Around two months ago, I spoke of how 2025 was shaping up to be one of the most competitive and ambitious years the gaming scene had experienced in a very long time. I shared that view following my hands-on preview of Crimson Desert, an upcoming action-adventure game, and today, that sentiment struck me once more, having spent over three hours with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is an upcoming soulslike, action RPG developed by Leenzee Games. Set in the land of Shu during the dark and tumultuous late Ming Dynasty, a period plagued with warring factions and a mysterious illness spawning monstrous creatures, Fallen Feathers sees players controlling Wuchang, a skilled pirate warrior struck by amnesia. Tasked with navigating the uncertainties of her mysterious past while afflicted by the horrific Ornithropy disease, Wuchang explores the depths of Shu, enhancing the players’ arsenal and mastering new skills harvested from fallen foes along the way.
From battling against grotesque abominations to traversing through forgotten temples, overgrown ruins, and shadowed paths fraught with peril as you piece together Wuchang's lost memories, your choices will lead you to one of several endings, each determined by the choices made, secrets unearthed, and the allies you choose to trust — or not. If all of that has piqued your interest, then continue reading as I share my experience from playing Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and dissect everything I got up to during my time with the game!
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Hands-on Preview
Having started a new save, I was initially surprised by the lack of an introduction. There was no backstory or prologue, just a very short cutscene, and then before I knew it, I was on my way as Wuchang. This left me a little confused at first, but actually, it was an intentionally clever way to capture Wuchang’s loss of memory caused by the disease. You start the journey with little to no knowledge of what’s happened, just like her.
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+ 4In terms of visuals, the game looked good and held up pretty well. Admittedly, it didn’t take my breath away, but it was enough to leave me impressed. Performance-wise, it was solid overall, too. There were a few occasional stutters here and there, but not to the extent that they ruined the experience. Something that will be ironed out ahead of launch, I’m sure. Meanwhile, there was a nice mixture of environments and their accompanying variety of colors. One minute I was roaming around bright, sunny outdoor areas, and the next I’d be in dark, eerie caves.
One thing I did notice quite early on was that there was no world map on the menu. Instead, I had to follow paths that would eventually lead me to a new area to explore or a new boss to overcome. Fortunately, each path was quite noticeable and easy to navigate, although there were occasions when I forgot where I was and where I’d originally come from. Again, it added to the sense of intrigue and mystery as you uncover where you are, what’s happened, and what you’ve become.
Speaking of my travels, I encountered Shrines scattered throughout the land. These act as the game’s save points, and I could approach each one to perform a ritual animation. This then saves the shrine as a checkpoint, and it becomes your latest respawn location. You can also upgrade your character, purchase items, and opt to relocate at the shrines. I thought the concept of them was good, but they are not ideal if you make progress and then die before reaching the next shrine. This happened to me quite a few times, and it soon became a little bit tedious having to go back and forth upon death.
On the topic of death, it didn’t take me long to come across my first set of enemies. Even though there was nothing special about them as such, they certainly did a good job at setting the tone for combat. I don't know what difficulty I was on, as I wasn't presented with any options before starting the new save. However, if I played on the game’s standard, preset difficulty, then it's going to be one hell of a challenge for players.
click to enlarge+ 4For context, I kept dying just minutes into the game, and I wasn’t even fighting against a boss, only standard enemies, who, if anything, act as a pre-boss warm-up. Whether they are big or small, enemies move quickly and hit strongly. I can't emphasize enough just how important patience and timing are in this game, even in the earlier stages. When you are having to factor in things such as stamina, dodges, and item usage like health regens, battles can become very full-on and overwhelming. As a soulslike, that’s to be expected, but sometimes it felt a bit too much, and in my opinion, enemies were far too overpowering for my low-level character.
I also found that enemies would often make the same noise when striking them repeatedly. It sounded very generic after a while, highlighting a lack of variation in character sound and dialogue. It’s something I also noticed about their voice lines, which also became repetitive after a short while. Audio aside, however, I was very impressed with the enemy movement and combat behavior. Each one was aggressive in their own way and pulled off many different moves that caught me off guard and kept me guessing throughout.
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When it came to the arsenal at my disposal, I could carry a maximum of two weapons. I started with a sword, but then found an axe and a spear on my venture. The spear, in particular, was very good and could strike multiple enemies at once. Meanwhile, each weapon came with its own special move and some rather cool animations. I must admit, the blood splatter in this game was incredibly satisfying, and the way that it seamlessly covered everything nearby was awesome.
Furthermore, a big part of character customization and upgrades is equipment and the skill tree. You have your standard armor, consisting of headgear, upper garments, bottom wear, and accessories. These are accompanied by jade pendants that add boosts, spells which are castable on enemies, and carriable items that you can use on the go, like health regens and temporary stamina boosts, among others. All of these items come in various shapes, sizes, styles, and types, and the sheer amount of variety was quite impressive.
click to enlarge+ 4As for the skill tree, it's huge. With dozens of passive upgrades, special moves, and more available to unlock by spending Red Mercury earned throughout the game, the skill tree is another key component of character customization and progression, allowing players to enhance attributes and unlock powerful abilities to shape Wuchang's desired fighting style.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is one of those games that makes you incredibly frustrated one minute, but then hugely relieved and exhilarated the next. It's tough and it’s testing, but if you hang in there and refuse to give up even when it might be the easiest thing to do, it can also feel incredibly rewarding.
While I certainly think that there are areas for improvement, I can see this game becoming a big hit with soulslike fans. I think those who enjoy other titles like Elden Ring and Black Myth: Wukong, for example, will like it, considering it offers that same kind of vibe, look, and feel alongside the presence of similar features. Personally, I think it could do with some balancing adjustments to combat, and if enemies weren’t as punishing as they were during my time with the game, I think I would have been able to enjoy it considerably more.
I understand that they will be designed to give players a real challenge, and while I do like to be challenged, I felt as if Fallen Feathers pushed me to my limits too much, too early. It needs to find the right balance between being difficult and being fun to play, because based on my playthrough, the difficulty outweighed the enjoyment. If there turns out to be difficulty settings in the game, fantastic. But if there doesn't, I do worry how newcomers to this genre, like me, will fare.
click to enlarge+ 4That said, there’s a lot of potential to work with, and if they can fulfill it, Leenzee Games has a solid RPG on its hands.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers releases July 24, 2025, on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Our thanks go to Leenzee Games, 505 Games, and Diva Agency for inviting us to preview Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, and we wish them all the best with its launch next month.
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