Game news More nervous than Genshin Impact! This open-world video game is as beautiful as an anime
With a second closed beta launched a few days ago, Wuthering Waves is getting more attention. This open-world “gacha” action-RPG is likely to attract a lot of players. But does it have enough arguments to compete with the number 1 in this area, Genshin Impact? The bad times that Hoyoverse’s baby is going through could well be to the advantage of this newcomer.
You may not know this game, but it’s shaping up to be a serious competitor to Genshin Impact. As a reminder, Genshin Impact has imposed total supremacy on the gacha market for more than 3 years. A real revolution in this field, with an open-world action-RPG where players can collect a whole bunch of characters, it made many other developers want to create projects with a similar ambition. Among these “Genshin-killer”, we find a certain Wuthering Waves. Announced in May 2022 and developed by Kuro Games Studios, the title has just launched its second closed beta and further affirms its status as a main competitor to Genshin Impact.
A complete and satisfying gacha
The (legitimate) comparison between Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves often comes back on the table, and indeed, the game has some similarities with its competitor – such as the anime-style graphic appearance, the interface or even the summoning system. But Kuro Games’ baby doesn’t stop there and hides many new features up its sleeve.
On the one hand, the fights rely on dynamic gameplay where your speed of execution and your reaction time are at the center of the equation. The title offers the player perfect dodges and counters to do more and more damage. Many QTEs are also offered to create sequences and combos between all the characters. Gameplay described as “satisfying” by many beta testers, although it proved less satisfying when facing waves of monsters.
But the combat system is not the only asset that allows Wuthering Waves to stand out from the crowd, its equipment system is also very original. In the game, almost 300 monsters called “Echoes” will be scattered across the four corners of the map and will give, once dead, more or less rare equipment (depending on a certain percentage of luck). Each piece of equipment gives access to a unique skill and very stylized animations. This addition, unique to a gacha of the genre, gives the whole thing a collection aspect while allowing players not to have the same experience.. In addition, there are Echoes that are rarer and of a different color from the others which are very reminiscent of Pokémon shinys.
Serious competition in Genshin Impact
The second closed beta of Wuthering Wave was released this February 19 and the least we can say is that Kuro Games chose its moment well. Indeed, Genshin Impact has experienced a certain rejection from its players for several months. In fact, Hoyoverse, the studio behind the gacha king, has somewhat abandoned its golden goose in favor of its latest baby, Honkai Star Rail. In the space of six months, Honkai has received numerous improvements, including end-game content, something “pro-Genshin” have been waiting for for a long time.
What’s more, Genshin fans might be charmed by other elements of Wuthering Waves. Like any gacha, the Kuro Games title offers a summoning system which, against a few resources, allows you to obtain more or less rare characters and weapons. Here, we are offered much more attractive drop rates than its competitor as well as better guarantees of achieving our goals. This could also encourage users to invest less real money. In addition, like many games of the genre, there is the possibility of having duplicates of characters to improve their statistics and unlock new attacks. This aspect has often been criticized in Genshin Impactbecause it encourages the player to summon again and again. However, in Wuthering Waves, the player will be able to acquire these duplicates for free and more easily.
A communication that could change everything
Finally, Kuro Games’ communication contrasts with that of Hoyoverse. The most notable example is the press release published on the occasion of the second closed beta. In a long text of several pages, they explain all the changes made to the game since the first tests. We can read there:
Internally, the team implemented a more detailed tier system to address player feedback regarding visual fatigue experienced during the previous test.
Many things, even the smallest, have therefore been improved in response to player feedback. A studio that listens to its players is a pleasure, and that’s what players are currently missing. Genshin Impact. In short, Wuthering Waves promises to be one of the most important gachas of the coming years, capable of even dethroning the biggest. It remains to be seen when the game will be released and how it will be received. For the moment, no release date has been announced.