Wuthering Waves CBT2 Review: Is it a Genshin Impact Killer?

Introduction

DotGG is here today to give our Wuthering Waves CBT2 Review. Also known as WuWa within the gaming community, this game is the latest open-world gacha game from Kuro Games, has generated a lot of buzz. Touted as a potential genre leader, the game recently completed its Closed Beta Test 2 (CBT2), revealing both exciting features and areas for improvement. Let's dive into a comprehensive review of Wuthering Waves based on the CBT2 experience.

Exploration and Combat: A Breath of Fresh Air

Wuthering Waves offers a vast open world to explore, brimming with resources, puzzles, and combat encounters. Players will find similarities to Genshin Impact, but Wuthering Waves stands out with its high-mobility mechanics and dynamic combat system. You'll build teams of characters with unique skills and abilities, chaining combos and mastering the battlefield. The Echo system, reminiscent of Pokémon held items, adds another layer of strategic depth by providing stat boosts and special combat effects.

Story: A Slow Burn with Potential

The initial storyline in Wuthering Waves might feel familiar, but things pick up with the introduction of compelling antagonists and intriguing plot developments. While the inability to skip main story quests might not appeal to everyone, the narrative holds promise and leaves you wanting more.

Difficulty Curve: A Gradual Climb

The difficulty in Wuthering Waves offers a mixed bag. Early gameplay feels relatively easy, letting you learn the ropes. However, as you progress, you'll encounter more challenging content, especially in tactical hologram challenges and endgame activities. Mastering combat mechanics and team composition becomes crucial to overcome these obstacles.

The Endgame Grind: Daily Tasks and Beyond

The endgame in Wuthering Waves revolves around daily tasks, tower challenges, and a rogue-like mode, offering a variety of ways to keep playing. Stamina-based mechanics ensure a consistent grind for resources and character progression, but this might feel limiting for some players in the long run.

Echoes: A Double-Edged Sword

The Echo system provides a refreshing take on character customization compared to traditional artifact systems in gacha games. However, Echoes present a significant challenge due to their randomized substats and resource requirements for enhancement. While collecting Echoes adds depth, the grind for optimal builds can be daunting, especially for free-to-play players.

Gacha System: Familiar Format with Questions

The gacha system in Wuthering Waves follows a familiar format, offering character and weapon banners with varying pull rates. While the game attempts to address some common gacha issues with guaranteed pulls, concerns remain regarding the necessity of certain items for peak performance.

Genshin Impact Copycat or Genre Contender?

Comparisons to Genshin Impact are inevitable due to the shared genre and open-world elements. However, Wuthering Waves goes beyond mere imitation, introducing unique features and mechanics that carve its own path in the gacha game landscape.

Similarities to Genshin Impact

• Open world exploration
• Character collecting
• Story quests
• Monetization (gacha system, character and account leveling)

Differences from Genshin Impact

• Daily tasks and resource gathering
• Mobility (wall-running)
• Combat system (more complex, with parrying mechanics)
• Echo system (like artifact system in Genshin Impact, but with some differences)
  • Easier to farm for Echoes, but harder to get good substats
  • More layers of RNG involved in getting the perfect Echo
• Standard banner system (separate character and weapon banners, with the option to choose the specific 5-star weapon you want)

Marketing Matters: Lessons from Punishing Gray Raven

A major concern from our team here in DotGG is Kuro Games' marketing strategy. Punishing Gray Raven, another Kuro Games title, faced a limited launch due to what many perceive as insufficient marketing efforts. With Wuthering Waves generating significant buzz, effective promotion, particularly for English-speaking audiences and streamers, is crucial for a successful launch. Kuro, if you're reading this Wuthering Waves CBT2 review, we hope that you'll do a good job marketing this game!

Localization Issues: Bridging the Language Gap

The Closed Beta Test revealed localization issues, including typos and inaccurate weapon substats. While common in beta testing, addressing these concerns, especially across multiple languages, is vital for a smooth global launch.

Launch Timing: Prioritizing Polish

The rumored two-month launch window raises questions. While it's an exciting prospect, ensuring a polished experience takes priority. Players suggest a slight delay, potentially to three months, to allow for thorough bug fixes and refinement. While core gameplay mechanics are engaging, there's room for improvement. Concerns include movement jank (e.g., stiff jumping) and a lack of features requested by players, such as artifact and Echo loadouts. While some features can be added post-launch, a focus on polish during the pre-launch window is essential.

Final Thoughts: A Promising Voyage with Room for Improvement

Wuthering Waves shows immense potential as a serious contender in the gacha game market. Its engaging gameplay, innovative mechanics, and vibrant open world offer a captivating experience. However, concerns remain regarding launch preparation, localization issues, and game optimization. Addressing these challenges through continued development and community feedback will be crucial for a successful launch. Ultimately, Wuthering Waves is a promising voyage waiting to set sail, with the potential to make waves (pun intended) in the gaming industry.

The Game's Device Requirements

• Minimum specs are for Closed Beta II (CBT2) and may change.
• Android: Requires Android 7.0 or higher and a Snapdragon 835/MediaTek G71/G72 processor (or equivalent).
• iOS: Requires iPhone 11 or newer with iOS 13 or higher.
• PC: Requires Windows 10 64-bit, Intel i5 (9th Gen) or Ryzen 2700 CPU, Nvidia GeForce 1060 or AMD RX570 GPU, 16GB+ RAM, and 40GB+ storage.
• Downloaded game size: 12GB (Android/iOS), 25GB (PC).