“Strike. Strike. Backstep!” I told myself through gritted teeth as I combined my character’s attacks and defensive maneuvers in successive fluid motions, all to avoid the devastating attacks of a masked warrior with an aesthetic akin to that of an opera performer.
Then, I stared, mouth agape, as, at the last moment, I forgot to avoid a lightning-fast spear thrust that made the ground tremble. My character perished, which meant I had to take another crack at one of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ fearsome bosses.
This soulslike game from the Chengdu-based Leenzee studio weaves a tale of dark fantasy and history. Set during the calamitous fall of the Ming Dynasty, players are thrust into the role of the titular pirate lady, Wuchang, who has been afflicted by a curse known as the Feathering.
I was able to play through several challenging encounters in the game for a couple of hours when I visited Leenzee Games’ office and spoke with game director and studio co-founder Siyuan Xia about the team’s project.
From humble beginnings
When Xia co-founded Leenzee in 2016, the team behind the game consisted of only five core members. Still, there was this yearning to emulate the tried-and-tested formula and, naturally, the success of Dark Souls.
“We initially envisioned Wuchang to capture the exploratory essence of interconnected level designs seen in the first Dark Souls game,” says Xia. “We wanted a hub-based exploration system that allowed players to traverse the same areas from multiple directions to create varied experiences for different playstyles.”
This was something I noticed early on in my playthrough. After emerging from a cavern, I overlooked a tranquil bamboo forest with shrines, giant Buddha statues, and villages dotting the cliffside.
While most paths were winding and narrow, they offered me a variety of ways to engage my opponents, which, at the onset, were primarily rogue bandits and low-level monsters. I could either approach my enemies head-on or find a stealthy passageway to avoid encounters.
If I did decide to engage hostiles, I could rely on a variety of armaments, from spears, halberds, and axes, to two-handed swords and dual blades. Of course, every weapon has its own attack animations, combo strings, and related abilities.
For instance, the spear had an advantage in reach if I didn’t want to get into the thick of the fray, but the dual daggers offered more naturally flowing attacks, almost akin to Chinese martial arts.
“Our goal is to unify the mechanics of hunting colossal monsters and battling human-form enemies,” explains Xia. “There’s also a strategic emphasis on combat rhythm and attacks centered on Skyborn Might.” Skyborn Might (i.e., weapon skills) can greatly turn the tide of battle, as I would soon find out
Brutal battles ahead
Given that Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is set in Sichuan Province, the home of Leenzee games, there’s no doubt that this is a project that is very close to the heart of its developers. “We drew inspirations from Sichuan folklore, the Confucian-Buddhist-Daoist culture of the Ming Dynasty, and Sanxingdui,” says Xia – the latter being the famous archaeological site where the Bronze Age Kingdom of Shu was discovered.
“We’ve woven concepts like the iron flower and Sichuan face-changing opera,” adds Xia, as I looked at the foe in front of me: the Man-Eating Dutanga. “This enemy right here is our way of depicting the artform from our region,” says Xia as he points at the boss. “He sings and hums while fighting, and he has an elegant combat style similar to a dance.”
I listened, then got back to fighting. To my surprise, a second phase triggered, whereupon the Dutanga scorched the entire battlefield in a fiery inferno. After a couple of attempts, I realized that the Skyborn Might abilities of my weapons, the spear and dual blades, weren’t up to snuff.
So, I switched to a massive axe, with a Skyborn Might that was a bone-crunching overhead smash. I then realized that, with this type of heavy weapon, I could actually stagger the Dutanga and interrupt its attack sequence. From there, my “strike, strike, backstep” became “smash, smash, backstep,” which carried me to a well-deserved victory.
“Even players who brute force their way with a ‘kill everything’ mentality, dismissing all narrative threads, will still face the outcomes of their choices.”
However, relying on one technique for the entire game is definitely not the way to go. “Wuchang has 25 weapons categorized into five distinct archetypes. Since playstyles are radically different, the skills you choose further diversify combo chains and synergies. The combat system also includes spellcasting and instant weapon-swapping mechanics, so you can further experiment with personalized builds,” Xia informs me.
Furthermore, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention two key mechanics. The first is Madness, a high-risk, high-reward status that increases both your damage taken and damage dealt. Killing human enemies, such as bandits, ramps up your Madness, whereas slaying Feathered opponents – i.e., monsters/cursed denizens–reduces it. The double-edged buff leans heavily on player skill, as dying at a high Madness status causes the Inner Demon to spawn.
Unlike most soulslike games, where you only need to return to the same spot to recover lost souls/runes, Wuchang pits you against a vicious Inner Demon who now holds all your Red Mercury (the game’s important resource).
Coincidentally, the Inner Demon is hostile to everyone, and it will attack your enemies as well. “You really have to vanquish your Inner Demon if you want to recover what you lost,” says Xia. “This system is also intertwined with the game’s storyline.”
Memories and dynasties restored
Speaking of the storyline, Xia addresses the emerging core narrative of the journey. “As you progress, you have to face the consequences of your decisions. There are characters that we deem as ‘chessmasters’ who orchestrate events that extend beyond mere Wuchang (the character) alone. Even players who brute force their way with a ‘kill everything’ mentality, dismissing all narrative threads, will still face the outcomes of their choices. And, yes, just so you know, there are multiple endings as well, so players are encouraged to attempt several playthroughs.”
Truth be told, the story doesn’t just reach “beyond Wuchang” but “beyond the Ming Dynasty” as well. “Historical figures from the time period do make an appearance, such as Zhang Xianzhong’s four adopted sons,” notes Xia. “Our portrayal of historical events aligns with mainstream historiography. However, the game’s world diverges due to supernatural forces that reshaped history millennia ago. We show this through our worldbuilding, which traces back to the era of King Duyu of Shu [from the legendary era of Shu].”
Given that the studio is just 30 minutes away from Wuhou Temple, the resting place of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang of the Kingdom of Shu-Han, I couldn’t help but ask about the influence of Romance of the Three Kingdoms as well. “Don’t worry,” Xia. “Some characters from the Three Kingdoms period will appear in the game as well.”
As I ventured deeper into the next area, surrounded by lush vegetation and more Buddha statues, I faced down even more terrifying foes, including a gold-masked giant and a floating specter with multiple limbs, Xia told me how the team has grown over the years. “We started with only five, and now we have 160 team members.”
Asked if the story and themes resonate with everyone involved, Xia just smiled. “Ultimately, Wuchang is a typical Chinese story. In the end, it’s a story about returning to one’s family and one’s home. In this case, it’s also a story of our home and region.”
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers releases sometime this year for PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X and Series S.
