Story: Irrelevant due to infrequent storytelling and lack of context for Chinese lore
- Cheap Deaths: Too many gimmicks leading to unavoidable deaths (poison, surprise attacks etc..)
Below we picked three of the best reviews so far that cover various aspects of the game.
IGN's Review - 8/10
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Dynamic combat / variety of weaponry + Gigantic skill tree (6 paths) + Vast options for customizing builds | - Lore can be complicated and confusing - Inconsistent difficulty - Later Boss fights at times tedious |
IGN's review of WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers heavily praised the "gigantic" skill tree and the depth of combat options and customization. Reskilling costs nothing allowing players to tweak builds to match the opposing foe.
In terms of their criticism it was that the lore - which is based on the Ming dynasty - can feel a little alien and as such the story is perhaps not as illuminating as it could be. IGN's reviewer also felt boss fights in the later stages of the game did not give enough options for counter-play. Overall the game received an 8/10.
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GamesRadar Review - 7/10 (3.5 Stars out of 5)
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Depth of dungeons and exploration + Breathtaking landscapes + Rewards defensive and offensive playstyles | - Lack of counter-play in certain boss fights - Story sporadic and hard to follow - Uneven difficulty spikes |
GamesRadar's review focused on the specific challenges and perks of combat while praising the spectacular environment and settings in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers. Similar to IGN, they felt the story was hard to follow primarily due to the scarcity of information. Likewise they experienced the same frustrations with lack of options to fight back in boss fights, citing they often felt stun-locked as they scrambled to react to large attacks.
GamesRadar heavily praised the dungeons and reward mechanics for free exploration. They also were impressed by the five weapon types (axes, spears, dual blades, one-handed swords and long swords). "Instead of a dedicated universal block or parry mechanic, each weapon has their own defensive skill. Which kind of makes them act like traditional RPG classes," said GamesRadar. Overall GamesRadar gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 (7/10).
NoisyPixel - 7.5/10
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Variety in abilities across five weapon types + Magic system + Impressive level design | - Story not compelling and hard to follow - Inconsistent visuals (sometimes blurry) - Minor performance issues at times |
NoisyPixel's WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers' review touched on the magic options which IGN and GamesRadar did not, complimenting how well they can work in tandem with combat attacks. NoisyPixel echoed the praise of the game's level design, in particular how environments were interconnected and that exploration was rewarded.
In terms of negatives NoisyPixel raised issues with the visuals, which were inconsistent even in performance mode. Once again the story - which is primarily told through conversations with NPCS - was considered underwhelming. Noisy Pixel gave WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers a 7.5/10.
Conclusion
Based on the reviews released so far, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers seems a worthy addition to the souls-like genre but not as ground-breakingly brilliant as Black Myth: Wukong. This might not be a necessary instant purchase. However, it seems developer Leenzee have cleverly placed four of the best costumes within the Deluxe Edition, which only costs $10. If you do plan to buy the game, it might be worth going Deluxe.
