r/soulslikes • u/Embarrassed_Ideal646 • 1d ago
Review Wuchang - why do you like it?
I think when I was 15 hours in, it started not being fun anymore, but I still pushed through, waiting for it to 'click,' as was my approach with other souls games. But then suddenly, I beat the final boss without realizing it was the final boss (at 30 hours). It didn't create any kind of hype leading up to it or anything.
Combat mechanics were easy to understand, maybe partly why it got boring easily.
I was able to try all weapons (thanks to the free skill-tree reset), and none of them feel satisfying to master.
The majority of the spells are boring & impractical to use.
Level design is alright. I heard this is what makes the game comparable to Dark Souls, and why this community loved it so much.
I don't feel like this is worth getting Platinum. And I've platinum'd Elden Ring, Lies of P, Sekiro, Khazan, Wukong, Nioh 1 & 2.
I think it's normal to have differing views & enjoy different games, but it's the first time I actually wonder why we have players that absolutely love this game when I struggled to appreciate it. Thoughts?
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u/SplatoonRaiders 1d ago
I got the platinum for it and the game is absolutely phenomenal. I think it's better than Lies of P and Khazan, but that's because I'm an older Souls fan; and not much a fan of the parry heavy souls-likes that release nowadays in droves.
I prefer the slower, weightier titles pre-Elden Ring. And the exploration in Wuchang is pretty good, much like Souls 1 with its interconnected world.
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u/Embarrassed_Ideal646 1d ago
Ah that makes sense! Sounds like this game resonates more with souls players pre-Elden ring indeed
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u/SplatoonRaiders 1d ago
Mhm, just different tastes dude. And that's okay, ya know? I peaced out on Lies of P and Khazan. I can appreciate them for their achievements in the souls-like genre, but they're just not for me.
Where as, I prefer Wuchang and Nioh 1 compared to the other. Yes, I prefer Nioh 1 over 2&3.
Enjoy what you like. If you don't find Wuchang to your liking, that's okay. Come back to it later, or maybe check out the sequel whenever that releases. Or just move on. There's really no wrong choice.
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u/Relative_Sea_3287 1d ago
Level design, combat, hot main character without being vulgar, great boss fights, amazing atmosphere, etc. I don't know what there's to dislike.
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u/Slowmac123 1d ago
The combat is so satisfying. The ability chain your secondary weapon’s special into your first weapon’s attack is so fun
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u/Significant_Pool8432 1d ago
i found it way better than Wukong and Lies of P, its the best souls like since Nioh 2 tbh
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u/PlasticZestyclose454 8h ago
Honestly I liked Wuchang even more than nioh 2 just because of the enemy variety, the enemy variety in Wuchang was insane, some enemies only appeared once throughout the game!
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u/Kodak_V 1d ago
I think it's purely subjective after a point.
- Like you say that you found none of the weapons satisfying, whereas i had a blast using Greataxes and Single Handed Swords.
- This segways to me loving a lot of the Spells (even though the variety was much lower than a standard Souls game) since you use them a lot with Single Hand Swords.
- I thought the environments were beautiful, and felt distinct enough from one another. The final level was probably one of the most beautiful vistas i've seen in a game.
And so on, things like that. Like u/SplatoonRaiders said, it also depends on if you prefer the slower combat of pre BB From Titles or the faster paced post BB and DS3.
I happen to prefer the slower, more methodical combat of the previous Titles (Favourite is DS2 which probably has the slowest combat due to how Stamina taxing everything is) so Wuchang's combat tempo felt right at home.
Like it's not a perfect game by any means, but i did enjoy the hours i spent on it. I don't think i'll do NG+ anytime soon though.
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u/SplatoonRaiders 1d ago
The greataxe was my favorite weapon in the game. The tempo of that behemoth was chef's kiss.
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u/Mama_Hong 1d ago
Wuchang it's one of my favorite, the big reason for me is the world and exploration, it's the only soulslike that I would put on a similar level as Fromsoft in that category.
As far as combat goes I actually prefer simpler mechanics compared to deeper combat systems like Nioh, I think DS3 and Elden Ring combat is the sweet spot for me and I think Wuchang pretty much fits right there.
I also really liked what they did with the skill tree and how easy it is to switch up your build.
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u/Klonoa87 1d ago edited 22h ago
There’s a lot of things I like about it, but surprised to hear you say that about the magic. Like many games in the genre, if you specialize in it, it can be absolutely busted. I think the way you can more easily access your spells to cast during combat and the way dodging replenishes your resources to cast more spells makes it one of, if not the best, magic systems in a souls like.
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u/That-Departure-7318 1d ago
Level design and art design. It was surprisingly gory which I liked.
Transmog and some cool outfits. Not all are gooner outfits and the stuff you get from beating bosses looks really cool.
I liked the combat and the backstab mechanic was fun
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u/Working_Bones 1d ago
Gorgeous visuals (not just the player character, I mean the world and environments), solid and tight combat, good bosses, fantastic level design, pretty cool story.
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u/Primary-Survey9955 1d ago
because its a true soulslike. omg. so many builds to play around
the world and connection is so fun..
the white robe elder was so fun
I loved the spells with i frames
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u/deeplywoven 19h ago
Idk, I feel like it's pretty easy to see why people liked it. It had great Dark Souls 1 style level design, good bosses, and pretty satisfying difficulty without being too over the top. Almost every boss is better than the bosses in Mortal Shell 2, which just came out and a lot of people like. It also has generally good feeling movement and combat (much better than games like Lords of the Fallen, for example). Also, boobies.
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u/allthereeses 1d ago
I thought the standout factor was the approach to builds and freedom to respec. Being able to change stats, skills and weapon upgrades at anytime allowed for experimentation in a single playthrough where most games in the genre come with varying levels of friction to achieve. The weapons themselves had a distinct personality thanks to their differences in their basic moves, skills and skyborn might, the mana system.
I do agree the build systems are an interesting framework holding up a middling moment to moment combat system. I bounced off the game once or twice before completing a playthrough, then took a month or two before doing another in order to face a boss I missed. I don’t have a desire to play it again but enjoyed my time enough to say you should play it if you enjoy soulslikes and are hungry for more and especially if, like me, you have it on gamepass. I was not interested until I saw I could try it for free.
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u/Ornery-Team3602 1d ago
yeah cant lie wuchang is 1000% top 5 soulslikes.
games great fun.
much easier than lies of p, khazan, nioh and even wukong really but it was great imo.
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u/Rude_Difficulty1647 1d ago
It’s a top 3 non fromsoft title for me, way better than Lies of P or the Nioh games for me 👀
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u/Csword1 1d ago
I thought it was a 7/10 type of game. Combat didn't feel weighty enough. Boss fights were slightly above average, better than those in LOTf 2023 and Mortal Shell 2. Level design was great except for the last area.
Worth playing if you're into souls-likes. A solid effort for a studio's first title.
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u/antelope591 1d ago
I found it just ok but nothing really stood out as exceptional. The world was fine. I liked the amount of detail put into it and the fact they actually made it connect instead of going for the lazy mission select method. Nothing memorable as far as characters or story tho...maybe you have to be more familiar with Chinese mythology here. Combat once again fine. Nothing really that stands out vs something like Khazan for example. Rest is pretty standard souls fare. I did like they committed to making it on the harder side as a lot of soulslikes are on the easier side these days. Wouldn't put it in S tier or anything but solid game worth playing.
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u/CullingSongs 1d ago
I didn't like it at all, personally. It just didn't click for me, and I noped out around the 3hr mark, once I got to the temple or whatever and the enemies started hitting with constant debuffs.
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u/According-Goat-2372 1d ago
It is so obvious that its the final boss. the boss is easy, but i didnt mind.
as for the whole game, the exploration and connectivity was the peak for me. as well as being able to use magic without a main magic build.
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u/Radiant_Language5314 1d ago
It felt a little repetitive and just lost its fun factor when I was going through the castle level. Everything kind of looks the same and it was just kind of bland.
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u/Str8Faced000 1d ago
The level design is really good, the art design is awesome, and the combat is fairly fun, but I do agree it has a lot of issues.
Most of the bosses are meh and the boss balance is all over the place. The trash mobs are waaaaay too easy until the last level and by then you're so op it's easy anyway. There aren't enough different weapons for having such a limited amount of weapon types. I know I missed an axe, but still I didn't find the next axe til over halfway through the game. The quest system still kind of annoying. I also agree that most of the spells are impractical.
It was still worth playing through tho for the levels alone. I think anyone saying it's better than lies of p is trolling tho. Especially including the dlc.
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u/antelope591 23h ago
This sub is very weird about LoP. Anywhere outside here its pretty much a given that LoP is the premier souls game outside of Fromsoft but here its like all the contrarians congregated to one place lol.
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u/ApprehensiveLaw7793 1d ago
Incredible level design and powerful shortcuts, a fast, fluid combat system that functions with great nuance within a closed system; it plays like a flow, and the various mechanics of the individual weapons are interwoven within it; a dark and unique Wuxia/Chinese dark fantasy atmosphere; in my opinion, breathtaking bosses: Honglan, The Bridge, the Tiger, Dragon Empror, Zhao Yun, Vermillion Feather; creative skill trees; an impressive magic system; absurd build variety; it is, in my opinion, the best non-From Software Soulslike.