Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has today received a new patch on PC, offering improved performance and much-needed balance adjustments to tweak some of its infuriatingly cheap difficulty.

As a result, the rougher edges of the Soulslike are being smoothed out, allowing the more unique elements of the game to shine through.

Initially, Wuchang didn't sit well with me. I previewed the game back at the Game Developer Conference but, thrown into a demo partway through the game with little explanation of its intricacies, it all felt intensely derivative. I expected that to continue when playing the game in full, but instead I've been pleasantly surprised.

Part of the issue with Wuchang is it doesn't explain its best ideas very well. The early game is filled with terminology and functions - skyborn might, alacrity, feathering, to name three - but with little explanation or clarity. That leads to frustration and at first I was simply playing this like any other Soulslike without really engaging in its systems.

But there are interesting ideas here. Take skyborn might: this is an extra resource that's spent on special abilities and magic spells alike, and is gained through last-minute perfect dodges (as well as other means later unlocked on the skill tree). This is the core of combat and, once fully comprehended, lends Wuchang its own peculiar combat rhythm. It's almost Bayonetta-esque, with protagonist Wuchang swiftly dancing around enemies before attacking with typical Soulslike heft, aided by beautiful wuxia animations.

Then there's the madness gauge that, when full after repeatedly dying, forces the player to fight a demonic reflection of Wuchang to regain lost currency. Sure, it's a fun twist on Hollow Knight, but being able to lure your demon to fighting other enemies for you is wonderfully cheeky.

Elements like this ensure Wuchang isn't just another derivative Soulslike but does have its own identity within the typical confines of the genre - the looping level design, say, or the high level of difficulty. Along with its multiple weapon types, unlockable special moves (disciplines), buffing weapons through acupuncture (tempering), and gradually expanding Wuchang's stats on a Sphere Grid-esque skill tree, there is a surprising amount of depth here once players overcome any initial Soulslike fatigue. Much like last year's Stellar Blade, once you get past all that costume fetishisation, there's some really strong combat here.

But it's also too rough around the edges, particularly when it comes to that difficulty level. Wuchang takes an age to get off the ground when knocked down, for instance, with enemy combos seemingly perfectly timed to knock you back down again. Similarly, healing takes far too long, turning boss battles into a frustrating lesson on when to heal, rather than when to attack.

Thankfully, both of these frustrations have been tweaked in the new patch: the invincibility frames of Wuchang's get-up animation have been adjusted and her healing animation sped up (and can now be cancelled with a dodge). Other tweaks include making it easier for light attacks to interrupt enemy animations, and reducing the number of traps, while a future update will allow players to choose to respawn at shrines or a boss door after death.

These are all very welcome changes that arrive on top of a number of performance optimisations on PC. The patch notes don't mention console updates, though presumably this will follow soon - I've been playing the game on PS5 and even now there are stutters and poor textures that mar the twisted, grotesque visuals.

It's these sorts of details, I think, that separate the derivative Soulslikes from the original work of FromSoftware. Sure, the Dark Souls and Elden Ring studio released plenty of post-launch patches to adjust difficulty levels, but to me its games are challenging without feeling cheap. That's a distinction many lesser developers haven't quite mastered.

Wuchang, at times, has felt like a laborious slog despite its interesting twist on the formula. But it's reassuring to see its developer offer tweaks to improve the experience - now it deserves to stand alongside Lies of P as Soulslikes able to transcend the ever-present FromSoftware comparison.