Roughly a week ago, a new Chinese open-world gacha game was released. One might wonder, what novelty could a Genshin clone possibly bring to the table? Yet, after 15 hours of gameplay, there’s much to discuss.
A heads-up | Wuthering Waves is a classic gacha game, with characters obtained through loot box banners and in-game currency, and leveling up requires farming. The combat system is akin to a slasher. If you’re not a fan of the genre, this game might not be worth your time. However, if you’re open-minded, there are several aspects of Wuthering Waves that could persuade you to try it.
Genshin Impact 2?
It’s not surprising that Wuthering Waves was compared to Genshin Impact long before its release. In recent years, every new gacha game undergoes this public scrutiny. Often, some are prematurely dubbed ‘Genshin killers,’ only to be forgotten weeks after their release. Genshin Impact, like Warcraft and Hearthstone before it, has seen many proclaimed ‘killers’ come and go. It must be acknowledged that Wuthering Waves does bear a strong resemblance to its predecessor in many respects. It seems to follow the same formula for success, tweaking individual elements without altering the general framework.
The open world and its governing rules are the most significant similarities. Central to the gameplay is the exploration of the world, engaging in combat with mobs and mini-bosses, gathering resources, solving puzzles, and discovering and completing mini-quests. This aspect of the game is quite relaxing and, despite being secondary, it remains entertaining. The puzzles, especially those at the start, are straightforward and similar to those in Among Us | connecting elements without crossing wires, filling an area with shapes to ensure a perfect fit. There’s also an arcade element with quests that involve swimming or flying through routes to accumulate points for maneuvers and efficiency, sometimes requiring extra effort for maximum rewards, or navigating from point A to point B exclusively across rooftops.
In our view, the world exploration in Wuthering Waves is executed better than in Genshin, with fewer monotonous and tedious moments, such as lengthy rock climbing (since you can sprint on vertical surfaces just as on the ground). Vast distances can be traversed in a Spider-Man-like fashion using a special cat, dialogues can be skipped with a single button press, among other quality-of-life improvements.
The game’s visuals deserve particular attention. Comparing the visual elements of Waves and Genshin is akin to contrasting the design of Marvel and DC movies… but in anime form. The hues in Wuthering Waves are more subdued, with a darker and more melancholic atmosphere and music. The adversaries are designed to be either eerie and off-putting or to evoke the transience of existence, such as the spider car.
Combat System
The combat system stands as a significant triumph of the game. Vuva, as mentioned, is a slasher genre game. Combat is both dynamic and diverse. Enemy attacks can be evaded, closely mirroring the mechanics of Nier Automata, while others can be blocked or parried. Each character boasts unique abilities, move sets, ranges, and attack speeds.
Engaging in combat with pistols differs markedly from using swords or spears. While characters are bound to their weapon type, players can switch between up to three team members mid-battle. This switch triggers special “input” and “output” abilities, which could be attack combinations or effect applications. The game also features an array of basic combos that vary according to the sequence of button presses, resulting in different attack patterns. Certain characters specialize in mobility, constantly moving during combat, while others may juggle opponents in the air, group enemies together, or disperse them. Additionally, players have the ability to transform into defeated monsters, adopting their signature moves.
The video’s demonstration of character movesets and the variety of opponents, unfortunately, does not reflect the full scope.
Combat can be related to several games – Nier Automata, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy 15 (which I haven’t played), and Darksiders. Virgil was paid tribute with several Easter eggs, including a character’s moveset and an achievement celebrating his fondness for plastic chairs.
Plot and characters
The most remarkable aspect of the Wuthering Waves storyline is its skippability. Those familiar with Genshin Impact will grasp the reference. The narrative’s essence is straightforward – we, the protagonist, have amnesia, and now both allies and adversaries are vying for our allegiance. Our choices barely influence the storyline; it’s akin to an interactive fairy tale with minimal interaction. It may appeal to some, but personally, we find it too juvenile.
Currently, Wuthering Waves doesn’t boast a large roster of characters, typical for the early stages of any gacha game. However, it seems possible to select a signature hero to suit any preference.
The game was launched not long ago and currently features an attraction that is exceptionally generous by gacha standards. At the start, you can obtain a random character of the highest rarity, followed by the opportunity to select another one of your choice.
As for resource farming and crafting, it’s too early for me to comment extensively. Initially, the process is straightforward and resources are plentiful, but this is typical for the early stages. It remains to be seen how it will evolve.
Main disadvantages of the game
Among the shortcomings, we would highlight the repetitive plot. In areas where the game could excel, it feels very secondary. We are hopeful that this issue will be fully addressed with the introduction of an option to quickly skip all plot content (currently, you can skip about 50-60% of the dialogues).
Additionally, the game is still in development. Every time you log in, there’s a mini-update that tweaks and fixes something. While many reviewers mention encountering bugs, we have not experienced any thus far.
Let’s summarize
If you enjoy Genshin, we definitely recommend trying Wuthering Waves. You can grasp the basic mechanics easily, and the game, while clearly inspired by Genshin, feels fresh and distinct.
If you didn’t like Genshin due to its simplicity and childish nature, but you’re open to gachas, then Wuthering Waves might also be worth a try. We find the gameplay very beautiful and atmospheric, thanks to its transient vibe, muted colors, and instrumental music.
If you’ve never played gacha games (except for those gachas that we all ♂ played), then perhaps Wuthering Waves is a good opportunity to start. At the very least, the combat is noteworthy.
In high-quality gachas, making donations is not essential. In-game purchases are mainly relevant when you begin collecting characters; otherwise, it’s just an “easy mode” option, while playing without donations is the “normal” mode.
For an enhanced experience, we highly recommend playing with Japanese voice acting. The English voice actors seem quite lackluster, while the Japanese voice actors are exceptional, as usual.
