As reported by GamerSky, the exit of producer and director Xia Siyuan was reportedly due to a refusal to shift to outsourcing or supporting other projects. Other development team members voiced objections, leading to its dissolution.

With the game not seeing any updates for a while, the team’s exit might just be the death knell for a title that was quite a solid take on the Soulslike formula. There has been no official statement from the developer, especially about rumors surrounding future planned content (which was apparently in the works before Siyuan’s exit).

It’s a shame that we’re probably not going to see any new additions to Fallen Feathers. We’d have loved to join Wuchang on a new bunch of adventures, but alas. There’s always the possibility that Leenzee brings in a new team to work on DLC or additional content. However, we wouldn’t hold our breath on that front, especially since the Souls-like apparently underperformed. It’s going to be interesting to see how Leenzee manages the situation, but its silence at this point is rather ominous.

These are rumors that remain unconfirmed at the moment, as Gamersky reports on whispers among leakers that the team behind the game has been laid off after the studio was dissatisfied with the game’s reception. Producer and director Xia Siyuan is apparently a notable one among them. He reportedly registered his own company, although other employees apparently haven’t fared as well. There’s talk of unpaid salaries and legal action – more trouble for a studio that faced extensive controversy when the game was released, owing to its shaky performance dominating much of the initial discourse.

A fair amount of additional content was also allegedly ready to go for Wuchang, which could have helped it gain a little more traction, but might now remain unused courtesy of the team’s exit. That’s a shame, as this is certainly a title that many among us would’ve loved to dive back into to take on new threats and explore more visually stunning levels.

These can be claimed in-game from the Reverent Temple’s Donation Box. As for Standard Edition owners, two headgear pieces have been added for free – Bo Sorcerer’s Crown and the Ming Army Helmet. Of course, the update also improves visual fidelity with DLSS Ultra Performance at 2K resolution no longer appearing super blurry.

It also optimizes VRAM usage on PC for better performance and stability. The results are pretty impressive in most scenarios, with usage dropping as much as 700 MB (though settings and hardware will vary). Leenzee confirmed that it will continue polishing the title, so stay tuned for more updates.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our review here.

Enter Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, a new action RPG from Leenzee that clearly draws inspiration from its predecessors while trying to make a name of itself. The question is: how does it play? And can it surprise me the way Lies of P or Nioh once did?

"Combat in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is easily its strongest suit."

Set during the Ming Dynasty, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers puts you in the role of Bai Wuchang, a warrior suffering from amnesia (because, let’s face it, nearly every protagonist these days seems to). The land of Shu is in a mess and things aren’t quite what they seem. The townsfolk are plagued by a mysterious illness known as the Feathering Disease, a condition that Bai Wuchang herself is afflicted with. The premise immediately made me think about Bloodborne, where the residents of Yharnam were similarly gripped by a monstrous disease. Here too, infected villagers will often attack you on sight, although, in typical Soulslike fashion, some NPCs might still offer help along the way. Interestingly, villagers may even turn on one another if others are suspected of being infected, adding some unpredictability to the world.

As the story unfolds, Bai Wuchang slowly regains fragments of her lost memory, leading to some interesting revelations. I won’t spoil what those are, but it’s safe to say the narrative takes a back seat to the gameplay; it’s more of a backdrop than a centerpiece that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. It felt to me that it was there to support the atmosphere and gameplay, rather than to steal the spotlight. As in most soulslikes these days, there are also the usual side stories scattered throughout the game’s world, tasks that involve delivering or fetching key items. These may or may not contribute to the main narrative, depending on how deep you go or you can completely ignore them. Ultimately, the story is serviceable and functional, it fits the world, and it offers multiple endings, but it’s nothing genre-defining or something I will be thrilled to discuss with my friends.

Combat in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is easily its strongest suit. You’re given access to five weapon types: axe, two-handed sword, long sword, one-handed sword, and spear. Naturally, you’ll unlock or discover new weapons within each category as you progress through the rather long campaign, though you can only equip two at a time. Weapon switching is available in real time, much like other Soulslike games, but don’t expect a seamless combo system that lets you chain attacks between the two (although I would have personally loved to see that happen). The strikes feel impactful, the hitboxes are generally accurate, and I didn’t notice any input lag between controller actions and on-screen responses.

"Progression in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is handled a bit differently compared to most traditional action RPGs."

Each weapon also comes with special abilities that consume a resource called Skyborn Might, which is accumulated through precise combat actions like dodging or parrying. This makes the system heavily skill based, punishing reckless gameplay with death at the hands of your enemy. While movements like dodging aren’t as fast or snappy as what you’d find in Bloodborne, successful dodges grant the ability to follow up with special moves, rewarding player awareness. On top of that, the game features a magic system with dozens of spells to find and use, allowing players to combine physical and magical attacks, thereby delivering an engaging combat experience.

There’s also a Benediction system in place, allowing you to apply specific materials to your chosen weapon to gain added advantages, such as improved block efficiency or increased damage output. Alongside this is the Temper system, which lets you enhance character-specific parameters like weapon agility or elemental effects such as fire. Lastly, there’s the Discipline system which is essentially a set of combos tied to each weapon type that you acquire throughout your journey. While these systems aren’t particularly groundbreaking for a modern AAA combat-focused game, I feel they add a welcome layer of weapon customization that complements the existing mechanics well.

Progression in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is handled a bit differently compared to most traditional action RPGs. While you still have your usual attributes like vitality, stamina, and magic to manage and level up, the core of progression is closely tied to your weapons. Using Red Mercury Essence (the game’s souls) and a variety of other upgrade materials, you can improve any weapon type of your choice; however, it may push players toward specializing only a particular weapon. In my case, I found myself focusing heavily on upgrading my longsword, though the game does support balanced builds as well.

What’s refreshing is the flexibility the system offers. Skill nodes can be reset if you want to change your build, allowing players to experiment; there are also upgrade trees dedicated to character attributes like vitality and other stat-driven parameters, but overall, Wuchang places heavier emphasis on weapon-based progression. The game also features a risk-reward system based on how many times the player character dies. When one dies, they lose Red Mercury, but the amount lost is influenced by a unique mechanic called the Inner Demon Level. The more the player dies, the higher their madness level becomes, which in turn increases the Inner Demon Level thereby losing more mercury. This system allows you to deal more damage the higher your madness climbs, but it comes at a cost: you also take significantly more damage.

If you die with a high madness level, a mirror version of Bai will spawn at the site of your death. To recover your lost Red Mercury Essence, you’ll need to defeat her in battle. Interestingly, certain abilities and weapons are tied directly to this madness mechanic, becoming usable or more effective only at specific madness levels. I found this to be a clever system that rewards high-risk playstyles provided you’re skilled enough to handle the challenges that come along with it.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is undoubtedly one of the toughest games you’ll play in 2025, but is it the hardest Soulslike out there? Not quite. Some bosses will certainly push your patience to the limit, especially on your first few attempts, but once you learn their patterns and timing, they become a tad easier to manage. Boss designs are impressive across the board, featuring a solid mix of enemy types that vary in shapes and strategy. As a veteran Souls player, I found the difficulty rewarding and the variety refreshing, with each encounter offering its own flavor of tension.

I was, however, a bit disappointed by certain inconsistencies in level design. In a few instances, I encountered sections where two areas were separated by such a small gap that it felt unreasonable not to be able to cross, one moment even had an enemy just a foot away, but unreachable due to a lack of traversal connection. Situations like that break immersion and come across as poor level design. Either provide a bridge or path between those sections, or don’t place enemies within visible range if I can’t reach them.

To be clear, this wasn’t a widespread issue during my time with the game. For the most part, I found the levels to be well crafted and feature strong interconnectivity, which is a hallmark of the genre. And perhaps I’m nitpicking, but when so many Soulslike games have nailed level design with minimal errors, moments like these stand out in a way they really shouldn’t.

Another noticeable issue I have with the game is that it doesn’t seem to fully capitalize on the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5. Given that Wuchang: Fallen Feathers began its development on UE4, it definitely shows some signs of a rough transition to newer tech. Don’t get me wrong, some areas look absolutely stunning, but certain textures and assets clearly reflect their outdated tech origins. That said, the overall presentation is solid, animations are fluid, environments are richly detailed, and the cutscenes are decent. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is serviceable, not particularly memorable, but it gets the job done.

"Overall, I found Wuchang: Fallen Feathers to be a solid entry in the Soulslike genre."

From a technical standpoint, I played the game on a high-end PC (Ryzen 5950X, RTX 3080 Ti, and 32GB of RAM) with most settings maxed out at 4K using one of the upscaling options. Performance was acceptable, though not locked at 60fps as there were occasional dips during more demanding moments, but at least there was no stuttering. With some post-launch optimization, I expect performance to improve further. It may not match the production values of Black Myth: Wukong, but Wuchang still manages to deliver a visually competent and mostly stable experience.

Overall, I found Wuchang: Fallen Feathers to be a solid entry in the Soulslike genre. Its engaging combat, multi-layered skill systems, and unique risk-reward mechanics built around the madness system offer enough depth to keep fans of the genre (like me) invested. It’s a game that I feel understands what makes Soulslikes tick and delivers that experience with confidence.

That said, I feel that Wuchang doesn’t take many risks of its own. It adheres too closely to genre conventions and rarely steps beyond familiar territory. It doesn’t reinvent or significantly push the genre forward but for many players including myself, that won’t be a deal breaker. What it does, it does well enough, and sometimes, that’s all we need.

This game was reviewed on PC.

For PS5 Pro, Quality runs in 60 frames per second, while Balanced is 70 FPS, and Performance is 80 FPS. The resolution in each mode is unknown, and PlayStation specifies that a 120Hz-compatible display is necessary for 40 FPS in Balanced mode. Quality differences have also yet to be outlined, so stay tuned for further details.

Alongside PS5, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers launches on July 24th for Xbox Series X/S and PC. The Souls-like action RPG follows Bai Wuchang, a pirate with amnesia who arrives in the Land of Shu, seeking a cure for the Feathering disease. Check out our feature for everything you should know, or learn more about the PC requirements.

What is Wuchang?

At its core, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a Souls-like action RPG. Attacks and dodging consume stamina, death causes the loss of some currency, and dodging is oftentimes the best (though not sole) means of survival. There are definite parallels to Team Ninja’s Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty – especially in executing critical blows on staggered enemies – but while there’s an emphasis on build-crafting, you won’t exactly be showered in loot. More on that shortly.

Who is Wuchang?

Of course, Wuchang isn’t just the name of the game – it’s also the protagonist, Bai Wuchang, who ends up in the Land of Shu during the late Ming Dynasty. It’s an alternative historical version of the setting, where familiar figures appear, and ancient conflicts have given rise to the Feathering disease. Wuchang is a pirate who lost her memories and doesn’t have much context on how she got the disease (or how to cure it, or what the mysterious Chisel does). Regardless, most people in Shu want her dead, and it has some powerful side effects, though not all of them are positive.

Shifted to Unreal Engine 5

When it was first revealed, Wuchang didn’t garner the most positive feedback due to the visuals and overall polish (though to be fair, it was still early in development). Despite starting development on Unreal Engine 4, Leenzee shifted to Unreal Engine 5, which allows for physics-based effects and better lighting, according to director Xia Siyuan. Furthermore, the engine provided a “more robust framework” for improved fidelity.

World Design

Game director Siyuan Xia has spoken about the team’s approach to environmental design – the desire to offer a Dark Souls 1-like hub with interconnected areas and shortcuts. However, based on some interviews, it seemingly features five massive levels in total, some of which can take hours to fully clear. It’s not an open world like Elden Ring, but the development team reportedly prioritized openness to encourage players to explore.

Choices and Consequences

Leenzee has heavily implied the existence of choices and consequences in the story, with various “Chessmasters” (as TechRadar’s preview describes them) having a hand in ongoing events. Whether you invest in the store or opt to kill everyone, the weight of those choices will ultimately determine Wuchang’s fate (and the ending). Of course, you should also absolutely explore the world and complete side quests since they’ll also affect the story in various ways.

Combat

Combat in Wuchang will look very familiar for Souls-like fans, though Leenzee also tossed in several elements like perfect dodging, which builds up Skyborn Might for unleashing powerful abilities. And it’s best to get accustomed to it since you’ll be dodging a lot in the early going. Parrying is also available, but not for every weapon – some require unlocking it from the skill tree.

Weapon Types

There are five weapon types and 25 unique options spread across them, ranging from one-handed and two-handed swords to dual-blades, two-handed axes, spears, and war clubs. You can equip two at a time with no weight limits, but consuming Skyborn Might allows for seamlessly switching and continuing a combo.

Abilities

Each weapon also has a unique ability, from Colossal Smash (which deals poise damage and even interrupts some enemy attacks) to Blade Dance, described by the PlayStation Blog as “a whirling assault that slices through enemies.” Vortex Thrust is also useful for spear users since it can hit several foes with its shockwaves. On top of improving each ability through the skill tree, you can also enhance them with Red Mercury.

Armor for Resistances and Stats

Given how leveling, armor is intriguing because it provides stats (at least, according to IGN’s preview). Perhaps the biggest reason to mix and match armor pieces is different damage resistances. Depending on the areas visited, it may be ideal to change out resistances to slashing and bludgeoning damage and instead opt for magic defense. And yes, a transmog feature is available to prioritize fashion while maintaining your desired stats.

Spells

Spellcasting is a potent and destructive tool, and even though there are only 40 available, you have several options. The Lotus Soulflame, for instance, can output extensive elemental damage (per the PlayStation Blog), while Echo of Liu Cheng’en summons a “chilling surge of ice” to knock down enemies. We’ve also seen lightning strikes, purple flames that surge across the ground in a straight line, a lotus that spills out projectiles around Wuchang, and much more, all of which can be used alongside weapon attacks, so there will be plenty of ways to lay the smack down on enemies.

Madness

Wuchang can leverage Feathering in various ways, but perhaps the most intriguing is Madness. Those suffering from the disease go mad, but she can control the rate at which it’s gained to deal more damage and even unlock new skills. The problem is that she also takes more damage when the Madness reaches certain points; take on too much, and death will spawn a spectre of sorts, who you must slay to retrieve any dropped currency. Madness is intriguing because it’s raised by taking damage, dying or using specific items, which provides a neat risk vs. reward for more skilled players.

The Massive Skill Tree

Leveling up is also interesting because, based on impressions and previews thus far, you don’t allocate currency and increase stats. Instead, you get skill points, which can be spent on the immense skill tree. This allows for unlocking new weapon abilities, defensive options, healing charges, and more (alongside stats, funnily enough). The full extent of the skill tree remains to be revealed, but 505 Games promises tons of choices.

Bosses

In what’s perhaps the least surprising revelation, there will be bosses, that too with multiple phases (which could even mean “more than two”). While it’s not surprising in the slightest, 505 Games has confirmed that they can be tackled in non-linear order. The bosses themselves range from humanoid threats with extensive speed and agility to beings corrupted by the Feathering, sprouting wings and other appendages, which should make for an interesting ride.

Playtime

For what’s essentially a $50 title, that too one available on Game Pass at launch, Wuchang is a surprisingly meaty experience, requiring 40 to 60 hours on average to complete. You can unlock multiple endings and experiment with different builds, though Leenzee hasn’t gone into much detail on how much side content is available or even if there’s a New Game Plus.

DLSS 4 and Frame Generation Support

Though its PC requirements have yet to be detailed, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers will support Nvidia DLSS 4 at launch. You can also enable Multi Frame Generation for maximum performance at 4K on the highest settings (though that seemingly requires an RTX 5090). Other supported features include Super Resolution, Frame Generation, and Reflex.

FromSoft’s three pillars of Soulslike game design – world building, narrative, and combat – are being adopted and refreshed by studios looking to carve out their own niche. Most notably, Lies of P featured a novel, narrative influencing “Lie” system and combat customising Legion Arm mechanic. Last year’s runaway success Black Myth: Wukong strove for surplus innovation in the sub-genre with the team behind its creation championing the game as something new; Black Myth-like, perhaps, thereby distancing their own creation from FromSoftware’s back catalogue.

Chinese studio Leenzee aren’t placing any such distance between their upcoming debut title and its inspiration, self-describing Wuchang: Fallen Feathers as a Soulslike action-RPG. The studio aims to mirror the trajectory of its future endeavours on FromSoftware’s evolution too – from early Souls games which prioritised world building through Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s sharpened action, culminating with Elden Ring – and it’s new multiplayer spinoff – which coalesced their game making skill into an open world. Studying their evolution, FromSoftware iterated and improved on their core foundation – adding more to each pillar – as they went on.

Leenzee are more grounded in their early ambition. For their first title, they’re opting to focus on two of Soulslike’s three pillars – world design and combat depth – with narrative taking a backseat until the studio finds a firmer foothold. They have a long term plan to iterate on Soulslike’s established pillars with each game they produce, to make them their own, but for now Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is richest in its world building and combat depth.

That’s not to say the game won’t harbour an interesting story. Indeed, its backdrop set amongst the tumultuous decline of the ancient Ming Dynasty, a landscape imbued by folkloric fantasy suffocating under a supernatural “Feathering” disease, an infected, amnesiac player-character fighting to halt her mutation whilst discovering who she is – it’s an intriguing set up which should yield a satisfactory tale.

Furthermore, within Fallen Feathers’ narrative setup arises interesting gameplay elements; the just-mentioned mutation manifests as an inner demon the more our player-character – the titular Bai Wuchang – kills, a vessel strengthening through her whilst gradually whittling down her resolve. Dying too many times releases the demon to physical form, with players then forced to return to where Wuchang was slain to defeat the demon and recover items lost.

The mysterious Feathering disease informs the identity of the game’s combat systems; in practice, it’s an affliction capable of unleashing immense power but it’s not without risk. The cost of wielding such power – unloading devastating attacks, chaining melee combos, spellcasting – versus the subsequent chance to be left vulnerable must be assessed and enacted on the fly. During Fallen Feathers’ lightning-quick combat, these elements of tactical astuteness hint at stern tests, or that maybe there’s a high skill ceiling to reach before feeling competent in battle. However, all you’ll need to master is the dodge. At least, initially.

Based on gameplay footage shared thus far, combat in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers seems to lean towards Sekiro-style precision but with great emphasis on dodging. Well-timed dodges grant Wuchang with avian power-ups – displayed via eye-catching neon feather-wear on her arms – allowing her to whip out the most powerful form of her weapon techniques.

This mechanic, contained within a system dubbed Skyborn Might, is divided into weapons-based skills – tied to the specific weapon she is wielding – and discipline-based skills, which are tied to the category of weapon she holds. When Leenzee says they’re focusing on Fallen Feathers’ combat depth, they weren’t wrong. Battling in command of Wuchang is absolutely why we cannot wait to play Fallen Feathers, and you should be excited too.

See, this system can be iterated on as you progress. The basic light and heavy attacks, plus the ability to dual-wield weapons, swiftly swapping between either as the situation demands, are present, of course, but early on you’ll realise that only certain weapon categories allow blocking. There isn’t even a dedicated parry button either.

However, acquiring weapons from the suite of categories available and perfect blocking is revealed to be possible after all. It’s a discipline tied to axe weapons. What’s more, ploughing XP into defensive or evasive minded skill tree branches will eventually lead to perfect blocks which don’t use up any accumulated Skyborn Might points. So, whilst dodging is the primary go-to for accumulating power-ups, these points can increasingly be used on flashy special moves; emphasising smoothly ratcheting up choreographed combos. Once dodging is mastered, the game encourages players to stay on the front foot, to maintain momentum as more weapons, skills, and abilities are unlocked.

Once timing is learned, combat in Fallen Feathers becomes an increasingly empowering experience. Sensing progression as tangibly as this, in tandem with new manoeuvres and capabilities as they’re discovered, feels remarkably fresh in a space we’ve already stated as exponentially overcrowded. Leenzee are rightly satisfied with the combat system they’ve drawn up. It perfectly marries accessibility with ambition.

See, if mastering dodging is too easy for you then the next level to consider is proper distancing between Wuchang and her enemies. Judging how far an enemy can strike, the distance her weapons can reach, making sure she’s not too close as to be exposed, and is suitably placed to dodge – and later block or parry perfectly – before seamlessly countering, these are skills players can choose learn with the understanding that overall game success doesn’t depend on them.

That said, Leenzee do seem to be pointing players to engage with Fallen Feathers’ combat in a certain way, and that is with style as well as effectiveness. Their method to design and implement combat manoeuvres in-game is via motion capturing everything. Spellcasting, also, is undeniably one of the most visually arresting elements in the game’s action sequences.

Fearsome boss fights harbouring visual spectacle, unique designs and movesets tie the meaningful aesthetic together. There’s a confidence Leenzee are showcasing in their combat’s visual language, and this is something we’re seeing more and more from first time developers. Just look at Clair Obscur: Expedition, from first time developer Sandfall Interactive as another established example of a game which blends style and substance perfectly.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers looks certain to hit a homerun in similar fashion. For a fledgling team to be so blatant in their Soulslike inspiration yet still conjure something novel is remarkable. The key takeaway here is that, without doubt, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers will not be a pale imitation of the sub-genre FromSoftware created. We haven’t even touched upon exploration or world building in this feature, but rest assured those elements have been as carefully considered as the title’s gameplay and combat.

Over-ambitiousness sometimes leads to mediocrity, an eagerness to perfect every element. Leenzee have been right to focus their efforts on Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ combat and world design as, whilst expansive a visually stunning sandbox the game takes place in, it’ll be the combat in which this game is revered. The newfound studio have pushed for originality and innovation, reimagining Soulslikes to elevate the genre beyond what FromSoftware established.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Along with giving us a few glimpses at the story of the game, the trailer largely focuses on the Wuxia-inspired fights that players will be able to take part in against some epic-looking bosses.

Far from the first trailer released for Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, the game got a trailer back in May that showcased some of its gameplay, while also confirming that the title will support Nvidia’s DLSS 4 technology.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and will be out on July 24. The game is currently available for pre-orders, with the White Spectre and Night Spectre costumes, the Vermillion War Club weapon, and the Glistening Red Mercury Skill Upgrade Item as pre-order bonuses. The studio has revealed that it will take players an average of between 40 to 60 hours to finish a single playthrough.

Set in an Imperial Chinese inspired setting after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers will take players to a number of vivid and visually striking locations, many of which are showcased throughout the trailer.

The Soulslike action RPG’s combat is also shown throughout, with the trailer offering glimpses of different weapons, explosive attacks and enemies, and what’s looking like a varied and formidable roster of enemies. Check out the trailer below for more details.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is due out sometime in 2025 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It will also be available on Game Pass day 1.

Set in 1647, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers will attempt to immerse players in a historically inspired fictional Chinese setting at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Players will play as the eponymous Wuchang, who has not only lost much of her memory, but is also on a quest to unravel the mysteries that will help revive her sister. 

The game will feature non-linear and vertical design, atmosphere inspired by dark fantasy and wuxia genres, and a focus on environmental storytelling, while major historical figures will also have a role to play in the story. Choice and consequence mechanics will also determine how the story plays out.

Meanwhile, on the combat front, players will have access to a variety of different weapons and play styles, rom dual wielding swords to carrying around giant two-handed weapons, each bringing their own unique strengths and attributes. Check out the developer interview below, where Siyun also goes into detail about technologies used to work on the title, such as laser scanning, using drones and cameras to gather real-world data, motion capture, and more.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is due out sometime in 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and will also be available via Game Pass at launch.