What do soulslikes fans really want out of new games in the genre? This is a question at the forefront of a heated debate in the soulslike community ever since the mixed reviews surroundingWuchang: Fallen Feathers.Wuchangis game that some hail as one of the best non-FromSoftware soulslikes ever made, while others argue it’s a regurgitated formula that doesn’t do anything exciting or different.
It’s an interesting conundrum, and it seems that the soulslike genre has come to a crossroads when it comes to what direction players and developers think it should take. Shouldnew soulslikes gamesstick to the classic formula? Or should developers innovate and push the boundaries? Something in between, perhaps? There simply may not be a universally agreed-upon answer to these questions in the soulslike community.
Should Soulslikes Stick To The Formula Or Innovate?
Players Are Divided Over Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Wuchang: Fallen Feathersis a prime example of the crossroads in the soulslike community. The game’s level design is directly modeled around the classicDark Souls 1philosophy,according toWuchang’sdirector, Xia Siyuan.This very level design is a point of contention,with some players and reviewers on Metacritic saying it’s some of the best they’ve seen in years, while others find it too confusing and disorienting.
Equally divided are fans and reviewers alike on the topic of innovation, with many middling reviews pointing toWuchang’sfailure to do anything exceptional or new in the genre. However,Wuchangincludes various innovative gameplay mechanics,including the game’sMadness and Inner Demon system, the Impetus Repository progression system, and the game’s unique incorporation of Deflect, Clash, and Block mechanics on specific weapons, etc.
I found the game to be a strong example of how soulslikes caninnovate and remain true to the formulain equal measure. The divided feedback on this topic suggests that there is no consensus in the community about the direction the genre should take or the ways soulslikes should innovate.
Players Are Divided On The Future Of Soulslikes
Where Do Soulslikes Go Next?
Examining other recent soulslikes that have entered the genre in recent years,innovation takes various forms, all of which areequally divisive.The First Berserker: Khazanis anothergreat example of a soulslikethat innovates in many different ways, with arguably some of the best boss designs you’re likely to find in the genre.
By the same token,Khazanis criticized for being a straightforward boss-rush game with virtually no level design whatsoever. Further, its unique progression and combo system stands out as being very innovative, albeit slightly hard to grasp for many players, thus becoming yet another divisive feature thathardcore soulslike fans both love and loath.
Looking back at the2023 soulslike blockbuster,Lies of P,fans and critics are equally divided about whether this game sticks too closely to the formula established by FromSoftware, or if it’san ideal soulslikethatbalances classic mechanics and novel concepts perfectlywhile honoring its predecessors.
The question of how much a soulslike needs to innovate versus stick to the beloved formula is one that will likely continue to divide players, andthere may never be a consensus on this topic. Reviews for soulslikes writ large tend to hinge on this very issue, with critics having widely varying expectations about what makes a soulslike great.
Wuchang’s Mixed Reviews Are Misleading
Soulslike Fans Need To Try Games For Themselves
Ultimately,Wuchang: Fallen Feathersis a prime example of why soulslike players need to try games for themselves before judging them. The expectations of what a soulslike should do to be considered ideal are quite nebulous, andreviews may not always reflect the player’s impressionsof the same soulslike experience.
Wuchang’smixed reviews are partially a result of a problematic launch related to performance issues on various platforms, though these issues were quickly remedied by a patch only a few days after the game’s release.Wuchangcontinues to roll out updates, withan upcoming patch that will address gameplay mechanicsrelated to healing and invincibility windows as well.
Even still, the reviews related to gameplay itself are very divided onwhat the game does well and what it does poorly,whether it’s innovative enough or too closely resembles the old soulslike formula, and if it does enough to stand out in the crowd.
The soulslike community seems to constantly be at odds about what makes this category of games fun for players at all, though this has probably been the case since the birth of the genre itself. Even FromSoftware itself has shown that innovation in the space is necessary,evidenced byElden Ring Nightreign’sunique multiplayer co-op-based gameplay(yet another divisive move among Souls fans).
All told, it’s hard to say exactly what players and critics mean when they say they want soulslikes to do something different to stand out in the genre, mainly because the target is a moving one and varies from individual to individual.Wuchang: Fallen Feathershighlights a massive divide in the community, and it’s one that I don’t see a resolution for anytime soon.
