Wuthering Waves: Everything You Need to Know Before Its Release in 2023

Action-adventure open-world RPG is a frenzy sweeping the 21st Century, as release upon release of the genre flood the gaming community. As millennials cannot contain themselves in indulging in the sweet drug of each new release, Wuthering Waves decides to take its shot at being the end-all serum to their addiction.

However, it is much simpler said than done, as Wuthering Waves is stepping on the territory of Genshin Impact. Can Wuthering Waves finally dethrone Genshin Impact from the crown, or will it fall short just like previous challengers? What is your opinion? Here is everything you need to know about Wuthering Waves before you decide your pick.

Related: The 10 Best Action RPGs of All Time

What Is Wuthering Waves?

If you are familiar with Punishing: Gray Raven — the hack-and-slash sci-fi action RPG, Wuthering Waves will bear some resemblance to you. It is because Kuro Game is in charge of developing both games. However, despite the successful launch of Punishing: Gray Raven, Wuthering Waves is still under development since its rumour released in 2022.

While we cannot pinpoint the exact day the game launches, we do know that Wuthering Waves is an open-world action-adventure RPG with exploration and collectables features. 

The game promises a story-rich experience with a high degree of freedom adopted from Genshin Impact and Tower of Fantasy but with their own innovative twist. For example, players will explore a post-apocalyptic world with a rich and intuitive combat system featuring active dodges and timings. Furthermore, the game has its own gacha system, unique worlds and puzzles and the ability to summon mounts and create hints for other players, like in Elden Ring. Sounds promising, right? Here are more detailed news regarding the game.

Wuthering Waves Gameplay

With the success of Punishing: Gray Raven, Kuro Games know they need to step up with Wuthering Waves. In the beta test gameplay, we can see that the UI layout is refreshing despite not being much different from other open-world theme mobile games currently on the market. However, the energy bar above the character’s HP bar caught our eye as not all the characters have it, and some show different designs too. For example, the energy bars of Bailian and Sanhua are dissimilar in conjunction with their skills.

Furthermore, the combat mechanic in the game seems to take a unique turn to others as it prioritises the dodging and parrying mechanics. On top of that, the combat sequence seems smooth and fluid, as players can perform chain attack combos, dodge and parry attacks without hassle.

There is also the aspect of a perfect dodge mechanic, or invincible dodge which triggers a visual indicator when you perfectly dodge an enemy’s attack. It is quite an interesting mechanic to implement, especially considering the challenging button layout of mobile phones. However, considering their track record with Punishing: Gray Raven, we will give them the benefit of the doubt.

Wuthering Waves Characters List

At the present of writing this list, they are currently 14 playable characters we know from the beta test. The list includes characters like:

• Yinlin
• Jiyan
• Rover
• Chixia
• Yangyang
• Bailian
• Jueyuan
• Anke
• Taoqi
• Aalto
• Danjin
• Mortefi
• Yuanwu
• Sanhua

As per games with gacha, we expect this list to grow continually as the story continues.

Wuthering Waves System Requirements and Platforms

Following the footstep of its predecessor, Punishing: Gray Raven, we expect Wuthering Waves to release on Android, PC and iOS. However, if Kuro Games follows through with what they did with Punishing: Gray Raven, it could be bad news for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch players, as there is no news of a launch for either of the platforms.

System Requirements for Android 

• OS: 9 and above
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 or better
• RAM: 6 GB and more
• Storage: 10 GB minimum

System Requirements for iOS

• iPhone 11 or above

System Requirements for PC

• OS version: Windows 7 64-bit or better
• CPU: Intel Core i5 — 7th gen | AMD Ryzen 7 2700
• RAM: 16 GB
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 | AMD Radeon RX 580
• Storage: 40 GB

Wuthering Waves Release Date Speculation

The initial release date of Wuthering Waves was way back in May 2022, but it is now the start of August 2023, and we are no closer to knowing when it will be released. While the beta test ended in May 2023, there are still many things for the developers to resolve before we can expect the full release. Some speculate that the game will release at the end of this year, but we anticipate it will take much longer and will release in the first half of 2024.

Also Read: Unpaid Yet Unforgettable: Genshin Impact’s Talented Voice Actors

Final Verdict

Wuthering Waves is the newest challenger in the line of action-adventure open-world RPGs. If Kuro Games continues to put as much passion into this project, we are sure it will be a contender to Genshin Impact. Although it is an agonising wait, remember that the longer you wait for something, the more you will appreciate it when it finally arrives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Wuthering Waves Similar to Genshin Impact? 

While Wuthering Waves is not a carbon copy of Genshin Impact, it still features the usual gacha system, open word exploration and grinding you expect in RPG games. However, there are apparent similarities between character switching in battle, the character interface, the endgame abyss challenge and the puzzles in Wuthering Waves with Genshin Impact.

What Is the Controversy with Wuthering Waves?

According to the player base in China, the 2023 beta test did not show any improvements from the closed beta test in 2022, in which only players in China could participate. For example, the gameplay quality dropped, the main story did not make sense, and the interactions between characters were lacking. Furthermore, there is also the incident of the company firing 20% of their staff amidst the layoff.

Is Wuthering Waves Still Worth Waiting?

Every game deserves a chance, especially with developers acknowledging their mistakes. After gathering the feedback, the developers of Wuthering Waves announced to rewrite their storylines, adjust the characters’ personalities and optimise the game cutscenes. After humbly admitting their faults, we think it is fair to give them a second chance.