It looks likeWuchang: Fallen Feathershas generated more confusion with the newest Patch 1.5 update, which features a series of changes that retcon entire parts of the story and major adjustments to key game features. This is not the first time the game has pulled back on certain mechanics and gameplay features based on player feedback, and not every change has necessarily been good.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathershad a rocky launch, getting hit with awave of negative reviewsbecause of performance-related optimization issues primarily related to the use of Unreal Engine 5. However, while updates to performance are one thing, developers at Leenzee have also started rolling out game-changing “fixes” that may go against its original design prerogatives.
Wuchang’s Boss Change Saves Their Lives
You Can No Longer Kill Some Bosses In Wuchang
The newest Patch 1.5Wuchangupdate appears torestrict the ability to kill certain historically significant bosses, as well as “innocent” NPC bystanders who you used to be able to kill to increase Madness. Instead of dying, these characters will now become tired or “exhausted,” and bosses will linger around as if you didn’t just finish a high-stakes duel to the death.
The update has raised a lot of eyebrows from players, with concerns about censorship and retconning the story being a huge topic of conversation in theWuchangcommunity. While developers might have their reasons for making these specific changes,the censorship of certain NPC deaths isn’t the biggest concernfor players who were in it from the beginning.
Aside from certain bosses being “un-killable,” thegameplay itself keeps getting nerfedinto the ground. While complaints about mechanics don’t always represent the actual majority of the community,Wuchanghas made changes like decreased boss walkbacks, asecond major nerfto landmines throughout the game (particularly in Cloudspire), and major changes to core mechanics like invincibility windows, drinking flasks, etc.
Every Wuchang Update Backtracks On Another Idea
Soulslikes Are Meant To Be Challenging, & Will Frustrate Players By Nature
It’s slightly disappointing to playWuchang: Fallen Feathersnow as someone who played the earliest iteration of the game. As a soulslike fan, I felt thatWuchang’scombat and bossesstruck a great balance between challenge and reward.There were plenty of moments of frustration, but at no point did I think to blame the game’s mechanics on my inability to win a fight.
New updates, such as anincreased Invincibility windowwhen getting knocked down and increased healing flask drinking speed, might seem positive at first for players struggling to get past certain bosses. On the other hand, thousands of players also managed to beat the game without these advantages. Leenzee has proven very willing to adjust the game according to fan complaints, and those seeking an intense challenge may have already missed out on whatWuchanginitially offered.
According to the game’s director, the core design philosophy behindWuchangis inspireddirectly byDark Souls 1. At some point, Wuchangmight eventually becomecompletely unlike the game it sought to emulate.
Fans Shape Game Development Now More Than Ever
Player Opinions Will Never Reach A Consensus
Wuchang: Fallen Feathersis a microcosm of a larger issue in gaming lately related to fans' influence on the games they’re playing, which is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s great that developers are receptive to feedback from their community of players and arewilling to make changes to obvious problems. On the other hand, it’s also possible to take it too far.
At what point are developers catering to the minority of players when they make certain changes, and how can you tell if a community hasreached a consensusabout any given issue? IfDark Souls 1were made today, FromSoft catering to player demands and frustrations could easily make the game unrecognizable.
Ultimately, specific issues likeglitches, bugs, and poor optimizationshould be addressed as quickly as possible, and developers are right to listen to the community about these issues. But when it comes to core gameplay mechanics being revamped or nerfed to the floor, these decisions shouldn’t be based on player feedback alone.
Less than a month afterWuchang’srelease, there have been multiple gameplay adjustmentsbased on community feedback. These updates are makingWuchangslightly less of atrue souls-inspired gamein favor of appealing to a wider audience, potentially alienating some of its bread-and-butter player-base.
Leenzeeneeds to strike a better balance of implementing necessary changes and alsotrusting its instinctswhen it comes to core gameplay design. I don’t think it’s good to see player feedback rapidly reshape the game in such substantial ways, even if some changes are entirely warranted.
Overall, it seems likeWuchang: Fallen Featherskeeps taking one step forward and two steps back with each update. At some point, Leenzee needs to slow down on the gameplay adjustments and simply focus on fixing bugs, fully optimizing the game for all systems, and delivering their vision of a pure soulslike experience, not one shaped purely by feedback.
