WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers - A Community Review Roundup
WUCHANG Fallen Feathers has taken flight... Incurring an community "explosion" rated as "substantially Negative". Even when focusing on continual performance struggles, there are some players who can see the potential for a competent Soulslike experience underneath all of its specialized hiccups.
Performance:
The Elephant in the Room
"Another unstable UE5 title. Why the hell aren't we properly optimising these games + Encouraging frame gen and or upscaling to resolve the issue and if it's present make this an accessible feature.it needs it?
"Nope, not doing it. Horrible performance. And another stutter fest with UE5.
"UE5 games are so hit or miss with performance, and this is one of the misses for me unfortunately (for my system at least)."
This is why this game needs a free demo.
Boss battles are good even (for the ones I played)
TThe charitable consensus is WUCHANG Fallen Feathers sucks so hard to optimize. The bloggers tell of widely fluctuating frame rates, stuttering scenes, screen tearing and general choppiness – even those who, by taking the end-of-the-line bus get a full fat RTX 4090 (or similar) stuck up their fabric liner. Many are saying the experience is “unplayable” or “a stutter-fest.”
- UE5 criticized: Reoccurring theme here would be the game's implementation of amazing Machine 5, with many gamers indicating that the developers are shipping unoptimized UE5 titles and only relying on upscalers like DLSS or FSR to "solve" performance instead of toning down the base game.
- "Oaring Performance complaint": one user termed the current performance issues this way.
- Resource overeater: Players notice GPU operation fares very high, even at bad judgments and settings which shows resources are not being operated properly.
- Shader compendium: Crediting some stutters to the shadow atlas is likely part of the shader compendium issue that tends to affect new UE5 titles.
- Clashing gestures: Even as the maturity report goes live a significant nonage with prominent systems claim the smoothness of gestures while accusations of "potato" PCs and out-dated drivers also feature in some lively debate. Yet still, some of these “smooth” actions often entail challenging to generate a frame or particular settings tweaks to achieve a steady framerate.
- Refunds aplenty: A lot of players, particularly those who pre-ordered the luxe edition, have been opting for a refund because the game wasn’t playable at release.
Gameplay:
A Hint of Hope (with caveats)
Amidst the straits of performance there were some who could still wrench a presence from the gameplay, providing their perceptivity. The general consensus seems to be that the core of the combat and Soulslike mechanics shine through, but are held back by flashy, clunky elements.
Combat References implicit: Numerous reviews compliment the combat system, calling it "fun," "engaging," "fluid" and "satisfying." It is known to satisfy aggression, perfection and stimulate various armament operations. The “Madness” and “Skyborn Might” systems are both briefly discussed as intriguing mechanics that set it apart from other Soulslikes.
Souls-like reliefs: The game has obvious reliefs from games such as Dark Souls, Sekiro, Elden Ring and Nioh. Some commentators have referred to it as a “better Black Myth Wukong” or a “Chinese Dark Souls 1.”
Challenge rating: There’s a good learning curve here, with many people describing the game as very much in the vein of Dark Souls, with extreme focus on both timing and reaction. For others, however, the difficulty is amorally so: "unnecessarily fiddly", "chastising" and featuring opponents with plenty too much "hyperactive armor" and what feels like the seemingly random discovery of new megahits.
Dodge vs. Blocking/Parrying: Some love the lean-in dodge heavy combat, while others miss a more traditional block and parry system that is often weapon or latterly unlocks bound.
Cumbersome basics: Admittedly, even fairly positive reviews mention cumbersome or rigid combat strength, sluggish controls and hitbox issues. Operations such as patching and pointer operations are reported to be too slow.
Position design & disquisition: Players praise the complex, interlocking world design and enjoy the lie-filled old paths. That said, others feel the advice is vague and leads to frustration and a sense of being “lost.”
Figure diversity (original prints): A couple of critics point out that there are only a handful of armament types (5) and munitions in the game for each, potentially constraining long-term figure variety.
Other Noteworthy Points
Story & Lore: The source prints for the story are inconsistent. Some read it as “disconnected and dislodging” or a “bit confusing,” while others think of it as “intriguing and original,” with subplots, relying heavily on Chinese myth. It’s the lack of facial vitality for the promoter, while some in her field either review it negatively as breathless.
Sound Design: “Medial,“ oder ein „Potch“, besondere Lautstärkeunterschiede zwischen Cutscenes, Spielwelt und Dialog-Loups.
Illustrations: "Beautiful!" "Gorgeous!" "Stunning!" "Atmospheric!," the performance issues aside, the art direction and environment are often praised. Yet others think the overall plates taste “subdued” or “just nothin’ earth shattering,” especially with upscaling.
World commerce: Niggling nitpick, I hate that the PC doesn’t actually collide with most world objects (stuff like brands going through walls and walls behind pots being fireproof), it kinda ruins immersion a bit.
Quality of Life: No basic stuff like rebindable "use" or movement keys, bus-volley for specifics and better point sorting are just thrown in the overlook basket.
Pricing and Pre-orders Tensions: Many had complained the pricing rapidly dropped after their purchase, especially for those who pre-ordered luxe edition. A few also mentioned problems with claiming pre-order lagniappes.
"Gooner" appeal: The promoter's character design, attire and "palpitation drugs" referenced in both positive as well as negative reviews with a good portion actually bestowing it with a "Gooner Seal of blessing".
Conclusion
Stay and See
The key advice most of the community gives is: hang out for patches and sales. On the one hand, WUCHANG Fallen Feathers is a game that shows promise in its combat and world design, but on the other we can’t ignore all of the performance issues plaguing the gameplay which make it difficult to recommend at this current state for the price. The problem is that innovators will then cater to the optimization companies, leaving only one possible first-mover phenomenon of game logic.
What elements of WUCHANG Fallen Feathers are you most curious to hear more details about, post-potential patches?
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