WhileWuchang: Fallen Feathershas opened to an onslaught of negative reviews primarily related to performance issues and Unreal Engine 5 optimization, you shouldn’t necessarily take these reviews at face value. I’ve spent just shy of 100 hours playing the game and getting familiar with its various systems, intricate level design, and unique soulslike features, and in my view, the pros far outweigh the cons inWuchang: Fallen Feathers.
Admittedly, I also experienced performance degradation at various points throughout my time playingWuchang, and these issues definitely cannot be ignored. Many of the negative reviews citing poor performance are warranted and justified, but they should be taken in the appropriate context when deciding whether or not you should play the game.Wuchang’snegative reviews are overwhelmingly related to Unreal Engine 5 optimization, and this will almost certainly be addressed in due time.
Wuchang’s Performance Issues Are Holding It Back
Unreal 5 Optimization Is The Primary Problem For Players
As one of the most highlyanticipated soulslike RPGs of 2025,Wuchangis generating a lot of conversation after its July 23 launch. Unfortunately, a large number ofplayers who don’t have access to high-end hardwareare experiencing significant tearing and stuttering during gameplay, among other performance issues. This has sadly become a relatively common occurrence forgames utilizing Unreal Engine 5.
Personally, I experienced performance issues intermittently in my time playing on PS5, particularlystuttering during crucial moments in already-frustrating enough boss fights.ScreenRant editor andWuchangreviewer Ben Brosofsky had the following experience with performance on PC:
“It ran better than Black Myth: Wukong did for me on PC. The performance wasn’t anything problematic enough on my system to really note (RTX 2080). I think it does unilaterally have some degree of stuttering, as is basically the Unreal Engine 5 standard, which does merit complaint. It leans on upscaling — I was using DLSS, and it might be worse if you have to use FSR or TSR. But the end result looked better than Wukong to me because you can turn off the UE5 sharpening filter.”
These performance issues and complaints have not gone unnoticed by developers at Leenzee Games and 505 Games, and theyissued an apology almost immediately, available onSteam. Addressing the performance, along with some pre-order and pricing issues, the statement notes that"These problems should never have occurred, and we deeply regret the inconvenience and negative experience some players are currently facing."
Leenzee and 505 also clarify that they “are confident in the game’s performance within our recommended spec” but note that they’re “working on optimization” and “looking to issue a patch as soon as we can.” Clearly, thesenegative reviews are being taken seriously, and players facing performance degradation should hopefully have a fix in the first major patch as soon as possible.
Wuchang’s Gameplay Is Not The Problem
Critical Feedback On The Game’s Systems & Design Are Very Positive
While these performance problems are plaguing many players at the moment and might justify the onslaught of negative reviews, they’re not reflective of the gameplay itself. Overall,Wuchangis astandout soulslike experience,and despite its performance issues, it stillreached a peak of over 130,000 concurrent players on Steamwithin its first 24 hours of launch.
The game’sDark Souls-inspired level design, intricate and unique progression system, and challenging yet rewarding boss fights all add up to an authentic soulslike experience. In my view,Wuchangoutmatches similar contemporary releases such asThe First Berserker: KhazanorBlack Myth: Wukongon many levels, and it’s extremely unfortunate thatsub-par optimization has created a dark cloud over the game’s release.
Wuchanghas a lot to offer fans of RPGs and soulslikes,especially those who enjoy aSekiro-style challenge. Its unique Madness and Inner Demon mechanic, while somewhat confusing at first, is a highlight feature that allows players to “throttle” the difficulty based on their in-game decisions. The Impetus Repository — a complex, branching skill tree — is another excellently designed feature that allows for individualized playstyles designed around five core weapons.
The negative reviews do not necessarily reflect how fun the game actually is, assuming you can get it to run properly…
These unique systems and mechanics are well worth diving into, and the negative reviews do not necessarily reflect how fun the game actually is, assuming you can get it to run properly without tearing and stuttering interrupting the flow of the experience. Despite the negative reviews, which are warranted, you might regret writingWuchangoff entirely.
Wuchang Needs An Optimization Patch ASAP
Wuchang & Its Players Deserve Better Performance
While Leenzee and 505 have made it clear they are hard at work on rolling out a patch forWuchangas soon as possible,I can’t overstate how badly an optimization fix is needed.Wuchangfans deserve to be able to play without worrying about these performance issues, and the game itself is better than its user reviews currently reflect, despite the justified reasons for the negative feedback.
PS5 Pro users have seemingly not been experiencing the same stuttering or performance issues as base PS5 players.
An optimization patch will go a long way in bringing back players who immediately dipped out after an initially upsetting experience. It will also allow players to experience the incredible gameplay without being distracted by degraded performance or stuttering during critical moments. This game’s world, level, character, and boss designs look fantasticwhen played on a high-end system or PS5 Pro,but not every player should need a top-tier rig to enjoy these features.
Overall, a performance patch cannot come soon enough, and it’s unfortunate that an otherwise amazing game will suffer so much due to poor optimization.Wuchang: Fallen Feathersmight have been one of the greatest games to release this year, but without a properly optimized experience, it will never get the recognition among players that it truly deserves.
