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Ever since Genshin Impact launched, there have been a few games that have tried to emulate what HoYoverse did. The open-world systems, the cute characters, and the banners where players can spend their money to pick a new waifu or husbando for their collection. In 2021, Tower of Fantasy tried to take the gacha crown but failed, becoming just another pawn in the huge chessboard of gacha games. And now, Wuthering Waves promised to sweep the board with the strength of a tsunami and put Genshin Impact to shame. Sadly, it only made a few ripples during its launch.
Before I delve into why Wuthering Waves‘ launch has been underwhelming compared to Genshin Impact‘s, let me clarify: I’m comparing the two games’ launch versions. Comparing Wuthering Waves 1.0 to Genshin Impact 4.6 would be unfair. So, I’ll take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about the days when only Mondstadt and Liyue were around.
Like any other “Genshin-killer,” I was also lured by the promise of putting HoYoverse games aside for a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I spend a lot of time in Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact, but I firmly believe that competition breeds excellence. So, seeing Wuthering Waves on the horizon excited me. A post-apocalyptic world, gorgeous characters with flashy combat moves, an open world full of creates to fight and capture, sign me up.
However, once the fated day arrived, Wuthering Waves did what a Magikarp does best: a small splash. Still, that doesn’t mean the game was terrible and didn’t have anything going for it. If I compare Genshin Impact‘s initial combat to that of Wuthering Waves, the latter wins by a long. I might not understand many of WuWa‘s systems, but the combat is a mix of acrobatic moves, combos, and character-swapping held tighter than any of the waifus’ outfits.
Bugs, Glitches, and Lack of Polish Bring the Initial Experience Down
The thing about Wuthering Waves is that, when you see the whole picture, it looks gorgeous, but look at it from a different angle, and there are issues. Take optimization, for example; it isn’t the best. Even on the lowest setting, my high-end PC takes a hit and stutters. In addition to that, there are many issues with localization, visual glitches that put characters in a T-pose, and the first impressions aren’t great. However, Genshin Impact also had many performance issues at launch, but what made things easier for us to stick around was the story.
When I mentioned lack of polish, I wasn’t speaking solely about the technical part; the narrative isn’t engaging enough. Gacha tropes aside, there’s so much terminology that not even the most experienced player can keep up. In the first sequence, the game throws eight different concepts at you, and the following cutscene features even more terminology. You either make a list of every single one or skip the plot to get into the meaty part, which is combat.
Sadly, for those who want to keep up with the narrative, many cutscenes are cut short and create more confusion for the player base. For example, when you meet one of the first baddies, he’s explaining some edgy plan or telling a depressing story, and the dialogue cuts off. The one time I thought the plot would get interesting, Wuthering Waves decided to give me the boot, and at least Genshin Impact didn’t do that.
Still Salvageable
Like the maelstrom that shows whenever you summon a character, I also see the golden light at the end of it. I know Wuthering Waves will improve and probably reach Genshin Impact‘s level because it has many things going for it. The foundation is there. The combat is much more enjoyable than Genshin‘s, even in its latest version. The little exploration mechanics, such as the grappling hook, are great to use in and outside of combat. And the characters, I love how the censorship hammer hasn’t hit them because they are truly gorgeous.
Still, time is of the essence. Wuthering Waves is in a situation where it can become a proper Genshin Impact substitute or live long enough to become another Tower of Fantasy, and I don’t want the latter. And, while I love the apology care packages, I just wished we could get faster updates to fix performance, glitches, and a proper way to allow me to invert my camera. Oh yes, and a bit more work in that story. The characters are great but don’t make it too complicated. I’m playing a game, not reading an encyclopedia. After that, I’m sure Kuro Games will earn a lot of fans, and probably both Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact will become games you can freely swap from one to the other.
