CHANGING DESTINY

Chinese studio Leenzee aims to soar to the heights of its field

- BY ALAN WEN

Whether it's the dungeon cell in Northern Undead Asylum or an operating table in Iosefka's clinic, we're used to waking up in mysterious circumstances, trying to make sense of where we are. Our introduction to Wuchang fits this mould – at least, it does at first. The eponymous heroine awakes in a dark cave, illuminated only by the candles arranged along the base of an enormous statue of the Buddha. Following the daylight to the exit, though, the gorgeous vista that welcomes us – green mountains and forest – has more in common with Link's first view of Breath Of The Wild's Great Plateau than the dark fantasy world we might have expected. This is Worship's Rise, the game's starting area, and it's only after wandering between friendly citizens and temples that we encounter any hostility. You'd hardly suspect there was a deadly plague sweeping the land, but appearances can be deceiving: beneath this veneer of serenity, chaos is brewing. The game's director, Xia Siyuan, sums it up in plain, blunt English: “Surprise, motherfucker!”

We're in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan region, to visit Leenzee, the studio co-founded by Xia in 2016 – and to become the first western publication to play Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, the game it's hoping will be its breakthrough hit.