Launch Performance Issues Plague "Wuchang: Fallen Feathers," Earning It 'Mostly Negative' Reviews on Steam, Despite Being Second Most Popular Soulslike to "Black Myth: Wukong"
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, the latest Soulslike game to hit the market, has been met with a mixed reception, particularly on PC. Despite its initial success, the game has been receiving mostly negative reviews on Steam due to several significant issues.
Frustrating Gameplay
One of the main criticisms levelled at Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is its gameplay. The game's inconsistent level design and overtuned boss fights have been major sources of frustration for players. While Soulslike games are known for their challenge, Wuchang's toughest fights often feel unfair, with bosses exhibiting attack patterns that are difficult to learn and counter.
Performance Issues
The game's performance problems on PC have also been a point of contention. Players report frequent drops below 30 FPS, even on the lowest graphics settings, which significantly affects gameplay. The game is also plagued by crashes and instability, further exacerbating the frustration due to the lack of smooth performance.
Efforts to improve performance using techniques like TSR or FSR upscaling yield mixed results. While TSR offers some improvement, it comes at the cost of visual quality, and FSR upscaling does not provide a significant performance boost.
Unfulfilled Potential
Despite its potential, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers seems to have fallen short in execution. The game's dynamic combat and storytelling are intriguing, but these positives are overshadowed by the numerous technical and design issues.
Commercial Success
Despite the negative reviews, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has been doing well commercially. The game has received reviews ranging from 75 to 83 on Metacritic. It also boasts a peak concurrent player count of 114,132 on Steam, which is the highest for any Soulslike game not made by FromSoftware.
Eurogamer's Review
Eurogamer describes Wuchang: Fallen Feathers as "a competent, cool, and pretty soulslike with a nice twist on death but few true surprises." TechRadar, on the other hand, calls it "36 hours of pure soulslike bliss."
Player Reviews
Many player reviews criticize the game for issues with its performance, specifically on Unreal Engine 5. One player states, "Another UE5 stutter fest, L. Automatic Refund," while another agrees, saying, "Performance is abysmal."
The game's PC score on Metacritic is 76, lower than its PS5 and Xbox Series scores of 75 and 83, respectively.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers launched on shelves on an unspecified date. If players have another platform, it might be worth getting Wuchang: Fallen Feathers there instead of on a PC due to the performance issues. However, for those willing to look past these issues, the game offers a unique Soulslike experience.
- Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, the latest Soulslike game, is facing criticism for its gameplay, with players finding the level design inconsistent and boss fights overtuned, often feeling unfair.
- On PC, the game encounters performance issues, with players reporting frequent drops below 30 FPS, even on the lowest graphics settings, also experiencing crashes and instability.
- Attempts to enhance performance using techniques like TSR or FSR upscaling provide mixed results, with TSR affecting visual quality and FSR not providing a significant boost.
- Despite the numerous technical and design issues, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is commercially successful, boasting a high peak concurrent player count on Steam and positive reviews on Metacritic.
- Eurogamer describes Wuchang: Fallen Feathers as a competent game with nice twists but few true surprises, while TechRadar calls it a source of 36 hours of Soulslike bliss.
- Many player reviews focus on performance issues, particularly on Unreal Engine 5, with some calling it an "UE5 stutter fest" and recommending automatic refunds.
- The PC version of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has a lower Metacritic score compared to its PS5 and Xbox Series counterparts, making other platforms a potentially better choice for avoiding performance issues, but offering a unique Soulslike experience for those willing to overlook these concerns.
