Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has managed to sidestep Soulslike fatigue, and it keeps getting better

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has today received a new patch on PC, offering improved performance and much-needed balance adjustments to tweak some of its infuriatingly cheap difficulty.

As a result, the rougher edges of the Soulslike are being smoothed out, allowing the more unique elements of the game to shine through.

Initially, Wuchang didn’t sit well with me. I previewed the game back at the Game Developer Conference but, thrown into a demo partway through the game with little explanation of its intricacies, it all felt intensely derivative. I expected that to continue when playing the game in full, but instead I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

Part of the issue with Wuchang is it doesn’t explain its best ideas very well. The early game is filled with terminology and functions – skyborn might, alacrity, feathering, to name three – but with little explanation or clarity. That leads to frustration and at first I was simply playing this like any other Soulslike without really engaging in its systems.