Dropping frame rates, janky gameplay and more. The new Soulslike Wuchang just realeased and is already getting bombarded with negative reviews on Steam while critics seem to love it.
Wuchang Fallen Feathers is Chinese developer Leenzee's attempt at the Soulslike genre. The game is currently being praised by critics for its gameplay, beautiful landscapes, deep story and combat system. However, the community is not happy with the PC version of the game. As of writing this article, Wuchang only has 20% positive reviews on Steam.
The reason for this is once again performance. Many players report that the game is barely playable with good hardware and unplayable on lower-end systems. The recommended specs for the game seem to be way off in this case. Some call it "another unstable Unreal Engine 5 title".
UE5 And PC Ports
Aside from the performance, many players' first impressions of the gameplay itself were also mixed. The combat seems "janky" and "awkward" which makes the experience feel unpolished and stiff. It is possible that these issues are also based on the bad optimization and that a performance patch might solve those issues.
On consoles, the game seems to be running without any problems. It is nothing new that Unreal Engine 5 games are not well optimized on PC. Opinions on why that is are divided, with one group saying that it is the engines fault and the other blaming the laziness of developers.
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Already Sitting At 20% On Steam. Nearly Every Review Stating Major Stuttering & Performance Issues. Another UE5 L? by u/CuriousPizzaa in pcmasterrace
Leenzee's transition from UE4 to UE5 during development may have caused issues that weren’t anticipated. Regardless of whether the engine itself is to blame, the game should have been play-tested enough prior to release to ensure a smooth experience. This would help ensure that reviews focus on the game’s quality, rather than questioning whether it’s even playable.
If critics are to be believed, Wuchang might overcome this steep hill of negative reviews. But the issue should not have been there to begin with. While console players should be fine, we advise PC players to wait for patches that fix the game's performance.