Where Winds Meet released globally on November 14 and hit over 2 000 000 players in its first 24 hours, with more than 170 000 peak players on Steam. Despite that, early reviews on Metacritic are mixed, sitting around 73 from critics and 6.9 from users overall.
But after playing the game non-stop for three days, there is something many reviews seem to forget: Where Winds Meet is completely free-to-play. And judging it with the expectations of a full-priced AAA game does not really feel fair, because for a F2P game, what it offers is honestly impressive.
We played between 20 and 30 hours on PC through the official launcher, and here is how we feel about the game!
A Huge Amount of Content for a Free Game
Where Winds Meet gives you a ton of things to do, and the freedom to play however you want:
- Full MMO mode with lots of players
- Co-op with friends only
- Or full solo exploration like a single-player adventure
You get a big world with story quests, side quests, minigames, open-world secrets, mystic and martial powers to discover, and tons of small surprises. Not many free games give you this much variety.
Yes, it can feel overwhelming at first, because it does throw a lot at you. But that is also why it is fun. No matter the type of player you are, you will find something that you will enjoy doing.
The game also does not really force you to do things you do not want to. You do not need the story to progress, and you do not need to do side content to progress either. As long as you level up, you will eventually unlock all the content, from dungeons and bosses, to PvP activities and more!
Combat Is Flexible, Fun, and Not Afraid to Challenge You
The combat system is one of the best part, at least to us. It takes inspiration from Soulslike games, but without forcing everyone into any type of difficulty.
You can play it in different ways:
- Use different weapon types and mix your own combo style
- Fight bosses “Souls-style” with timing and dodges
- Or turn on assist modes if you want a more relaxed, exploration-focused experience
Even with assists on, some bosses can still hit hard, you will not roll over everything, but the game respects both types of players, hardcore and casuals.
The combat is not the deepest system ever, but it is flexible, satisfying, and fun, and offers a lot of customization possibilities.
Gear and Progression – Deep Enough, but Still Easy to Understand
The gear system is also not the most elaborate, but it does hit a nice balance between easy enough for everyone to learn, and still interesting and deep enough for players who want a bit more challenge. You have:
- Normal gear upgrades
- A combat talent tree
- A passive “boss talent tree” system
- Another progression path tied to giving special items to NPCs
- And more
On top of that, you can also customize the mystic and martial powers you find in the open world, that add new abilities. You can equip different combinations together with your weapons. It never gets boring, but it also never becomes a confusing spreadsheet simulator.
Side Quests and Exploration Feel Meaningful
When we played, one of the biggest surprises was how good the side content is. We expected basic fetch quests, but for a F2P it actually gives you meaningful side content. Many side quests lead to:
- Caves with bosses
- New mystic abilities
- Martial powers
- Or unique little stories
- Funny little mini-games such as turning you into a Dog and playing Mahjong with other dogs
I have not run into many “fetch 5 items” quests so far. Instead, nearly every quest takes you somewhere interesting or gives you something useful.
The Chinese-inspired world is also stunning, both visually and musically. The music is relaxing and really beautiful. I often found myself just standing on a beautiful mountain top, listening to the music and admiring the view.
The atmosphere is immersive and makes exploration super relaxing.
The exploration is also really enjoyable. You can run on walls and even trees, and this makes it so nice. You do have an endurance bar, but it does not feel too restrictive. There are a ton of things you can find in the open world, from chests hidden behind waterfalls, to secret caves with intriguing side stories.
Most quests can also be done in co-op. If you find a cool mysterious entrance, you can often invite your friend to participate!
Performance, Bugs, and Cosmetics
For a big open-world F2P game, performance is honestly solid. In ~20-30 hours of play, I only had:
- One moment where I got stuck (teleporting fixed it instantly)
- Some invisible walls when sneaking (character would get stuck on like small obstacles on the ground)
- Went through the map once when inside a cave deep underground
No game-breaking bugs, no crashes, nothing that stopped me from playing. And again, this is a free game. We all had AAA titles in much worse shape.
The only real negative so far is the monetization. Of course, since the game is free, cosmetics are completely normal. However, the skins are around 30 – €50, and the gacha banners feel like they have really low rates, and no real way of getting free pulls.
It is not ideal, but thankfully it does not impact gameplay. It is just a bit of a shame, as you will not get that many skins for free. Or at least we did not find a ton so far, but we are also far from finishing the game, so we might find more with time!
I have only explored around 70% of the first zone and a small part of the second, so there is still a lot to do. The real test will be long-term. Can the game stay fun after a month? Will updates keep the experience new?
Right now Where Winds Meet is a surprisingly beautiful and fun free-to-play game. It is not perfect, but it does not try to be a master of one genre. Instead, it gives you a huge playground full of things to do, and lets you play the way you like.
For me, after three days of constant play, we give it a solid 8/10. Beautiful world, lots of content, and super impressive for a F2P game.
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