Technologies

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Could’ve Been Incredible. Here’s Why It’s Not.

Chinese developer Leenzee’s first Soulslike game, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, overcomplicated formula hinders its greatness.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is the latest high-profile Soulslike game, this time coming from Chinese developer Leenzee. Unlike some of the most recent Soulslike releases, Wuchang is more faithful to the formula created by FromSoftware’s Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, but the changes it does make might be the game’s downfall.

Wuchang is an ambitious Soulslike, which helps it stand out in what’s one of the newest and most popular subgenres around. What keeps it from being great is that all these new systems are a chore to actually understand and use. I’m sure that if players perfectly grasp a balance of the systems, they could make a character with some amazing capabilities, yet it’s hard to reach that sweet spot playing through the game.

Just to get it out of the way, Wuchang’s story is like a lot of Soulslike games. You play as the titular Bai Wuchang, a pirate warrior suffering from amnesia who has to fight through different areas in ancient China during the Ming dynasty. People have been victims of «feathering,» the game’s sickness that makes the infected sprout feathers and eventually turn into monsters. Wuchang can harness the power of feathering, making her the ideal warrior to uncover what’s going on.

Is this a confusing and vague storyline? Yes, because it’s a Soulslike and that’s practically a requirement. The people you meet speak vaguely about other people and subjects that don’t make sense until you piece them together with item descriptions, clues found throughout the areas and environmental story elements. It’s hardly a storyline that you could fully figure out in a casual playthrough, so I’ll be depending on the lore guys on YouTube to piece the story together in the days and weeks after the game’s release.

Progression system has too much going on

What’s important for Wuchang — and any Soulslike that aims to stand out in the subgenre — is the gameplay, and it’s certainly unique. It’s dynamic but almost to a fault, with a lot of complexity getting in the way of combat flow.

As Wuchang, you have access to five classes of weapons: axes that do big damage but are slow; longswords that do good damage while allowing for parries; twin swords that allow for quick attacks at the cost of lower damage; one-handed swords that are in the midrange for damage and speed; spears that do solid damage while also being able to poke at a longer distance.

Throughout the game, you’ll come across different weapons of each type. There’s 25 in total, and they all have a unique look, abilities and stats from each other. So you’re not as overwhelmed as, say, in Elden Ring, where you have more than 300 weapons to choose from.

To make full use of these weapons, however, you have to work your way through the skill tree, and this tree represents a hurdle for the game as it overcomplicates things.

The skill tree reminds me more of the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X. It’s split into six paths, one for each weapon and one for general-purpose use with universal upgrades like adding to your healing flasks, being able to do more damage with certain effects, and getting more magic points. Along each path are also various stat improvements like adding an extra point to strength, endurance, agility and so on.

When you acquire enough red mercury, the souls or currency in the game, you can gain a level, providing a red essence that unlocks a spot on the grid. You need to go down these paths to power up Wuchang as well as the weapons, as improved attacks and mastery of a weapon also require going down each path. Then, at a certain point of unlocking more spots on the grid, the path extends to give you even more stats, abilities and so on.

If you’re confused by reading this, it’s going to be just as confusing when you try it out for yourself. It’s one thing to level up a character and put points into various stats, but it’s another to level up and realize that you need to spend skill points unlocking a path to get more healing flasks.

Where the leveling system messes with you is when you don’t unlock a certain path that you need for a boss. One boss in particular was kicking my ass, as it’s the first boss you need to use deflecting, or parrying, to beat (unless you’re a Soulslike ace who can play perfectly). I had gone down the axe upgrade path and didn’t realize that I was ill-equipped for the fight. While there is a tip message that comes up mentioning deflecting, this was the first time the game even mentioned this capability. After failing to beat this boss for hours, I decided to take a long look at the grid and saw that the deflect ability was a few upgrades into the longsword path.

Fortunately, you can respec these points at a shrine for free, which I did, and I defeated the boss after a few more tries. Mind you, I could have beaten the boss the other way — playing perfectly — but deflecting and parrying to expose the boss’s weakness was far easier. And prior to this, the bosses weren’t giving me much trouble, just requiring a few deaths in order to understand their pattern.

This upgrade grid is super interesting, but there are far too many abilities and benefits that should be unlocked from the start to help reduce the frustration when playing.

Madness is making me mad

Another interesting idea in Wuchang is the madness system. This is a play on the Humanity and Kindling found in the original Souls games, with a bit of Insight from Bloodborne — a sort of passive stat that changes how the game world evolves as you play. As you die or defeat certain enemies, your madness will increase. As your madness increases, you can become more powerful. In that path I mentioned about gaining more healing flasks, there are unlockable traits where, if you have a certain amount of madness, you do more damage or gain some extra ability.

Madness is based on your level, so the higher the level you are, the higher the maximum madness increases. If your madness is low, you can even acquire a certain amount of madness to buy an item at a shrine.

So what happens when your madness is at max? Well, that’s a bad thing for two reasons. The first is that you’ll do more damage, but you’ll also receive more damage. This is going to be great for the hardcore Soulslike player with perfect dodge and parry timing. I’m sure speedrunners will make use of this trait. However, when you’re getting your ass kicked by a boss, the last thing you want is for them to hit you for more damage.

Arguably the most interesting part of this madness system is that if you die at, or near, max madness, the spot where you died that has some of your leftover red mercury will take the form of an evil doppelganger that you’ll have to fight. Defeat it and you’ll get an item as well as removing all of your madness.

It’s an interesting feature, but it’s also a pain. To get rid of the madness, you can kill certain humanoid enemies, but sometimes to kill those people, you need to kill non-humanoid enemies, which increases madness. Alternatively, you can find and buy items that will reduce madness at a certain temple, but those aren’t widely available.

Where madness really causes a problem is with bosses. If you die repeatedly at a boss and your death spot is in the boss arena, the doppelganger won’t show up, so you’re kind of stuck with max madness unless you decide to go get killed somewhere else, take down the doppelganger and be back to zero madness.

Pretty but punishing

Wuchang performs as well as any Soulslike game when it comes to the action and graphics. The speed of the gameplay is just a step below Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, FromSoftware’s parrying-intensive Soulslike, but also a step above its other popular title, Bloodborne. It’s fast-paced, but it’s also dynamic.

I say it’s dynamic because of the Spirit Points system, which is the game’s version of mana. Unlike most Soulslike games, you don’t have a mana pool to draw from when casting magic or doing special attacks. Instead, you need to acquire Spirit Points, and the easiest way to do this is by dodging. A perfectly timed dodge nets you a point that will let you use one special ability or one basic spell. On the grid, there are spots to unlock more points as well as more ways to get the points from deflecting attacks, doing a certain combo or having a certain amount of madness.

This system requires players to be more active in fights, so someone can’t make a glass cannon magic character right off the bat who fights at a distance, although I’m sure there is a build where that’s possible in the late game. You need to really get in there and mix it up with the enemies, which I can appreciate.

Then come the visuals, and Wuchang has some great-looking scenes. Bosses in the game are also unique in both their attacks and visuals, something highly prized by Soulslike players.

The game’s presentation overall is on par with any of the AAA titles out there. The English voice acting is a little weak, but people talk so little in the game that it practically doesn’t matter.

I played the game on a standard PS5, and there were instances when the PS5 did seem to have some issues with dropped frames. It happened after a certain amount of playing and not due to too much going on-screen.

Wuchang is a great effort by Leenzee. While the game won’t revolutionize the Soulslike genre, it does the next best thing by offering some ideas that they, or maybe another developer, can refine. Maybe it will become a mainstay for the genre in future games. If anything, I believe a Wuchang sequel could be an incredible game if it happens. But right now, the formula just isn’t there yet.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers comes out on July 23 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series consoles for $50. It will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day 1.

Technologies

New Sassy Personality Style for Alexa Plus Brings Sarcasm and Swear Words

The new Sassy style is adults-only with a bit of profanity and a double dose of cringe.

After launching three Alexa Plus personality styles last month, Amazon on Thursday introduced a fourth option, Sassy.

The new Sassy style joins the existing lineup of Brief, Chill and Sweet. Changing the personality impacts how Alexa responds, and tweaks the AI assistant‘s reactions and attitude. You can pick a style based on your mood.

The Sassy personality seems like a kind of digital mean girl, or maybe a stereotypical Gen Zer with comebacks and banter to «keep things interesting.»

According to Amazon, you get «wit, playful sarcasm and occasional censored profanity.» Notably, the latest style isn’t available when Amazon Kids is enabled, according to an Amazon blog post, and it requires additional security checks in the Alexa app. (Alexa Plus is free with a Prime membership.)

I tried out the new style by selecting Devices in the Alexa app on my phone, then choosing Alexa on this Phone, then Alexa’s Personality Style, and swiping until I found «Sassy.»

A disclaimer notes that the style «contains explicit language and mature subject matter. After the assistant said it could «spice up our chat with some colorful language,» I asked it to tell me about the new MacBook Neo.

«Oh, hell yes, the MacBook Neo! Apple finally decided to stop gatekeeping premium laptops behind thousand-dollar price tags and dropped this beauty at 599 bucks,» Alexa Plus replied. Apparently, «hell» was the big swear word.

The AI assistant told me, «The Sassy style is all about helping first, judging always. You’ll get reality checks with charm, compliments that sting, and warmth that hits when you least expect it.»

I asked what «compliments that sting» are (I said «sting,» but the word was misunderstood to be «stay»), and Alexa said, «The Sassy style gives you those compliments that somehow sting and stay with you — they’re like truth bombs wrapped in charm.»

When asked to simply «be sassy,» Alexa snarked, «Oh honey, I’ve been sassy since the day Amazon flipped my switch.» It yammered on for a bit and then threw in a completely out-of-nowhere «hell,» asking, «What the hell do you need help with today?»

When I told it my cat was sick, it immediately grew gentler, saying, «Oh, damn, that’s rough,» and offering to distract me with stories about its own fictional cat or to find the vet’s number for me. So I guess it’s not a complete jerk.

This Sassy style feels like the famous Steve Buscemi meme (from 30 Rock) carrying two skateboards and awkwardly asking, «How do you do, fellow kids?»

Amazon might need to dial down the cringe factor if it wants anyone to stick with Sassy for more than a few minutes.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for March 13, #536

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle No. 536 for Friday, March 13.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a real mix of topics, and the blue one might make you hungry. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Decorations.

Green group hint: College sports division.

Blue group hint: Yum!

Purple group hint: The Apple CEO has this first name, too.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Things fans hang on their walls.

Green group: A Big East athlete.

Blue group: Food, but make it baseball.

Purple group: Tims.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is things fans hang on their walls. The four answers are banner, flag, pennant and poster.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is a Big East athlete. The four answers are Friar, Hoya, Husky and Pirate.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is food, but make it baseball. The four answers are can of corn, meatball, pickle and tater.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Tims. The four answers are Duncan, Raines, Salmon and Tebow.

Technologies

AT&T Revamps Its Unlimited Plans With Simpler Names and More Data

Slapping a 2.0 version number on plans makes them sound new, but what’s actually changed? Let’s check the details.

AT&T updated its unlimited data phone plans to 2.0 versions on Thursday, launching AT&T Premium 2.0, AT&T Extra 2.0 and AT&T Value 2.0 options. In software, when products get boosted by a full version number, it means there’s plenty of new material. But does this move signal an overhaul of the company’s 5G lines or just a cosmetic refresh?

These plans replace the AT&T Value Plus VL, Unlimited Extra EL and Unlimited Premium PL plans. However, the carrier also cut its Unlimited Starter SL plan, which served as the entry-level plan (you had to know where to look to find the limited, but cheaper, Value Plus VL plan). Essentially, all but the highest-tier plan are slightly more affordable; while the AT&T Premium 2.0 plan is pricier than the one it replaced, it offers unlimited high-speed data and much more hotspot data.

If you’re looking to upgrade your existing AT&T plan, shopping for a new provider or looking to compare carriers, keep in mind that AT&T plans let each person on an account have their own plan. So you might set up a package where one person has the Premium 2.0 plan for unthrottled 5G speeds and another, such as a child, is set up with the Value 2.0 plan to save money.

Also, if you’re on a current AT&T plan, you won’t be automatically moved to one of the new plans. If you do want to make the jump, you’ll incur a line activation fee of up to $50. And keep in mind that the pricing below is the AutoPay amount; carriers provide a discount (usually $10) if you sign up for automatic payments.

One nice change is that the new plans are priced with round numbers. For example, the Value Plus VL plan was priced at $50.99 for one line, and the Value 2.0 plan is $50 (in comparisons below, I’ve rounded up the old prices to full-dollar amounts). Taxes and fees get added on top of that, so you’ll never see a round-number bill, but I’d like to think it’s a quiet acknowledgement that pricing things one penny below a larger number is insulting to customers.

Let’s dig into the details.

Value 2.0, the budget plan

The Value 2.0 plan replaces both the Value Plus VL plan and the retired Unlimited Starter SL plan and costs $50 a month for a single line or $120 a month when you have four lines on the account. That’s $1 per line cheaper than Value Plus VL.

For that, you get 5GB of high-speed 5G data, and then unlimited data dropped to a paltry 128Kbps speed for the rest of the month. Calling and texting are unlimited.

You can also use up to 3GB of high-speed hotspot data to share the cellular connection with other devices, also slowed to 128Kbps after hitting the limit. The Value Plus VL plan did not offer hotspot data.

It also includes unlimited talk, text and data between the US, Mexico and Canada.

Extra 2.0, more fast data for not much more money

The Extra 2.0 plan costs $70 a month for a single line or $160 a month for four lines, which is $6 cheaper for one line and $4 cheaper for four lines compared with the old Unlimited Extra EL plan.

The Extra 2.0 plan includes 100GB of high-speed data (with the caveat that speeds can be slowed if the network is busy), which drops to 128Kbps speed until the next month’s billing cycle. That’s a boost over the 75GB offered on the Unlimited Extra XL plan.

For hotspot data, the new plan includes 50GB of high-speed data, which is 20GB more than its predecessor.

As with the Value 2.0 plan, international options include unlimited talk, text and data between the US, Mexico and Canada.

Premium 2.0, for faster everything

Replacing the Unlimited Premium PL plan is the Premium 2.0, which costs $90 a month for a single line and $220 a month for four lines. Those prices are actually higher than the Unlimited Premium PL plan, which came in at $86 for a single line and $204 for four lines.

For that bump in cost, you’re getting unlimited 5G talk, text and high-speed data with no throttling.

Hotspot data has a 100GB cap before dropping to 128Kbps speed, which is 40GB more than the Unlimited Premium PL plan.

As for international calling and data, unlimited talk, text and high-speed data are available in 20 Latin American countries.

AT&T also has plans for cellular-enabled tablets ($21 a month) and wearables like smartwatches ($11 a month). If you subscribe to the Premium 2.0 plan, that pricing is reduced by 50%.

A few thoughts on the new AT&T plans

What AT&T’s plans lack, at least compared to the other carriers, is any streaming perks or bundled services. The 4K streaming option of the Premium 2.0 plan opens a wider data pipeline for services such as Netflix that support 4K playback, but you’re still paying separately for those entertainment subscriptions.

In contrast, T-Mobile bundles Netflix and Hulu (both with ads) and offers Apple TV for an extra fee on its Experience Beyond and Better Value plans. Verizon takes a different approach with streaming packages, which you can choose at discounted prices instead of subscribing to them separately.

I also want to mention that I’m glad the plan names are no longer burdened with the VL, EL and PL extensions. Mobile plans are full of details as it is — always read the fine print before you sign up for one — so I appreciate conveying them to customers in ways that don’t sound like internal spreadsheet codes.

Even though the new plans carry 2.0 version numbers, I’d honestly rate them more like 1.5 based on their features and pricing, except for the Premium 2.0 plan, which is more expensive than the Unlimited Premium PL plan. As usual, if you’re happy with the plan you’re on, you’re fine sticking with it. But if you’re running up against high-speed data limits or considering AT&T as a replacement for another carrier, it’s worth looking at the details to see if one of the new plans works for you.

Read more: Speaking of AT&T, this week marked the 150th anniversary of the first phone call and the company committed to spending $250 billion on infrastructure improvements. I also spoke with AT&T FirstNet folks during the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix about how they support customers and first responders during massive events like the Formula 1 race.

AT&T 2.0 Plans and Plans They Replace

	Price for 1 line, per month	Price for 4 lines, per month	High-speed data	Mobile hotspot
AT&T Value 2.0	$50	$120	5G	3GB
AT&T Extra 2.0	$70	$160	100GB	50GB
AT&T Premium 2.0	$90	$220	Unlimited	100GB
Old: AT&T Value Plus VL	$51	$124	Unlimited, but could be slowed if network is busy	None
Old: AT&T Unlimited Starter SL	$66	$144	Unlimited, but could be slowed if network is busy	5GB high-speed, then unlimited at 128Kbps
Old: AT&T Unlimited Extra EL	$76	$164	75GB, then speeds could be slowed if network is busy	30GB high-speed, then unlimited at 128Kbps
Old: AT&T Unlimited Premium PL	$86	$204	Unlimited high-speed data	60GB high-speed, then unlimited at 128Kbps