These days, each new action-RPG which ties immersive world design and exploration, lightning quick dodge-block-parry targeted fight, and enthralling – if macabre – narrative right into a coherent package deal seemingly will get lumped in with the Soulslike sub-genre birthed by Japanese giants FromSoftware. Oversaturated the group has turn out to be, however new Soulslikes are releasing yearly which show the sub-genre is much from stagnating.
FromSoft’s three pillars of Soulslike recreation design – world constructing, narrative, and fight – are being adopted and refreshed by studios seeking to carve out their very own area of interest. Most notably, Lies of P featured a novel, narrative influencing “Lie” system and fight customising Legion Arm mechanic. Final yr’s runaway success Black Fable: Wukong strove for surplus innovation within the sub-genre with the group behind its creation championing the sport as one thing new; Black Fable-like, maybe, thereby distancing their very own creation from FromSoftware’s again catalogue.
Chinese language studio Leenzee aren’t putting any such distance between their upcoming debut title and its inspiration, self-describing Wuchang: Fallen Feathers as a Soulslike action-RPG. The studio goals to reflect the trajectory of its future endeavours on FromSoftware’s evolution too – from early Souls video games which prioritised world constructing by way of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s sharpened motion, culminating with Elden Ring – and it’s new multiplayer spinoff – which coalesced their recreation making ability into an open world. Learning their evolution, FromSoftware iterated and improved on their core basis – including extra to every pillar – as they went on.
Leenzee are extra grounded of their early ambition. For his or her first title, they’re opting to give attention to two of Soulslike’s three pillars – world design and fight depth – with narrative taking a backseat till the studio finds a firmer foothold. They’ve a long run plan to iterate on Soulslike’s established pillars with every recreation they produce, to make them their very own, however for now Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is richest in its world constructing and fight depth.
That’s to not say the sport gained’t harbour an attention-grabbing story. Certainly, its backdrop set amongst the tumultuous decline of the traditional Ming Dynasty, a panorama imbued by folkloric fantasy suffocating underneath a supernatural “Feathering” illness, an contaminated, amnesiac player-character combating to halt her mutation while discovering who she is – it’s an intriguing arrange which ought to yield a passable story.
Moreover, inside Fallen Feathers’ narrative setup arises attention-grabbing gameplay parts; the just-mentioned mutation manifests as an inside demon the extra our player-character – the titular Bai Wuchang – kills, a vessel strengthening by way of her while regularly whittling down her resolve. Dying too many instances releases the demon to bodily kind, with gamers then pressured to return to the place Wuchang was slain to defeat the demon and get better objects misplaced.
The mysterious Feathering illness informs the identification of the sport’s fight techniques; in apply, it’s an affliction able to unleashing immense energy but it surely’s not with out threat. The price of wielding such energy – unloading devastating assaults, chaining melee combos, spellcasting – versus the next likelihood to be left susceptible have to be assessed and enacted on the fly. Throughout Fallen Feathers’ lightning-quick fight, these parts of tactical astuteness trace at stern checks, or that perhaps there’s a excessive ability ceiling to succeed in earlier than feeling competent in battle. Nonetheless, all you’ll have to grasp is the dodge. Not less than, initially.
Based mostly on gameplay footage shared up to now, fight in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers appears to lean in direction of Sekiro-style precision however with nice emphasis on dodging. Effectively-timed dodges grant Wuchang with avian power-ups – displayed through eye-catching neon feather-wear on her arms – permitting her to whip out essentially the most highly effective type of her weapon strategies.
This mechanic, contained inside a system dubbed Skyborn May, is split into weapons-based expertise – tied to the particular weapon she is wielding – and discipline-based expertise, that are tied to the class of weapon she holds. When Leenzee says they’re specializing in Fallen Feathers’ fight depth, they weren’t improper. Battling answerable for Wuchang is completely why we can not wait to play Fallen Feathers, and you have to be excited too.
See, this technique will be iterated on as you progress. The fundamental gentle and heavy assaults, plus the power to dual-wield weapons, swiftly swapping between both because the scenario calls for, are current, after all, however early on you’ll realise that solely sure weapon classes permit blocking. There isn’t even a devoted parry button both.
Nonetheless, buying weapons from the suite of classes accessible and ideal blocking is revealed to be doable in any case. It’s a self-discipline tied to axe weapons. What’s extra, ploughing XP into defensive or evasive minded ability tree branches will ultimately result in good blocks which don’t dissipate any gathered Skyborn May factors. So, while dodging is the first go-to for accumulating power-ups, these factors can more and more be used on flashy particular strikes; emphasising easily ratcheting up choreographed combos. As soon as dodging is mastered, the sport encourages gamers to remain on the entrance foot, to keep up momentum as extra weapons, expertise, and skills are unlocked.
As soon as timing is discovered, fight in Fallen Feathers turns into an more and more empowering expertise. Sensing development as tangibly as this, in tandem with new manoeuvres and capabilities as they’re found, feels remarkably contemporary in an area we’ve already said as exponentially overcrowded. Leenzee are rightly happy with the fight system they’ve drawn up. It completely marries accessibility with ambition.
See, if mastering dodging is just too simple for you then the subsequent degree to contemplate is correct distancing between Wuchang and her enemies. Judging how far an enemy can strike, the space her weapons can attain, ensuring she’s not too shut as to be uncovered, and is suitably positioned to dodge – and later block or parry completely – earlier than seamlessly countering, these are expertise gamers can select be taught with the understanding that total recreation success doesn’t depend upon them.
That mentioned, Leenzee do appear to be pointing gamers to interact with Fallen Feathers’ fight in a sure manner, and that’s with type in addition to effectiveness. Their methodology to design and implement fight manoeuvres in-game is through movement capturing every thing. Spellcasting, additionally, is undeniably one of the visually arresting parts within the recreation’s motion sequences.
Fearsome boss fights harbouring visible spectacle, distinctive designs and movesets tie the significant aesthetic collectively. There’s a confidence Leenzee are showcasing of their fight’s visible language, and that is one thing we’re seeing increasingly from first time builders. Simply take a look at Clair Obscur: Expedition, from first time developer Sandfall Interactive as one other established instance of a recreation which blends type and substance completely.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers seems to be sure to hit a homerun in related vogue. For a fledgling group to be so blatant of their Soulslike inspiration but nonetheless conjure one thing novel is exceptional. The important thing takeaway right here is that, no doubt, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers won’t be a pale imitation of the sub-genre FromSoftware created. We haven’t even touched upon exploration or world constructing on this characteristic, however relaxation assured these parts have been as rigorously thought-about because the title’s gameplay and fight.
Over-ambitiousness typically results in mediocrity, an eagerness to good each factor. Leenzee have been proper to focus their efforts on Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ fight and world design as, while expansive a visually gorgeous sandbox the sport takes place in, it’ll be the fight by which this recreation is revered. The newfound studio have pushed for originality and innovation, reimagining Soulslikes to raise the style past what FromSoftware established.
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