Soulslike games are meant to be difficult. There’s no doubt about that. One could even argue that a Soulslike without challenge isn’t a Soulslike at all. However, some titles in the genre have been making strides to not only be more accessible to a broader audience but also redefine what difficulty even means, how it’s spread across encounters, and giving players access to the tools, skills, andbuild flexibilitythey might need to overcome those challenges.Wuchang: Fallen Feathersis one of the latest to approach Soulslike difficulty in a way that most in the genre shy away from, effectively flipping its usual power fantasy on its head.
In many ways,Wuchang: Fallen Feathersis a more accessible Soulslike than most, though its bosses often present players with considerable and unexpected spikes in difficulty. It’s not a clean-cut approach to difficulty, though, as players are still required to manage their builds well and take advantage of the game’s various systems if they want to succeed. Nevertheless, one of the ways it leans on the easier side of the aisle is by making Wuchang a force to be reckoned with in her world through the game’s narrative, combat, and progression, which is almost unheard of in the Soulslike arena.
The Game Reinforces Player Power With Narrative, Combat, and Progression
The key toSoulslike difficultylies not just in making enemies hit harder or giving them more health, but also in ensuring players feel marginalized in the world, like someone who doesn’t belong there and whose strengths are insignificant compared to those they encounter. There are almost always ways for players to grow and eventually overpower their enemies, but their journey still largely hinges on their skill, patience, and willingness to undergo repeated failures on the road to success.Wuchang: Fallen Featherstakes an entirely different route, however, as it makes Wuchang something more akin to a boss herself.
Thanks to a mysterious disease known as the “Feathering,” Wuchang has access to supernatural abilities uncommon to the unafflicted. These abilities then level the playing field somewhat when she goes toe-to-toe withWuchang: Fallen Feathers' bosses, along with making her stand out among the game’s normal NPCs. Additionally, various mechanics like its Madness system, incredibly flexible skill tree, and ease of progression all have the potential to make Wuchang just as powerful, if not more so, as the game’s most difficult enemies, and therefore far more powerful than its rank-and-file.
If that wasn’t enough,Wuchang: Fallen Feathersbreaks a majorSoulslike traditionwith its approach to New Game Plus. Most titles in the genre do offer players a New Game Plus mode, but they generally increase the difficulty of enemies across the board to match the player’s endgame power as it carries over to the beginning of the game again.Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, on the other hand, doesn’t increase the challenge for subsequent playthroughs, meaning the more players complete the game, the easier it is going to get, and the more godlike Wuchang will become.
Wuchang: Fallen Featherstakes an entirely different route, as it makes Wuchang something more akin to a boss herself.
Some Soulslike vets might callWuchang: Fallen Feathers' approach to powera bad thing, but even with that power fantasy in play, it still proves to be a considerable challenge at times. Some bosses in the game even encourage players to change their build entirely, which ultimately requires them to alter their playstyle to compensate. As a result,Wuchang: Fallen Feathersfinds a way to balance its difficulty by implementing regular skill checks and yet somehow persistently making players feel like a boss on the battlefield.
