Where Winds Meet is massive. From its map to its mini-games to its collectibles to its customization options, every aspect of the Wuxia RPG makes the same initial impression: this game is big. It's equal parts exciting and daunting to dive into, but that scale is a double-edged sword. There's a lot of fun to be had in Where Winds Meet, but in attempting to do everything, it struggles to feel like a complete, cohesive experience.
It's hard not to get excited about Where Winds Meet after playing through its opening minutes. While there isn't much gameplay in the prologue apart 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 Winds Meet's ridiculous graphics, making the playable cutscene feel like something straight out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or House of Flying Daggers. It's a jaw-dropping few minutes, but unfortunately, the game's excess holds it back more than it elevates.
Where Winds Meet Excels in Its Visuals and Combat
Right off the bat, Where 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 let that opportunity slip. The game's world isn't just immense, but it's full of variety. There are tranquil streams, thundering waterfalls, bamboo forests, snowy mountains, bustling cities, and serene countryside villages, all beautiful in their own way and all showing off Where Winds Meet's graphical capabilities (which manage to run on surprisingly modest specs) in myriad ways.
As pretty as Where Winds Meet is to look at, small technical issues do break the illusion at times. Characters' mouths often don't move as they speak, and many idle animations seem a little unnatural and outdated. Objects will often clip through others, too, especially anything on the player character, which is understandable considering just how many customization options there are. The game is free to play, so Where Winds Meet offers exclusive cosmetics through pre-order bundles and other paid unlockables, meaning there are way too many clothing items and accessories for devs to individually program to interact realistically. That's understandable, and it's not much of a problem, but small quirks like these do interfere with an otherwise breathtaking visual experience.
While idle and dialogue animations may leave something to be desired, combat movement is the exact opposite. Everstone teamed up with award-winning fight choreographer Stephen Tung Wai for the game's martial arts, and that firsthand expertise shows. Motions are 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.
The combat in Where Winds Meet is undoubtedly its strongest feature. It combines several of the hallmarks of other open-world games with great combat, like Ghost of Tsushima's parrying and dodging and Marvel's Spider-Man's fast-paced brawls with multiple opponents. Controls are precise, enemies are tough without being too brutal, and there are plenty of ways you can go about each situation.
Players can mix and match several different weapon types, including swords, spears, fans, umbrellas, and rope darts, each favoring a different playstyle. There are also 12 martial arts and 23 mystic arts to explore, which offer unique moves and advantages both during and outside of combat. Every one of these options also comes with its own upgrade path, so no matter what you choose, you can feel yourself progressing, and your abilities will open up the more you play.
Some of Where Winds Meet's Mechanics Are Not Nearly as Polished as Others
Unfortunately, most other gameplay mechanics do not feel as compelling or well-thought-out as the combat. Many puzzle sections do not feel particularly puzzling because objectives and map markers all but spell out how to complete them. This is most prevalent in the first few hours, and some later puzzles do require more thought from the player, but it remains a prominent and disappointing trend, especially with many side quests falling into the same boat.
Similarly, players can see exactly how to obtain or craft an item just by looking at it in their inventory. The same goes for unlockable combat skills. While some may find the feature handy, and Where Winds Meet caters to individual playstyles by offering multiple ways to obtain everything, the hand-holding removes the satisfaction of completing challenges. There's less motivation to explore or experiment when the game tells you exactly where to go and what to do. It's a shame because the world of Where Winds Meet is so vast and rich that it could've landed among the best exploration adventure games if it had left more room for creativity and discovery.
There are multiple difficulty options in single-player mode, and you can choose how much map and HUD information you see. However, even choosing the hardest difficulty and least busy UI doesn't stop the game from over-directing and over-explaining. Thankfully, there is so much to do and see in the game that there are still opportunities to discover things and experiment, but Where Winds Meet never pushes or encourages players to do so.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
