The Soulslike genre may be more crowded than ever, but it hasn’t stopped new titles from doing their best to innovate on the formula, even if it means breaking some traditions in the process.Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, while it does play it safe in many ways, still shows that it’s possible to teach an old genre new tricks. There are plenty of unique systems at play inWuchang: Fallen Feathersthat are fairly uncommon in theSoulslike genre, but one of its best design philosophies is arguably how it handles the balance between offense and defense — and it actually resembles the classic game of Chicken quite well.
In the game of Chicken, two players are heading towards each other, with the goal of being the last to swerve before impact. The person who swerves first is labeled the “chicken,” while the one who stays on course is perceived as the braver one and therefore the victor. Interestingly enough, this is the best metaphor forWuchang: Fallen Feathers' combat, and it’s both amusing to consider and satisfying to experience.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers' Combat Is Essentially a Game of Chicken
Perfect Dodges Turn Defense Into Fuel for Power
Like almost any Soulslike,Wuchang: Fallen Feathers' combatis all about timing and patience. Most of these games rely heavily on stamina and resource management to increase difficulty, which in turn encourages players to be less spammy about their attacks and movements and more intentional. In the same way,Wuchang: Fallen Feathersdiscourages panic, though not just because of the amount of stamina or resources players might spend on doing so. Rather, its combat largely revolves around players performing Perfect Dodges to generate the core currency for using spells and abilities, Skyborn Might, and these can only be pulled off through precise timing and patience.
There are plenty of unique systems at play inWuchang: Fallen Feathersthat are fairly uncommon in the Soulslike genre, but one of its best design philosophies is arguably how it handles the balance between offense and defense — and it actually resembles the classic game of Chicken quite well.
In other words, the key tosuccess inWuchang: Fallen Feathersoften involves waiting for enemies to strike first — depending on the player’s build, anyway. More often than not, this design positions the player to intentionally play more defensively rather than simply reacting to an enemy’s onslaught, since Skyborn Might is necessary for using abilities beyond normal attacks. As such, defensive play inWuchang: Fallen Feathersalmost becomes a form of offensive play, with Perfect Dodges being the primary source of fuel for the protagonist’s most powerful skills.
Risk-Taking Is the Fastest Route to Skyborn Might
This is actually where the classic game of Chicken comes into play. Since Perfect Dodges are the most efficient method for generating Skyborn Might inWuchang: Fallen Feathers, players are actually encouraged to be more aggressive. There’s a pendulum effect that occurs, then, as this intentional defensive play masquerades as aggression, resulting in a steady dance of offense and defense, both of which are more proactive than they are reactive. If players want to generate Skyborn Might, they almost have no choice but to get within range of an enemy’sattacks inWuchang: Fallen Feathers, just so they have something to dodge.
Thus, just like with Chicken,Wuchang: Fallen Featherssees players and enemies rushing headlong at one another, before players dodge the enemy’s strike at the last second — and it’s all on purpose. If players prioritizemagic inWuchang: Fallen Feathersand the one-handed sword branch of the skill tree, they do have access to an ability that slowly generates Skyborn Might over time, but it’s only as long as they are wielding a one-handed sword. Even then, they are still encouraged to be as risky and daring as possible in every fight if they want to make quick work of their foes and live to tell the tale.
