Games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne are not known for their colors. Or, rather, they’re not known for using a dynamic color palette. FromSoftware, known for creating the Soulslike genre, is known for creating beautiful, dramatic worlds that are awash in muted browns and grays. Several years ago, an artist created a striking color palette that pulls colors from different pieces from seven FromSoftware games, Demon’s Souls to Elden Ring. What you see in this palette is natural, muted tones — grays that denote a dying world, red browns of drained soil, and deep tones for darkness.

These colors make sense for these games: Not only do these colors create a throughline that connects each of FromSoftware’s games, but they also tell a story about its worlds. These are dangerous, broken places.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ world, called Shu, developer Leenzee’s version of China’s Sichuan region, is no less dangerous than those of FromSoftware, make no mistake. But the world’s vibrancy immediately stands out. There is danger everywhere, yes, and a lot of brown and grey. But the use of color is tied to Leenzee’s approach to making a game inspired by China’s ancient history. “The goal was never just to build a Soulslike that played well,” Leenzee Games co-founder and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers game and art director Xia Siyuan said. The goal was to create a vibrant, rich world that pulls from China’s history and the mythology behind it.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers developer Leenzee is based in Chengdu, China, the capital city in China’s Sichuan province. It’s a city whose warm, rich colors — a picture of the city’s history — intertwine with modern blues and greys of new development. You can see the colors of Sichuan in each piece of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, but the inspiration extends outward from there and touches every part of the game. Lush green grasses contrast around the traditional red temples. The setting sun casts a golden orange light over everything, flushing everything in its color — even the shallow water Wuchang fights in. For the areas of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, wherein the world is flooded with grey, Wuchang’s colorful outfits and glowing magic stand out.

“What really sets Wuchang: Fallen Feathers apart is how everything in the game is connected through a cultural lens that’s deeply personal to the team,” Xia said. “The environments aren’t just visually striking. They’re shaped by real places in Sichuan that carry historical and emotional weight. You’ll see references to ancient temples, folk rituals, and archaeological sites that many of us grew up learning about or visiting. That kind of connection makes even the smallest details like the curve of a rooftop or the dialect used [by NPCs] feel intentional and grounded.”

He continued: “These bosses, too, aren’t random monsters. Many of them are inspired by legends, spiritual beliefs, or specific periods in Chinese history. They reflect the themes of transformation, decay, and fate that run through the story. Whether it’s the way a creature moves or the visual language used in its design, there’s meaning woven in — something that ties it back to the world, and to Wuchang’s journey.”

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is set during a supernatural version of the Ming Dynasty, starring a female pirate warrior named Bai Wuchang. At the start of the game, Wuchang wakes up with amnesia and glowing blue feathers sprouting from her arm. Wuchang is afflicted with a disease called the Feathering — hence the blue feathers. Shu, too, is sick — the world is overrun by disease and war. Wuchang is both looking to understand the curse set upon her and taking on monsters that devastate the grotesque world. It’ll feel familiar to others in the Soulslike genre, and its setting is not the only piece of the game that stands out. A big twist is that Wuchang’s curse, the Feathering, induces madness. Madness makes Wuchang more powerful, and it increases when she dies. But the cost of that madness — and power — is that she takes more damage. And when she dies, a demon from inside her will haunt the spot in which you failed.

You can see the madness and emotion in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ world: “The colors and environments of each boss encounter also serve as an emotional reflection of the character’s state of mind,” Xia said.

Even Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ complex, challenging boss fights use the element of color to create dynamic, visually interesting fights that look like fireworks spectacles. Colorful sparks of light emit from weapons that you’ll swing between dance-like choreography of dodges and parries. Paired with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ dramatic fashion, Leenzee’s Soulslike looks like it could be a new favorite for the Fashion Souls enthusiasts among us. Like any good Soulslike, fashion is a huge part of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. Yes, the fashion is functional in how it boosts Wuchang’s skills and abilities; tweaking individual pieces of armor is a core function of these sorts of games, finding the exact pieces that benefit a certain playstyle.

Fashion is power, but it’s also a nod to Chinese history, mythology, and the world’s lore. The fun and challenge of it all will be balancing creative armor building with the balance of beauty; lots of the game’s armor appears to draw from the influence of birds, naturally. In one outfit, long black feathers dangle from black gloves. A special armor set for people who pre-ordered Wuchang: Fallen Feathers drapes Wuchang in a translucent cape where feathers glow and hover like magic. In another, peacock feathers conform to Wuchang’s body as if they’re painted on, paired with an emerald skirt with a deep slit, showing off impossibly tight thigh-high boots. This is not the medieval, muted garb you might pick up in Elden Ring or Demon’s Souls.

“Everything starts with the world we’ve created and the context and nuances within it,” Xia said. “Armour designs are drawn from Ming Dynasty influences, regional clothing traditions, and mythological elements that tie into the world of Wuchang. Each piece is meant to reflect where it comes from — whether it’s a forgotten temple, a warrior’s clan, or a corrupted region touched by the feathering.”

Wuchang’s armor is undeniably magic, powerful, and often sexy. For many players, as evidenced by the massive Fashion Souls community, finding the perfect look is just as important as the nature of a game’s mechanics.

Xia said that Leenzee builds out an outfit or piece of armor’s gameplay attributes after designing its visuals. “Armor sets are built to support different playstyles, with options for mobility, defence, or enhancing specific builds,” Xia said. “We put a lot of care into making sure players can equip something that feels powerful without compromising how their character looks. Both elements matter, and we wanted to give players the freedom to express that through the gear they wear.”

Of course, what you wear matters more than just what it looks like. That’s why Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has a transmogrification system that lets the player have freedom in using the stats of a different piece of found clothing, but wear a specific style. The armor in the game has different resistance bonuses that grant stat boosts. Players can — and should! — switch gear based on who or what they’re heading into battle to face. You’ll want to choose a piece of armor that, perhaps, boosts an element that your foe is weak to; with the transmogrification system, you can do that without compromising style.

Not everything in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ world of Shu is lush or colorful. In fact, much of it is the traditional, muted browns and greys the Soulslike genre is known for. But even in those moments, it is Wuchang herself that stands out — often in a way that’s clearly intentional. Be it her glowing feathers, stunning outfits, or the way magic dances around her weapons, Wuchang is a vibrant character in a dangerous world.

“We wanted to create something with a soul of its own, something that reflects who we are, where we come from, and the stories that shaped us,” Xia said. “That’s the heart of what makes Wuchang different.”

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers hits Epic Games Story next week. Pre-purchase it now.