The calls for for fewer Souls-likes within the gaming launch calendar make various sense once they’re as formulaic and acquainted as Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.
From developer Leenzee, the debut effort is a principally competent try at a Darkish Souls expertise, however it would not do practically sufficient to face out from its many, many friends. In addition to its Chinese language aesthetics and setting, you could possibly think about the sport in your sleep and also you’d be a lot of the method there — it’s simply that by-product.
Mazy degree design guides you thru jungles and temples, battling more and more troublesome enemies and managers, all whereas upgrading your individual stats, gear, and weapons. There’s a stunning quantity of NPCs to speak to providing quests, and a compass supplies higher steerage than what’s typical of the style, however by and huge, you’ve seen all of it a number of instances over already.
The twist is, although, that whereas Wuchang: Fallen Feathers feels overly acquainted, the Souls-like trappings it subscribes to nearly at all times produce a good expertise. It’s no totally different right here, as a fight system based mostly on dodging makes fights quick and fascinating. Then, with a novel Insanity mechanic, you possibly can rework your customisable protagonist to unlock new skills and enhance your harm. It’s neat, and one of many few issues the title has going for it when in comparison with some other Souls-like.
Once more, it’s a completely ample expertise that proves enjoyable sufficient within the second however not significantly memorable a number of days faraway from a playthrough.
It’s the technical efficiency that lets Wuchang: Fallen Feathers down essentially the most, nonetheless, at the least at launch. You may choose between High quality, Balanced, and Efficiency modes on PS5 Professional, however on high of them, you possibly can unlock the body price, flip movement blur on and off, and alter the depth of area between low, medium, and excessive.
A PC-lite providing on paper, in apply, it really offers you the fairly distinctive alternative to decide on what technical flaw the sport will undergo from. In testing, we struggled to search out a suitable mixture of settings, with some introducing absurd display screen tearing, extremely blurry graphics, and low-quality environments.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is pleasing sufficient with out its efficiency troubles, however with them, they’re a serious drag on the general sport. Anticipate them to be ironed out in post-launch patches and also you’ll discover a first rate, if formulaic expertise.
