Developer Leenzee Games' upcoming action RPGWuchang: Fallen Feathersblends Soulslike mechanics with traditional Chinese folklore to create a game steeped in atmosphere and history. Promising thrilling boss fights and plenty of secrets hidden off the beaten path,Wuchangis looking to leave its mark amongst the highly competitiveSoulslike sub-genre.
Game Rant sat down withWuchang: Fallen Feathers' game director Xia Siyuan to break down some of the game’s features at length. He discussed how the game’s combat was shaped, as well as the huge role Chinese mythology played in its aesthetic.This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
How Wuchang Blends Soulslike Mechanics With Chinese Folklore
Q:Wuchang: Fallen Feathersblends Soulslike mechanics with Chinese folklore. What was the process like in making the two work together? How does the folklore work in conjunction with the gameplay?
A:Blending Soulslike mechanicswith Chinese folklore was never about simply layering one on top of the other. It was a process of finding harmony between two storytelling languages. From the very beginning, we knew that the world ofWuchangcouldn’t just be inspired by folklore; it had to feel like it had grown from it. Chinese mythology and regional legends shaped our design thinking at every level: boss behaviors rooted in ancient rituals, level design influenced by the geography of Sichuan, and systems like the Inner Demon mechanic, which reflects philosophical tensions found in Confucianism and Taoism — restraint versus temptation, structure versus chaos.
Instead of treating folklore as window dressing, we treated it like the soil from which all gameplay systems sprouted. So when players make a decision in combat, explore a region, or encounter a mythical creature… they’re engaging with echoes of a deeper cultural rhythm.
Q: How does the protagonist’s featured condition tie into the core gameplay mechanics and overall player progression?
A:Wuchang’s condition is at the heart of how players experience growth and risk. As she becomes more entangled with the disease, players are offered powerful upgrades and new abilities, but those come with heavier consequences. This plays out through the Heart Demon system. The more you lean into it, the moredangerous and rewarding the game becomes. You’ll hit harder, move more fluidly, and unlock new techniques, but dying at high corruption means you lose everything unless you can reclaim it.
Staying at a lower corruption level makes things safer, but it limits your potential. That push and pull is built directly into how you level up, how you approach each fight, and how you explore. It’s a personal progression system that reflects Wuchang’s internal struggle, and each player’s journey will look a little different depending on how far they’re willing to go.
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Exploring Wuchang’s Core Themes
Q:Wuchang: Fallen Feathersexplores themes of disease, transformation, and decay. How did those ideas shape the world-building and story structure?
A:Those themes were part of our thinking from the start.The world ofWuchangisn’t just dark for atmosphere- it reflects a society coming apart under the weight of fear, illness, and fading order. The Feathering disease isn’t just something the protagonist suffers from; it’s spread across the land, warping people, places, and even history itself. We built the regions to reflect different stages of that breakdown. Some areas feel like they’re just beginning to slip, while others are completely lost to corruption. That allowed us to structure the story like a descent, both into stranger, more mythological spaces, and deeper into Wuchang’s own unraveling. It also gave us a reason to make exploration feel tense and unpredictable. You’re never just traveling from one place to another. You’re moving through a world that’s actively falling apart.
Q: What influenced your approach to weapon design and combat? How did it go from the initial influence to what it exists as today?
A:Early on, we looked attraditional Soulslike combatand knew we wanted something more responsive. Something that felt more like a conversation between the player and the enemy, not just trading hits. We were also influenced by the rhythm and unpredictability of martial arts, especially in wuxia films, where movement feels purposeful and expressive. That led us to design weapons with a real sense of identity. Each one has its own flow, and we tried to make sure players could feel that difference immediately.
From there, we layered in mechanics tied to the protagonist’s condition, like Feathering and Heart Demon levels, so your weapon choices also reflect how far you’re willing to push yourself. As the game evolved, we kept tuning the feel of each weapon against different types of enemies. Some are better for beasts, others for humanoids. Thegoal was always to reward experimentation,so players could develop a style that feels personal instead of prescriptive.
Q: How do branching choices or narrative decisions in the game affect the world and its characters?
A:Player choices ripple through the world and the people in it; they don’t just affect the endings. Some characters might live or die depending on what you do, and certain side quests can quietly change the course of the main story. In a few cases, your decisions might even block off or open up entirely different areas or items. We didn’t want a system that just added dialogue variations. The goal was tomake choices feel like they mattered, even if you don’t see the full effect right away. That way, each playthrough feels a little different, and uncovering all the outcomes becomes part of the journey.
Explaining The Inspirations Behind Wuchang’s Locales
Q: The environments seem rooted in historical China, giving the game a distinctive look. Can you talk about the visual inspirations behind key locations?
A:Much of the visual inspiration came from places that held personal meaning for members of the team, ancient sites, and folk stories we grew up with. Sanxingdui, the Jiangkou sunken treasure site, Taoping Qiang Village, and Baoyun Temple in Pingwu all played a key role in shaping the visual identity of the world. We spent a lot of time studying Ming Dynasty architecture, local geography, and traditional craftsmanship to create spaces that feel lived-in and believable. Each major region in the game reflects a different stage of cultural and environmental decay. Some still show traces of order and beauty, while others are completely overtaken by the Feathering curse. We also tried to play with verticality and natural flow, borrowing fromtraditional Chinese design, where paths often curve and reveal themselves gradually. That sense of quiet discovery was important to us.
Q: What role does traditional Chinese mythology and history play in the creature and boss design throughout the game?
A:A lot of thecreature and boss designsstarted with myths and local legends, stories that were passed down, or rooted in specific places in Sichuan. We looked at relics from Sanxingdui, ancient burial masks, and even oracle bone script to get a sense of how these beings might have looked or behaved in a world shaped by those beliefs. From there, we asked how those elements could tie into the gameplay. What would it mean to fight something born from an old tale about transformation or resurrection? How would that creature move, or what kind of powers would it have? In some cases, we even designed attacks or abilities around real rituals or symbols. We wanted each boss to feel like they belonged to the world. Like it had history, not just function. So even if players don’t know the specific myths, there’s still a weight to those encounters that hopefully comes through in the design.
The Importance of Difficulty in Wuchang
Q: How much of a role does the game’s difficulty play in the overall experience?
A:Difficulty is a big part of the experience, but we didn’t want it to feel punishing for the sake of it. The challenge is there to encourage curiosity and adaptability. We built the systems so players have the tools to shape their own approach, whether that’s through free respecs, exploring for better gear, or deciding how far they want to lean into the Heart Demon system. There’s a learning curve, but it’s not rigid. If you hit a wall, there’s usually something you missed - another path, a different weapon, or a strategy that makes the fight click. We wanted players to feel tested, but also rewarded for thinking creatively and pushing forward on their own terms.
Q: What can players expect from the game’s boss fights?
A:Boss fights inWuchangare designed to feel like duels, not just obstacles. Each one has a rhythm, a personality, and usually a few surprises that tie into the lore of the area. Some are drawn from myth, others from twisted echoes of real historical figures, but all of them are meant to leave a mark, visually and emotionally. Players can expect variety, not just in scale but in how each fight challenges them.One boss might test timing and reaction, while another pushes you to rethink your build or make use of specific items you found earlier. We wanted each encounter to feel memorable and distinct, with room for different strategies and play styles to succeed.
How Wuchang Sets Itself Apart From the Competition
Q: How doesWuchang: Fallen Feathersdifferentiate itself from some of its Soulslike contemporaries?
A:One of the biggest differences is the setting. Most Soulslikes lean into Western fantasy or post-apocalyptic worlds.Wuchangis rooted in late Ming Dynasty China, with environments, stories, and characters shaped by that culture. From the architecture to the philosophy behind the progression system, it all reflects a different worldview. We also put a lot of focus on flexibility. Combat encourages experimentation, with free respecs, multiple weapon types, and the Heart Demon system letting players decide how much risk they’re comfortable with. That freedom extends to exploration, too. There are branching paths, secrets that can change your route through the game, and more than one way to approach a challenge. It’s still atough action RPG, but we wanted it to feel more personal. Something where your choices, both in story and gameplay, leave a real imprint.
Q: What are you most excited for fans to experience when they finally get their hands onWuchang: Fallen Feathers?
A:We’ve built aworld full of hidden paths, layered systems, and choices that can ripple through the story. It’s going to be really rewarding to watch people discover builds or story outcomes we didn’t even plan for. There’s also a certain point in the game where everything clicks into place, where the world, the lore, and the combat all start to feel connected. I think players who stick with it will walk away with a story that feels like their own, not just something they followed. That’s what I’m looking forward to most.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A:Right now, the team is still focused on finishing the main game. During previous hands-on sessions, players shared a lot of enthusiastic suggestions- things likeboss challenge modes, photo mode, star map save pages, and more. Once the main game is complete, we’ll take time to seriously consider plans for updates and potential DLC.
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