Where Winds Meet definitely caught me by surprise. When I first saw its debut trailer at Gamescom ONL 2022, I assumed it was some kind of new kind of high-action Soulslike with a martial arts setting. And due to the nature of my job and how many games I need to keep track of on a daily basis, I kind of put it in the mind-vault and kind of forgot about it.
So imagine my amazement when I finally got my hands on it and it turned out to be more of an action MMO. It’s the second time this year that I’ve played a game like this—the first being a brief hands-on with Chrono Odyssey—and twice now that I’ve been amazed by how far the genre has come. Where Winds Meet isn’t exactly flawless, but it lays the groundwork for a truly engrossing experience that’s big on style.
Set during China’s Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Where Winds Meet places players in a high-fantasy version of the region of Qinghe. Players take on the role of a wandering swordsperson who embarks on an epic journey after a mysterious and seemingly powerful jade pendant is stolen from them. Players will become embroiled in myriad situations, from helping local townsfolk to becoming entangled in political drama.
It’s a fairly straightforward “every player is the chosen one” kind of story, common in most MMOs, but what Where Winds Meet has above the competition is a broader range of choices for players to partake in. There’s a kind of Paragon/Renegade system where players can either choose to help unify the 10 Kingdoms or stir up chaos and bring them to their knees.
But the real highlight of Where Winds Meet, at least for me, was its combat. Much like I talked about in my Chrono Odyssey preview, it was really interesting to play a game that is essentially an MMORPG but where the traditional combat of auto-attack + abilities on cooldowns is replaced with intense action combat combining light attacks, heavy attacks, special abilities, magic and Dark Souls-inspired dodging and parrying. On its own, the combat feels really good, but because Where Winds Meet is heavily inspired by the more dramatic version of Wuxia Martial Arts, the combat has a really nice fluidity and flair that makes it really captivating to engage in.
And what’s fun about Where Winds Meet is how many restrictions have been pulled back because of how hard it’s leaning into the Wuxia style. At the start, players are shown how the different sects of the region all have their own form of martial arts, and those who study them are bound to them. This is where, in a more traditional MMO, players would choose their sect in the same way they’d choose a character class.
However, because the player is a wandering warrior, they are able to learn every sect’s form of martial arts, allowing for insane combinations that make engaging enemies so much more fun and bombastic. Not only that, but players are given a large range of weapons to choose from that informs their combat style. But it’s not just the combat that loosens restrictions. Right from the beginning, I had a hunch that, because of the Wuxia inspiration, I’d be able to defy gravity in interesting ways.
“Where Winds Meet isn’t exactly flawless, but it lays the groundwork for a truly engrossing experience that’s big on style.”
Sure enough, I jumped off a cliff only to receive no fall damage, because of course—these warriors float through the air with ease and grace. Similarly, players are able to scale sheer cliffsides, dash across water and utilize their mobility in other fun and interesting ways that make exploring the world incredibly fun.
Visually, Where Winds Meet has an unbelievable amount of detail and polish that makes the world feel believable, but its more mystical and fantastic elements make the world feel dreamlike and more interesting. Supposedly, some of the inspiration for the visuals came from Ghost of Tsushima, and you can certainly see the influence—verdant fields waving in the breeze, thick forests of bamboo, and battle-ravaged encampments all exist in a strange visual harmony.
Like I mentioned above, the combat has an incredible visual flair as well, with attack animations being fluid, acrobatic and incredibly detailed. Boss fights in particular have a dynamism I was not expecting from a game like this, and some of them almost feel like they belong in Dark Souls—Qyiane the Witch was a particular standout for me.
The music is equally as enchanting. There’s an incredible variety that creates a great sense of tone and atmosphere. During exploration, the use of music is much more tranquil and resonant, whereas things shift during cutscenes from serious to playful and even comedic at times. During combat, there’s a good sense of tension, but in a lighter, more actiony way. All of it inspired by the instruments and arrangements of classic Eastern music.
While there are still some visual hiccups and a couple of network bugs, I honestly enjoyed my time with Where Winds Meet. For a free-to-play game, it is incredibly engrossing, has a lot of charm and a pretty robust story to tell. If you’re looking for something interesting for no cost of entry, I’d say this is worth checking out.
