○Over the previous few months, I have been following Everstone Studio fastidiously. the place the wind meetsan open-world action-adventure RPG that blends a number of widespread genres into one complete bundle. This area isn’t empty. i like titans The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, elden ringand lately launched Ghost of Yotei The style continues to thrive all through this era. So when the place the wind meets With the promise of a considerable story-driven marketing campaign, tons of aspect content material, and full PvP and co-op help, I used to be understandably skeptical. Sounds too good to be true, proper?
Luckily, I had entry to a evaluate construct, and after spending dozens of hours with it over the previous few weeks, I am completely satisfied to report that my skepticism has largely been dispelled. but in addition the place the wind meets It gives a wealth of high-quality content material, usually exceeding what you’d anticipate from a free-to-play launch, and gives breadth with out sacrificing high quality. In brief, it exceeded my expectations in virtually each approach, however there are just a few caveats that I will clarify later.
”the place the wind meets Though it is localized, the evaluate construct I performed was lacking some audio recordsdata, which made sure moments really feel a bit jarring. ”
You tackle the function of a younger sword grasp, a wanderer who lives off the throne and forges private codes as he strikes round tenth century China in the course of the 5 Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Your valuable jade pendant, raised below the steerage of Uncle Jiang and Aunt Han, is stolen and the primary story begins, touring by way of the attractive areas of Kaifeng and Qinghe. Because the story progresses, the tone will get a bit darker with the introduction of an artifact referred to as the Gold-Making Vessel, and as anticipated, there are some acquainted developments alongside the best way. I am not right here to spoil the story, however the total narrative is participating, because of some well-timed cutscenes.
the place the wind meets Though it is localized, the evaluate construct I performed was lacking some audio recordsdata, which made sure moments really feel a bit jarring. Nevertheless, people who do exist are usually vocalized to a passable stage. There are lip-syncing points and a few of the character fashions additionally look a bit off, taking you out of the second at occasions.
The developer has made it clear that they plan to replace the sport, however it’s value noting these tough edges. Nonetheless, the story and its numerous threads hold you and desirous to know extra. Total, I respect the story and the best way it is introduced, however I believe greater than the plot, gamers will respect the gameplay probably the most.
Consider how the hunt is structured the place the wind meets. Whereas probably the most participating are the cutscenes and drama-packed marketing campaign missions, the aspect content material can also be value noting. There are full-fledged aspect quests that reveal the mysteries and secrets and techniques of the world. Some can last as long as an hour and finish with difficult boss battles overlaying all the pieces from looking for historical relics to fixing homicide mysteries.
I had loads of enjoyable finishing the aspect quests in every area. There are additionally small diversions, the same old fetch quests, random open world encounters, and one thing known as Wandering Tales. These are out of your palms, so you may need to discover to search out the subsequent clue.
Lastly, there are world bosses (sure, completely different than marketing campaign bosses) that may be a brutal problem should you’re not sufficiently leveled up or ready. Enemies, from common mobs to bosses, aren’t pushovers and problem you to a combat, however the regulars have notion points the place they do not understand I’ve killed a close-by comrade. It is disagreeable, however I can forgive it. All these little issues add as much as create unforgettable moments on this world.
“The sport clearly reveals you how you can get hold of new martial arts units, typically sending you on distinctive aspect quests or encouraging you to hitch a faction.”
There’s additionally a “100 Industries” guild system. the place the wind meetsa spin on Clans, divided into a number of branches with completely different actions and missions every week. For gamers prepared to speculate the time, it actually extends longevity as there are clear rewards that strengthen participant retention. It is deep, extremely replayable, and one of the crucial bold F2P guild designs in recent times.
Certainly, the largest attraction is the place the wind meetsThe gameplay is deep and sophisticated fight. Constructed on 12 martial arts units and dozens of Mystic Arts methods, it delivers the very best wuxia model fight in fashionable gaming. Wield distinctive weapons comparable to swords, rope darts, umbrellas, and followers, and improve every to unlock really thrilling talents. For instance, an umbrella can hearth projectiles, and a spear can emit sonic shock waves. There are additionally various kinds of weapons. One fan focuses on therapeutic, whereas one other excels in ranged DPS.
The sport clearly reveals you how you can get hold of new martial arts units, and in some circumstances, it’ll take you on distinctive aspect quests or encourage you to hitch a faction. Fight is additional enhanced by Mystic Arts. Mystic Arts are a set of particular talents that permit you to carry out superior strikes, comparable to dropping large bells on enemies, charging on flaming horses, and emitting poisonous mist.
Mystic Arts are additionally the important thing to unlocking “different” upgrades, comparable to a number of dodging variations, time delays between aiming bows, and traversal choices like diving, wall operating, and even quick flights.
“As you might have already seen, there’s appreciable put on and tear. the place the wind meetswhich was to be anticipated for a free-to-play recreation, however felt balanced in my playthrough. ”
Moreover, there are results comparable to inside arts, particular boosts that improve harm, most well being, and different stats, scale back sure cooldowns, and improve the possibility that hits will inflict poison. Just like martial arts units and mystic arts, inside arts may be upgraded to larger ranges by discovering the required collectibles. There’s additionally a “Gear” part, the place you improve international parameters (proper and left hand harm, helmet HP, Greaves and Bracers protection values). These additionally require particular supplies to progress, and every improve tier requires its personal set of parts. Combining all the above creates an attractive internet of development, the place unlocks and upgrades naturally launch quests and explorations to search out what you want. That is precisely the risk-reward loop that I discovered to be addictive.
As you might have already seen, there’s appreciable put on and tear. the place the wind meetswhich was to be anticipated for a free-to-play recreation, however felt balanced in my playthrough. The purpose is, I did not assume it could value something to win. The economic system itself is sort of advanced, with a number of kinds of currencies (this goes a bit towards widespread sense, however it’s true). There are over a dozen in complete.
To clarify just a few issues, fundamental gold is earned by way of quests, exploration, and fight. Please observe that these particular earnings are restricted by area. Earn in a single area and solely change restricted quantities between areas. Then there’s Treasure Cash and Jade, which may be earned by way of gross sales, quests, chests, exploration, and finishing occasions.
In my expertise, nothing actually made me take into consideration spending cash. Reportedly, they’re used solely in cosmetics. There is a wealth of content material right here, and whereas the loop can grow to be tough over time, the monetization stays truthful, though the financials could really feel complicated at first. The place Winds Meet gives co-op play, however my time with it was restricted.
I discovered a accomplice, however the expertise was laggy. Sword slashes usually had a beat after urgent a button on the controller. I hope this is a matter with the evaluate server and never indicative of launch efficiency. The sport additionally options PvP, together with a balanced mode that minimizes gear variations for truthful play. I personally spend loads of time on this and discover it to be probably the most addictive a part of the net suite.
“The fight is nice, the marketing campaign is absolutely attention-grabbing, and the sheer quantity of content material is superb.”
On the technical aspect, the place the wind meets Seems luxurious. The open world is the star of the present with superbly designed areas with inexperienced fields and villages that make you need to discover. As talked about earlier, the character fashions and lip-syncing may very well be even higher, however different particulars just like the density of the world, lighting, and fight animations are additionally nice. The audio design is sensible. It may very well be sharper, however total it is acceptable. My PC (Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti, 32GB RAM, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X) carried out nicely. With settings maxed out at 4K, the sport ran nice with solely a slight drop-off.
In conclusion, the place the wind meets That is superb and probably the greatest experiences of 2025 to this point. The fight is nice, the marketing campaign is absolutely attention-grabbing, and the sheer quantity of content material is superb. There are some tough edges technically, and the challenges aren’t for everybody. There’s all the time a priority that the economic system could change later, however for now the place the wind meets You are on the precise path. Because it stands, it is a actually good recreation that you simply and your pals can get pleasure from for weeks, and it comes with a extremely long-lasting on-line hook. We’re wanting ahead to seeing the place Everstone goes subsequent, as extra narrative content material is promised and hopefully tailor-made throughout areas. For now, the place the wind meets It is a winner.
This recreation was reviewed on PC.