Where Winds Meet Preview: Lofty Ambitions That Appear To Be Fulfilled

Black Myth: Wukong was easily one of last year’s standout hits; its success seemingly marked what appeared to be a breakthrough moment for China’s gaming scene. Where Winds Meet is an upcoming title that could follow in its footsteps, should it stick the landing, securing worldwide success. Developed by Everstone Studios and set to be published by NetEase, there’s much about Where Winds Meet that’s incredibly promising; that’s something I discovered for myself after going hands-on with the title at this year’s Gamescom.

I most certainly need to spend more time with the title if I’m to come to a stronger consensus, but I came away from my time with Where Winds Meet feeling immensely optimistic. In fact, I was so engrossed in the boss fight I found myself within that I couldn’t believe that 30 minutes had passed by in the blink of an eye. If you’re not familiar, Where Winds Meet is an upcoming open-world RPG based upon the fictional Chinese martial art of wuxia, which centres around almost superhuman feats. Within the gameplay, that sees you capable of some impressive means of traversal, resulting in a formula that feels as inspired by Assassin’s Creed’s freedom of movement as it is Dark Souls’ challenging combat.

In my preview, I took on one of the game’s main story missions. Admittedly, it’s difficult to say exactly where this fell within the story. In fact, I could hardly tell you what was going on. I essentially had to traverse a tower located deep within a cavern of some sort that was being attended to by endless workers. I should add that Where Winds Meet is set within the 10th century. I scaled the tower, avoiding or dispatching of guards, before coming face-to-face with a big ol’ boss donning a mask, a hefty sword and eventually, a power that made it rain gold.

Like I said, I don’t really have the context to tell you who this fellow was or why I was determined to take him down but I can say that when I finally reached him, a fight ensued that allowed me to really get a taste of Where Winds Meet’s traversal and combat systems which I took to like a duck to water. It’s hard to find a comparison in the combat department; I mentioned Dark Souls earlier, but Where Winds Meet’s parrying and dodge rhythms are perhaps far more akin to what you’ll find in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Don’t let that frighten you though. I’m abysmal at souls games and yet somehow managed to see off this two-phase boss without dying. I can only think I was fuelled by the magic of Gamescom.

Where Winds Meet, Credit / NetEase

There’s another flavouring in there too, then, with that in mind. Where Winds Meet’s combat is fast-paced and agile, bringing Assassin’s Creed Shadows or perhaps even Ghost of Tsushima to mind. There were so many facets to what I could do that I’ll admit, my memory is a tad hazy, but I can safely tell you that this is not a game that solely relies on close-quarters combat. The player character is also equipped with a bow which delighted me as someone who prefers ranged attacks. I was a bit daunted when I saw the game’s extensive instructions handily written next to the PC I was situated on, but I did find everything to be incredibly intuitive.

The player character can also make use of ‘Mystic Arts’ which are special attacks that will restore after a brief cooldown. I seem to recall that I had four equipped and all of which I fully credit with getting me through the challenging boss fight without dying (well, those and the health potions I had). I’m sure the final release will feature a wide array of Mystic Arts but to provide a few examples, one allowed me to breath fire while another unleashed a wave of slashing attacks.

When I saw the boss generate a second health bar as he simultaneously acquired powerful new attacks, I initially let out a sigh; it’s an aspect of gaming that I find more tiresome than fun, and I realise that plenty will not share my sentiment. But, I must admit, I perhaps judged Where Winds Meet too quickly. By the time I finished the boss fight, I felt elated - left with an appetite for more. It’s with this in mind that I can most definitely confirm that Everstone Studios has found a wonderful balance with its combat formula. It was both accessible and challenging, and it’s incredibly rare that I find such a balance that appeals to my personal tastes.

Where Winds Meet, Credit / NetEase

The boss fight ended in a QTE-heavy sequence that was … fine. It showcased the game’s wuxia flavourings as I leapt about with superhuman agility. I was a little concerned though, hoping that the game’s most unique quirk wasn’t limited to such passive segments. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like that’s the case. I only got a very brief opportunity to sample the game’s open world following the completion of the main mission before my time ran out - we’re talking a couple of minutes - but my priority was testing out the game’s traversal mechanics for myself, unbounded by the predetermined conclusion of a story mission.

And I’m thrilled to say that Where Winds Meet does offer the freedom I was hoping for. The player character can triple jump, launching them into the air and from here, you can windstride providing you access to pretty much wherever you want to go. I’m sure this will make traversing the game’s enormous world a complete and utter joy, perhaps offering the same delight as a title like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild which thrives off of simply how much players delight in spending time navigating it.

I still have some reservations about Where Winds Meet. As I said, I can't particularly speak on the game’s story nor did I see a huge part of its open-world - a world which, I should add, claims to offer over 150 hours of content. When that’s a selling point, there’s always a risk that the game will end up stretching itself too thin but whether that’s the case remains to be seen. I am, at this stage, confident that its combat system is a major success backed by a wonderful traversal system that is both inventive and a joy to use. Where Winds Meet is definitely on its way to ticking all of the right boxes.

Where Winds Meet is due to launch on 14 November on PlayStation 5 and PC.