When 2025 started, few of us anticipated that $80 can be an precise worth to pay for video video games. Positive, worth is subjective and everyone seems to be free to do what they need with their cash, however the $70 price ticket feels prefer it was launched solely yesterday, regardless of really being round for greater than 4 years by that time. And whereas it was ultimately accepted, for higher or worse, $80 felt like a a lot more durable ask. Appropriate for a Grand Theft Auto 6 maybe – how frequent are such monumental releases, anyway? – however for Mario Kart World? Or, as we ultimately realized, The Outer Worlds 2?
What about Battlefield 6, which rumors state goes for a similar worth? Not less than Microsoft took the trace and diminished The Outer Worlds 2 to $70, which feels extra prefer it’s making an attempt to not cannibalize gross sales by way of Recreation Go. Then there’s the Borderlands 4 fiasco (the “Randy Pitchford fiasco” is simply too wide-ranging), which additionally ended up costing $70 however just for Xbox Sequence X/S, PS5, and PC – Change 2 continues to be up within the air, and that may’t be excellent news.
Even with the cancellation of high-profile initiatives throughout the trade and the continued gold rush into the Demise Valley of stay service, it’s really wealthy to see some video games demand such excessive costs after which demand some extra by way of microtransactions, Season Passes, early entry incentives, and whatnot.
Nevertheless, 2025 has provided surprises in different areas, particularly within the area that many would contemplate “double A.” All of it really started with Clair Obscur: Expedition. We had been removed from really understanding its depths, solely seeing a star-studded solid with attractive visuals. To listen to that it could value $49.99 was surprising. The 30-plus hours for the story appeared about proper, however then the developer hit us with the “as a lot facet content material for our completionist Expeditioners.”
Publish-launch, it’s nonetheless one of many highest-rated video games of the yr, promoting hundreds of thousands in days. And that’s not together with the quantity who performed it by way of Recreation Go. After all, different releases, like The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, based mostly because it was on an already obtainable sport, bolstered that the $49.99 worth was no joke. The bottom sport with all its DLC and expansions for $49.99, together with all the brand new bells and whistles, felt like a steal given the tons of of hours it might present (and that’s earlier than factoring in mods). It lately hit 9 million gamers and is the second-best-selling sport of the yr in the US, regardless of being obtainable on Recreation Go. Credit score the title recognition all you’d like, it’s nonetheless noteworthy.
In that very same vein, we now have Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. As soon as once more, $49.99. No Season Go or microtransactions. About 40 to 60 hours lengthy on common to finish (although there have been gamers clearing the story in a lot much less time). Suppose again to all the opposite double-A Souls-likes that launched through the years – only a few managed to supply this a lot at such a price ticket and supply a enjoyable expertise to match.
And make no mistake – there’s a lot to love about Wuchang. The Darkish Souls-like exploration offers option to organically discovering helpful gadgets and difficult fights, to not point out in depth freedom to deal with the sport as you select. Whereas it options stat scaling weapons, leveling up is tied to a ability tree, which governs nearly every little thing. You possibly can decide into extra survival with Manna Vase prices and extra therapeutic, or forego it solely in favor of injury. Stat upgrades are essential, however there are many different viable decisions, like weapon masteries, which guarantee all weapons inside a singular class stay upgraded always.
Outdoors of the potential construct crafting with all of the totally different distinctive weapons and spells, which is straightforward to experiment with since respeccing is free, Wuchang is full of facet quests that affect the principle narrative, resulting in totally different endings. Even the boss fights are extremely strong, and with the ability to let free along with your combos, weaving in dodges and Swift Draw strikes for extra injury, feels nice.
The entire Insanity mechanic can also be ingenious as a result of it may be leveraged in many various methods. Use it as a injury enhance as you repeatedly try and the identical boss, take it as a problem whereas taking part in by way of the sport because of the elevated injury obtained, or construct into it for a unique playstyle on high of your present construct. Amongst many different issues, it provides one other layer of mastery to the expertise whereas creating some much-needed friction.
And earlier than you say it – sure, Wuchang isn’t good. Even with all its enjoyable mechanics, it’s nonetheless taking many cues from different titles like Wo Lengthy: Fallen Dynasty and Darkish Souls. Then there’s the PC efficiency, which has resulted in a “Largely Detrimental” ranking on Steam right now. Leenzee Video games launched a brand new patch, introducing a low-latency mode whereas additionally optimizing VRAM on lower-end GPUs and fixing crashes. It additionally has a “extra in depth patch” within the works that may arrive within the coming days.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers managed practically 132,000 peak concurrent Steam gamers at launch, which is fairly spectacular regardless of its technical points. And whereas it’s obtained some pretty destructive evaluations, the general impression from critics ranges within the mid-70s right now – a good whole.
Even when that doesn’t earn it any Recreation of the Yr nominations, it’s nonetheless the continuation of a development that I hope persists within the coming years. Recreation builders with smaller groups (a minimum of relative to the gargantuan efforts of main publishers) and centered artistic visions, delivering a product and asking a particularly honest worth. It wouldn’t have been unusual in any respect to see Wuchang retailing for $60, given the quantity of content material and years of labor that’s gone into it. But, right here we’re, and it’s nonetheless obtainable on Recreation Go for individuals who aren’t positive in the event that they need to drop that a lot.
Granted, publishers aren’t precisely speeding to embrace the identical pricing mannequin and even develop video games inside that very same scope. 2K’s Mafia: The Outdated Nation is one exception, and proper now, it feels extra just like the exception to the rule fairly than constructing an initiative for comparable efforts. In the identical vein, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 on the PS5, which launched final yr on the identical worth on Xbox Sequence X/S and PC, and regardless of general constructive impressions, nonetheless obtained criticism for its comparatively brief runtime.
Whether or not this pricing mannequin is in direct response to the present state of the trade or not, it’s a constructive signal. It represents creators using their obtainable assets and committing to extra centered sport design, particularly with distinctive creative course and music. Regardless of Wuchang deriving a lot from different titles, it’s nonetheless finished issues that its Souls-like rivals didn’t even contemplate for years and years. If that shall be its lasting legacy, then so be it, although there may be a lot extra to love.
There’s nonetheless a option to go earlier than it will possibly please everybody, particularly on PC. Nevertheless, if Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and the numerous different $50 (and under) titles launched this yr show something, it’s that there’s nonetheless room for entertaining video games with dozens of hours of content material at honest costs.
This characteristic expresses a private viewpoint. Readers are inspired to make their very own choices in regards to the sport based mostly on private preferences and limits.
