Where the Winds Meet reviews

Where the winds meet it is massive. From the map to the minigames to the collectibles to the customization options, every aspect of Wuxia RPG gives the same initial impression: this game is big. Diving into equal parts is exciting and daunting, but this scale is a double-edged sword. Lots of fun there Where the winds meetbut in trying to make everything feel like a complete, cohesive experience.

It's hard not to get excited Where the winds meet after the opening minutes have been played. While there isn't much gameplay in the prologue aside from some QTEs and a quick mini-boss fight, it's a cinematic thrill ride. The music swells and the world opens up to show off Where the winds meetridiculous graphics that make the playable cutscene feel like something straight out of it Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or House of Flying Daggers. It's a jaw-dropping few minutes, but unfortunately, the overabundance of gameplay hinders it more than it elevates it.

Where the Winds Meet excels in its visuals and combat

Rongyuan, one of the bosses of Where Winds Meet

straight away Where the winds meet is a feast for the senses. There are plenty of games with impressively realistic visuals, but not all of them take full advantage of what modern technology allows. Everstone Studios did not miss this opportunity. The game world is not only huge, but full of variety. There are calm streams, thundering waterfalls, bamboo forests, snow-capped mountains, bustling cities and quiet rural villages, all beautiful in their own way and all showing off. Where the winds meetgraphics capabilities (which manage to run on surprisingly modest specs) in myriad ways.

The player character overlooks the Qinghe region in Where Winds Meet

As pretty as Where the winds meet It can be seen that minor technical problems sometimes disrupt the illusion. The characters' mouths often don't move during speech, and many of the idle animations feel a bit unnatural and dated. Items will often seep through others, especially anything on the player's character, which is understandable given how many customization options there are. The game is free, so Where the winds meet offers exclusive cosmetics through pre-order packs and other paid unlockables, meaning there are too many clothing items and accessories for developers to individually program to realistically affect. This is understandable and not too much of a problem, but little quirks like these detract from an otherwise stunning visual experience.

While idle animations and dialogue animations can leave something unattainable, combat movement is quite the opposite. Everstone teamed up with award-winning fight choreographer Stephen Tung Wai for the game's martial arts, and the first-hand experience shows. Movement is fluid and varied, with each move and fighting style having its own stances and rhythm, all combining to make fights look as spectacular as they feel to play.

Fight in Where the winds meet is undoubtedly his strongest point. It combines several hallmarks of other open world games with great combat like Ghost of Tsushima's parrying and dodging and Marvel's Spider-Manquick fights with multiple opponents. The controls are precise, the enemies are tough without being too brutal, and there are plenty of ways to go about each situation.

Players can combine several different weapon types, including swords, spears, fans, umbrellas, and rope arrows, each favoring a different play style. There are also 12 martial arts and 23 mystical arts to explore, offering unique moves and perks in and out of combat. Each of these options also comes with its own upgrade path, so no matter what you choose, you can feel yourself progressing and your abilities open up the more you play.

Some of the mechanics of Where Winds Meet aren't nearly as polished as others

Unfortunately, most of the game's other mechanics don't feel as convincing or well-thought-out as the combat. Many of the puzzle sections aren't particularly cryptic, as objectives and markers on the map determine how to complete them. This is most prevalent in the first few hours, and some later puzzles require more thought on the part of the player, but it remains a distinct and disappointing trend, especially with many sidequests falling into the same boat.

Similarly, players can see exactly how to obtain or craft an item by looking at it in their inventory. The same goes for unlockable combat skills. While some may find this feature handy, a Where the winds meet caters to individual play styles by offering multiple ways to get everything, hand holding takes the satisfaction out of completing challenges. There's less incentive to explore or experiment when the game tells you exactly where to go and what to do. It's a shame because the world Where the winds meet it's so vast and rich that it could rank among the best exploration adventures if it left more room for creativity and exploration.

In the single player mode, there are several difficulty options and you can choose how many maps and HUD information you see. However, even choosing the hardest difficulty and the least busy user interface doesn't prevent the game from being over-directed and over-explained. Fortunately, there is so much to do and see in the game that there are still opportunities to discover things and experiment, but Where the winds meet never pressures or encourages players to do so.

Likewise, the in-game economy feels a little too friendly. Whereas games like Hollow Knight: Silksong may feel too stingy with in-game currency, Where the winds meet gives away too much. There are several types of collectibles that you can spend on different unlockable cosmetics, skills and items, but it's hard to appreciate the variety when you're getting enough of everything at every turn. Natural resources are not scarce, and the game offers players currency and experience for the smallest of tasks, even petting a cat. On the one hand, it removes all the annoying grinding requirements, but on the other hand, it means that unlocking new things isn't that special.

The massive scale of Where Winds Meet ultimately holds back

Where the wind meets the enemy on horseback

Overall, Where the winds meetThe company's most impressive and notable asset is also its failure. The sheer amount of content and mechanics in the game comes at a price. You can spend hours doing many different activities, from fishing to playing instruments to exploring dungeons, but most of them don't feel special or particularly deep. Aside from some strengths in world design, main story, and combat, it looks like Where the winds meet it spreads too thin. He can do everything, but excels in only a few areas.

Yes, there are thousands of NPCs that you can interact with. However, the chatbot mechanics that the game wants you to talk to are limited and clunky. Yes, there are many ways to customize your character and improve your skills, but this leads to bloat on the menu.

There's a lot to love Where the winds meet. Its combat mechanics are stellar, its world is remarkable, and it offers some fun twists on tried-and-true RPG mechanics. You have to go through challenges to prove you've progressed in order to continue leveling up, which means you can't grind your way through. The sect system is an engaging and lore-rich take on character backgrounds in many games, as you have to follow the sect's rules, and the in-game rewards and punishments associated with them are much more complex than the usual system. But these gems can get in between everything else.

This is not surprising Where the winds meet attracted millions of players after its initial release in China. There is something for almost everyone to enjoy, and there is enough to immerse yourself in for hours. But as a jack of all trades and master of none, he probably won't be popular with many people.