Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Performance Patch Makes Drastic Changes to Enemies and Story, and Players Aren’t Happy

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Last month, Leenzee Games, developers of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, assured players that they were swiftly addressing the performance and optimization problems affecting the game since its launch. However, while patch 1.5 seems to alleviate several of these issues, it has come at an unexpected price – it also significantly modifies numerous enemy characters, dialogues, and storylines, which has left fans even more dissatisfied.

As a dedicated gamer, diving into the latest 1.5 patch notes, I was initially taken aback by their seemingly benign nature. There are some bug fixes and numerous enhancements that have me pretty excited, such as a quicker healing animation and the long-awaited feature to dodge cancel out of the recovery animation.

But what really caught my attention is an “optimization” mentioned in the notes, hinting at a future mechanic allowing us to respawn closer to the bosses we’ve fallen before. Can’t wait for that one to drop!

But tucked in the lengthy patch notes are a couple oddities:

Added dialogs for some NPCs to complete some plots. We will further optimize the exhaustion animations in the future to improve the plot performance.

Fixed the faction bug in Chapter 4, adjusted the level design, and increased the performance effect of BVB.

Added some ‘Wuchang’ voice to complete the story, and added some NPC dialogues.

It appears that, as noted by Lance McDonald on Twitter, the recent update introduced notable alterations to specific non-player characters (NPCs), bosses, and enemies such that they no longer die in a canonical sense.

It appears that the most recent version of WUCHANG offers enhanced abilities for evasion and healing, yet regrettably tones down the game narrative slightly. A key figure who originally perished is now depicted as escaping with joy, and the option to eliminate harmless peasant adversaries has been removed.

— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) August 13, 2025

Before the update, you could selectively eliminate certain non-player characters (NPCs) during gameplay, who were peaceful, not interactive, and didn’t attack you. Killing them influenced your character’s “madness” feature, offering an engaging gameplay experience. However, following the update, these NPCs are now unreachable and invincible, thus eliminating the option to manipulate the madness mechanic in that particular manner.

Furthermore, this alteration noticeably affects the game’s fourth chapter, which used to be chaotic and tricky due to numerous human adversaries assaulting you. Now, a considerable number of those enemies are no longer hostile, making the once demanding chapter somewhat easier, almost like a piece of cake.

Wow, it’s incredible how accessible the entire Chapter 4 has become! Now, roughly half of the opponents in this chapter will not pose a threat to you since they’ve turned non-aggressive towards the player. You can’t engage them during the rebellion uprising. What a peculiar twist!

— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) August 13, 2025

Additionally, instead of being defeated when conquered, numerous formidable bosses now appear “drained” or retreat to enjoy a peaceful existence, or declare that the fierce encounter we’ve just had was merely a test.

In a remarkable twist, what once seemed like an immensely challenging boss battle now concludes with the boss announcing that it was all part of a test. Surprisingly, he finds that the path you’ve been following is commendable and laughs heartily! Incredible, isn’t it?

— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) August 13, 2025

The first two issues significantly affect the game’s play, but the changes to the bosses are drawing criticism from players because they contradict the game’s narrative about death and acceptance. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers emphasizes themes related to death, such as accepting the end of a loved one or a chapter in life. Many enemies in this game are working against death or trying to prolong what must eventually end. Therefore, when these enemies don’t die at all, it goes against the game’s main message about embracing the certainty of death.

As of yet, developer Leenzee Games has not explained why these changes were made, or made any statement at all beyond the patch notes (iggn.ru has reached out for comment). However, many players are correctly pointing out that the characters impacted by the changes seem to have something in common: they’re all humans who are affiliated with the Ming Dynasty in some way.

The novel “Fallen Feathers” is a work of historical fiction set in 17th-century China during the decline of the Ming Dynasty, which was the last dynasty ruled by Han Chinese before the Qing took power. Originally, the story’s conclusion served as a poignant backdrop for its themes revolving around death and transition. However, contrary to expectations, none of the Ming characters in the story actually die or depart, making the original premise somewhat redundant.

This development has led to some criticisms on platforms like Steam and various social media, with accusations that Leenzee, the game’s creator, has censored themselves due to feedback from a significant group of Chinese players who are unhappy with how the Ming characters were portrayed in the game.

The user with 58 hours in the game, who posted a review on August 13th, states that enhancing the game’s performance is well-received but notes an unexpected development: a post-release change in the storyline. They mention that this alteration has drastically shifted the narrative, making some character motivations meaningless. The user questions why Leenzee would take such drastic measures to modify the game’s plot and speculates that it may have been due to criticism over historical accuracy. However, since the story is fictional, they find this reasoning unconvincing. As a result, they have ceased playing for the time being, expressing hope that Leenzee will undo these changes or at least make it possible to revert to patch 1.4.

It appears that the r/wuchanggame subreddit is largely free of negative feedback on the recent patch, leading some users from other platforms to allege that the moderators in this specific subreddit might be removing any posts containing criticism about these updates.

iggn.ru reviewed the release version of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers at launch and gave it an 8/10, calling it “yet another great soulslike to add to the ever-increasing pile, featuring excellent combat, wonderful level design, an incredible skill tree, and fearsome bosses.” So if you can find a way to play on the pre-patch version, it seems like that’s the way to go for now.

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2025-08-15 20:19