Genshin Impact's launch was a resounding success, quickly becoming a global phenomenon. Even during some of its weaker patches, it manages to rake in over USD 50 million from the mobile platforms alone. Within a week of launch, Genshin Impact grossed over $60 million on mobile platforms alone. Within two weeks, that figure skyrocketed to over $100 million, recouping its development and marketing budget. Multiple games have tried to replicate the game’s success and while a lot of gacha games have become popular in the Western markets, none of the open-world RPGs in the genre have matched Genshin’s global appeal.
Wuthering Waves is an upcoming free-to-play open-world action RPG developed by Kuro Game of Punishing Gray Raven fame. The game is set to launch on May 23rd globally on Android, iOS, and PC. A console release might also be in the works for a future release. With over 16 million pre-registrations already, the game has a lot of hype behind it.
Wuthering Waves’ Premise is Uninteresting, But The World Is Beautiful
Wuthering Waves thrusts you headfirst into a vast, open-world adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world known as Míng Cháo (which loosely translates to Wuthering Waves). The scars of a cataclysmic event called the Lament still hang heavy in the game world. This Lament disaster nearly wiped humanity off the map and unleashed strange, monstrous creatures upon the world. The premise feels all too familiar and many games across different genres have utilized similar narratives. Blue Archive, Arknights, Revived Witch, Wuthering Waves, and many others have already gone this route and it is getting stale at this point. I understand that the point of the games is to use the player as a self-insert but it would be nice to see something new for a change.
Pockets of civilization have sprung up, with survivors banding together to rebuild from the ruins. These new settlements rely on scavenged technology and the indomitable spirit of their people. You take on the role of a Rover, someone who awakens from a long slumber to find themselves in this strange new world. Once again, a protagonist without memories is a recurring trope in gacha games so there’s nothing out of the ordinary here. If I had a nickel for every time I saw a gacha game with a protagonist without memories, I would have a lot of nickels.
As you explore the sprawling landscapes of Míng Cháo, you'll encounter a cast of diverse characters, each with their own stories and battles to fight. The closed beta tests did not delve too deep into the story but we can expect Kuro Game to develop the massive cast of characters and the game world through its story quests.
The visuals of the game are very well done and thanks to all inputs registering on the client side of things, the combat feels very snappy. The full game world will be available to explore and interact with at launch and if you enjoy the exploration loop of Genshin or Tower of Fantasy, you will like what Wuthering Waves has to offer.
Endgame Content Might Be The Difference Maker
Genshin Impact's approach to endgame content is a point of contention within the player base. The endgame loop primarily revolves around the Spiral Abyss, a series of increasingly difficult combat challenges. While challenging, some players find it repetitive after a while, and understandably so. It is something you need to do just once every fortnight and once you have a built team, there is not a lot of reason to engage with the mode.
In comparison, Hoyoverse’s other titles ‘Honkai: Star Rail’ and Honkai Impact 3rd have multiple endgame modes. Star Rail has a highly replayable Simulated Universe (rogue-lite) mode that allows you to pick up a myriad of buffs and go up against a variety of bosses and encounters. The game also has two endgame modes, each with a different ‘meta’. Genshin Impact refuses to add more endgame content due to players suffering from anxiety. Hoyoverse has made it clear that their flagship game is made for the casual audience only. But the problem is that Hoyoverse’s RPG has a well-made elemental damage system and an active theory-crafting community that wants to push characters to their limits. There is a distinct lack of combat-based content in the game and part of the playerbase is craving for more endgame.
Kuro Game’s other title, Punishing Gray Raven, has a fun and deep combat system. There is a lot of focus on playing perfectly and dodging attacks. Wuthering Waves brings in a lot of Punishing Gray Raven’s best elements and multiple endgame modes that should keep you busy.
First, we have the equivalent of the Spiral Abyss from Genshin Impact where you race against the clock to kill a bunch of enemies and if you successfully beat the timer, you get rewarded. There is a roguelite mode that is replayable similar to Star Rail’s Simulated Universe mode.
Monetization and Gacha Mechanics
Obtaining characters involves spending in-game currency to obtain random characters or items through a gacha mechanic (think loot boxes). This can be seen as encouraging excessive spending, especially for powerful characters or items with low drop rates. Despite thriving with FOMO mechanics, a lot of gacha games can be “generous” and can be enjoyed for free without spending any money.
Kuro Game has been fairly generous with Punishing Gray Raven and it is possible to get all characters that release within a given patch. This is with the caveat that you clear all content and play every single day. If Wuthering Waves retains the same level of F2P-friendliness, the game should be fun to pick up. That being said gacha mechanics are inherently driven by FOMO and it can be very easy to get sucked into spending money beyond your means. If you have an addictive personality, I would not recommend a gacha game to anyone. That being said, a lot of the games in the genre have plenty of quality content and are thoroughly enjoyable even as a free-to-play player or a monthly pass owner.
Should You Try Out Wuthering Waves?
After trying out the closed beta test, I am interested in checking out the game. If you are a Genshin Impact player who hates the lack of endgame content, it is worth checking out. The game world is beautiful, and the combat feels very satisfying. While I don’t think it will “kill” Genshin Impact, it’s great to have more titles in the free-to-play RPG space for those looking for more options.
