One of the biggest issues with The Crown of Wu is its controls, which feel floaty and clunky. This can make it difficult to maneuver the Monkey King through the game's various environments, and can be especially frustrating during combat encounters.
Speaking of combat, the game's fighting mechanics also suffer from a lack of impact and weight behind attacks. This can make combat feel unsatisfying, and makes it difficult to feel a sense of achievement when you do defeat enemies.
Another problem with the game is the lack of a currency system. In other soulslike games, players collect souls that can be used to level up and improve their character. In The Crown of Wu, however, there is no such system. Instead, players must rely on item and equipment gathering to progress through the game. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it does make the game feel less like a true soulslike, and can leave players feeling like they're missing out on the sense of loss and achievement that comes with overcoming difficult encounters.
The game's first boss fight is a good example of some of the game's issues. The boss is essentially just a slightly stronger enemy with an impregnable energy shield. To defeat it, players must run up to a crystal and focus their magic to overload it, which will then allow them to attack the boss. However, the boss is constantly chasing players and can hit them without much trouble. If players don't have enough mana to overload the crystal, they'll need to run around and hit other pink crystals that regenerate their mana before returning to the shield crystal. This process needs to be repeated at least three times to defeat the boss. While this may sound like a challenging and rewarding encounter, in reality, it feels more like a frustrating and tedious chore.
Another issue with The Crown of Wu is the game's puzzles, which range from stupidly easy to ridiculously vague. The game's prompts for these puzzles are also often vague, which can lead to confusion and frustration for players. While puzzles can be a fun and engaging way to break up the gameplay, in The Crown of Wu, they feel like an afterthought that doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the game's design.
Despite being built on the powerful Unreal Engine 5, The Crown of Wu doesn't fully utilize all of the engine's capabilities. While the environments are interesting, the game's graphics look dated and don't take full advantage of the engine's capabilities. This is particularly disappointing given the potential of the Unreal Engine 5 to create visually stunning and immersive game worlds.
One of the game's few redeeming qualities is its interesting environments. As the Monkey King travels through futuristic cities and temples, players will encounter a variety of interesting settings, each with its own unique visual style. However, the game's dated graphics detract from the overall immersion of these environments, and the lack of attention to detail can make the game feel rushed and unfinished.
One aspect of The Crown of Wu that feels particularly underdeveloped is the game's story. While the game is based on a classic Chinese novel, the narrative in The Crown of Wu feels shallow and poorly executed. The story lacks depth and complexity, and the characters are largely forgettable. While there are occasional moments of humour and charm, these are few and far between, and the overall story falls short of its potential.
Another issue with the game is its pacing. While some sections of the game can be challenging and engaging, there are long stretches of tedious and repetitive gameplay that can quickly become frustrating. The lack of variety in enemy types and combat encounters only exacerbates this issue, and can leave players feeling like they're just going through the motions to progress through the game.
Despite these flaws, there are some aspects of The Crown of Wu that could be appealing to certain players. The blend of platforming, exploration, and combat mechanics may appeal to fans of the Legend of Zelda series, and the game's sci-fi twist on the Journey to the West story could be an interesting take on the classic tale. However, the game's many flaws make it difficult to recommend to anyone looking for a satisfying and engaging gameplay experience.
The Crown of Wu is a disappointing attempt at blending genres and reimagining a classic tale. The game's floaty controls, unsatisfying combat mechanics, lack of currency system, and vague puzzles make for a frustrating and tedious gameplay experience. Despite some interesting environments and potential for an engaging story, the game's underdeveloped narrative, pacing issues, and lack of attention to detail detract from any potential enjoyment. While the game may have some appeal for fans of certain genres or the original story, there are far better options available for anyone looking for a satisfying gameplay experience.
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