Wuthering Waves review: Kuro Games' open-world gacha action RPG launched May 23, 2024, with Echo and parry combat and parkour traversal; Metacritic 71 to 76, a forgiving gacha but a buggy start.
Overview
Wuthering Waves places players in the role of the Rover, awakening in the post-apocalyptic world of Solaris-3 devastated by the Lament. Kuro Games crafts a dark sci-fi universe blended with eastern martial arts aesthetics, where frequencies and sonic anomalies govern reality.
OtaHub's take
The game's standout achievement is its fast-paced, skill-expressive combat system. Built on precise mechanics like Perfect Dodges, satisfying Parries that break enemy postures, aerial juggle combos, and dynamic Intro/Outro skills upon switching Resonators, combat delivers deep mechanical gratification reminiscent of character-action titles.
The Echo system serves as a revolutionary monster-hunting mechanic: players can defeat and absorb virtually any open-world creature or boss into usable combat skills, morphing mid-battle while farming customizable Sonata set bonuses directly in the overworld.
Exploration features exceptional fluid movement with stamina-free wall running, grappling hooks, and mid-air dashes. While early launch suffered from mobile optimization hurdles and a slow-paced opening act, Kuro Games has aggressively polished performance and storytelling in subsequent major updates.
Verdict
Wuthering Waves is a premier choice for action enthusiasts demanding high skill ceiling combat, fluid traversal, and rewarding monster-taming mechanics in an expansive open-world gacha RPG.
