Wuthering Waves will be the new anime RPG from the Chinese studio Kuro Game. It aims to offer a high degree of freedom in an open world. The visuals and some mechanics are reminiscent of Genshin Impact, but the atmosphere promises to be darker.
What is the game about? In Wuthering Waves, you play as a “Rover” (English: Wanderer) in a post-apocalyptic world. You can explore this vast open world at your leisure, uncover secrets, and face numerous enemies in action-packed battles.
- You awaken as a “Rover” a hundred years after a catastrophe known as “Calament” in a new world. Since this event, previously unknown creatures have spread and are causing destruction.
- To explore this world, you can climb buildings and walls, swing with a grappling hook, and glide through the air.
- The developer is known for extensive stories.
- Yes, it will be a gacha game.
- The battles will focus on speed and action. Turn-based combat, tab-targeting, or target-selection are not to be found here.
- Compared to genre representatives like Genshin Impact and The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, the atmosphere appears significantly darker and more melancholic.
So far, there is gameplay footage from PC and mobile devices. Whether a console version will come is unclear. This trailer gives you a first glimpse of the game:
This is the current state of affairs after the technical test
This shows the gameplay: After the technical test, there are first impressions of the gameplay. In the footage released by YouTuber Steparu, fast-paced battles with numerous effects can be seen.
While the gameplay trailer mainly showcased fast-paced sword fights, the player is accompanied by a floating creature that seems responsible for a large part of the attacks. Additionally, there are elemental attacks.
Movement occurs similarly to what is known from games like Genshin Impact or Breath of The Wild: You can explore the world on foot, swing through the area with a grappling hook, or soar through the air with a glider.
This is what we still know: There will likely not be a character creator. Instead, you can choose between a male and a female character. The latter particularly impresses with her design: unlike many characters in comparable titles, she does not appear overly sexualized or too childish.
The exact monetization method is not yet known, but it is likely to be a gacha game. What a gacha game is all about and how the monetization of Genshin Impact worked can be read here.
With a gacha game in an open world with anime aesthetics, the comparison to Genshin Impact is, of course, obvious. And indeed, some of the footage could also show a new area in Genshin. Some of the puzzles shown during the technical test also bear a certain resemblance.
The post-apocalyptic setting and the more subdued colors paired with the atmospheric music in the CG trailer suggest a significantly darker and perhaps slightly more mature atmosphere. Some commentators even see a resemblance to Death Stranding.
When can we expect the game?
A date is not yet known. Given the state of development, however, a release before 2023 is unlikely. It is also not known whether the release will be global or only in China at first. However, given the existence of an English-language trailer and YouTube channel, there is hope for a simultaneous release. A release in the West is planned.
The pre-registration is already underway, but initially only for Android and iOS (via TapTap).
What players wish for
The technical test has received numerous reactions from the community. It becomes especially clear that they do not want a pure Genshin clone and that Wuthering Waves should develop its own identity (via reddit).
Fans of Punishing: Gray Raven in particular are looking forward to fast, action-packed fights with challenging bosses. They therefore wish for a revision or abolition of the skill cooldown system, as it could hold players back.
The desire frequently arises to integrate the grappling hook more actively into the fights instead of just using it to drop onto enemies. There would also be the possibility to stand out from the competition with interesting aerial battles.
As the game is still actively being developed, it can be expected that much will be improved and possibly even restructured before the release. Let’s see what changes occur before beta.
If you haven’t touched Genshin Impact for a while, it’s definitely time to return:
The best character from Genshin Impact is back for a short time – Spend your saved Primogems
