Wuchang: Fallen Feathers suffers negative Steam reviews after censorship of Chinese NPCs and bosses

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers received a rude reception on its July 23rd release date. Most complaints from Steam users involved its poor performance, which has improved somewhat since. Unfortunately, another controversy is leading to more negative ratings.

The 1.5 Update introduced dramatic changes to the behavior of historically inspired characters. It’s believed that the developer Lenzee is bowing to pressure from China to portray the individuals more positively. No longer able to attack or kill certain NPCs or bosses, players are crying foul over the censorship.

Souls game enthusiast Lance McDonald was one of the first observers to notice the modifications. What’s frustrating to many Wuchang: Fallen Feathers players is the lack of transparency from Lenzee. The patch information explains that the developers “optimized the exhaustion animation for certain NPCs.” However, in reality, opposition becomes overwhelmed with fatigue, rather than dying in battles.

Even with altered dialogue, the lack of deaths sometimes results in an incoherent narrative. Also, certain parts of the game are devoid of tension, as enemies offer no resistance to attacks.

The reasoning for the censorship may be earlier complaints from Chinese players. These gamers criticized the depiction of historical figures from the Ming dynasty. Nevertheless, with gameplay no longer challenging, other players believe Lenzee went too far.

Whenever a game features celebrated historical figures or locations, it risks offending audiences. Ubisoft learned that lesson with Assassin's Creed Shadows. After claims of historical inaccuracies, footage of the action-RPG highlighted the destruction of Japanese temples. Responding to pressure, a day-one patch blocked players from demolishing the buildings. By contrast, the Wuchang: Fallen Feathers 1.5 Update made fundamental changes to gameplay post-release.

Gamers are voicing their opinions of the patch on Valve’s platform. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is racking up negative feedback, with a series of harsh recent reviews. With players already upset over the banning of Steam games with adult content, the debate over censorship in the industry rages on.