For all the glory surrounding Wuxia, especially with cinematic classics like Hero, House of the Flying Daggers, Dragon and King Hu, it’s a genre that hasn’t seen the most in recent times. With its deep connections to the past, perhaps the world moving forward means less enthusiasm for revisiting the good ol’ days of outlaws, heroes, and fantastical martial arts across China. Thankfully, Everstone Studio didn’t get the memo when developing Where Winds Meet, which is available for PS5 and PC worldwide.
In typical Wuxia fashion, it begins with you controlling a mysterious character fighting to evade capture while carrying a special child. Evading soldiers, sniping them off horseback, going toe-to-toe with a giant boss – it’s all in a day’s work, but that’s not your destiny. Instead, you control that child, now grown up several years later, and embark on a journey through the Jianghu. It’s a time of great strife and violence, but also one where even a no-name warrior can achieve legendary status.
And we’ve seen plenty of that, right down to the Martial Arts style that you want to master, even if they come from some odd sources. Observing a bear to learn Tai Chi or being chased by a goose who’s seemingly the Eater of Worlds are probably the tamest examples – it’s not long before you’re hurling out fans, rope darts and other weapons to dismantle groups of enemies, soaring across rooftops and forests, taking in the world around you, or breathing fire. Because as much as Wuxia is defined by superhuman martial arts and epic circumstances, it’s also about freedom and being who you want to be.
It’s almost as if Everstone Studio recognized this and then took it as a challenge to see just how far it could allow players to carry out their fantasies across its 20+ regions. We’ve already seen this in places like Kaifeng City, where you can engage in Shuai Jiao, watch performances, play games, steal items from thousands of NPCs, and so much more.
The sheer scale and depth of the world are pretty impressive, especially for a free-to-play game. However, even more incredible are the different kinds of paths and lifestyle choices available.
First up is the Careers system. In most MMOs, you would have your tanks, supports, damage-dealers, and whatnot, but you would also have Professions (see Final Fantasy 14), which offer auxiliary tasks and progression systems. In Where Winds Meet, for example, you can opt for a Healer, who’s capable of patching their own wounds but can also care for others, including NPCs. You would think this involves pressing a button or crafting medicine, but it goes even further beyond with attributes for diagnosing issues with muscles, organs and even mental health. You can pick up resistances for external and internal afflictions.
If you’re more interested in verbal combat, say hello to the Scholar, who can engage in such tactics as Sophistries, Criticism and Verbosity (read: nagging) to cut an opponent down to size. Even if its dialogue systems and responses aren’t on the level of the most complex RPGs, there’s some appeal to traveling the world and throwing insults and other harsh remarks at anyone fit to debate.
And that’s only the tip of the spear. You can be a Bodyguard, who must deal with enemies that try to attack other NPCs or even players; focus on trade and build up a small fortune as a Merchant; or specialize in building as an Architect.
If that wasn’t enough, you also have Factions. These are more than groups led by NPCs with specific philosophies and quests – they’re ways of life in Jianzhu that encourage certain activities. One faction is all about PvP and asserting your dominance; another focuses on healing (and receiving approval in return); yet another is all about working exclusively within your faction and having a limited income; and so on. There’s even a faction devoted to pranking other players, including scamming them out of money, and not getting caught.
Each of these factions also has specific rules, and if you don’t follow them, bad things can happen. If you’re not spilling enough blood for that PvP faction’s liking, look out for its own members to try and attack you out of the blue. However, if you follow the rules, complete the required actions, and so on, you can ascend the ranks, eventually becoming a leader, but even that’s not an automatic process. You actually need to be elected to the position by other players in the same faction, which adds yet another layer to the whole system.
Alternatively, you could join the faction, earn all of its outfits and then leave for another. They can also be foregone entirely. The choice is yours.
Capping all this off is the Guild System. Ordinarily, it would be the ideal place for those interested in World PvP, where two teams of 30 square off in a large battle, but there’s much more on offer. Want to hang out with other members and pass the time? Perhaps you’re someone who wants to have more opportunities to farm the Weekly Dungeons and min-max your character. They’ll even accommodate those who seek to go out and explore the world. And if you really want to embrace the Merchant path, then the Everjoy Market is your ticket to buying, selling, and even transporting goods.
Beyond all this, a Guild offers access to a variety of activities, like escorting caravans, 1v1 duels and so on. My favorite is one where Guild members line up to fight a boss and compete for the best times. The fact that you can sit back and watch the fights unfold rather than having to directly participate is a nice touch. After all, what would a Wuxia story be without a crowd of onlookers either cheering a warrior on or waiting to see if they get humbled?
It’s a dizzying array of choices, but it all feeds into the same goal: Letting you roleplay almost anything in this massive, vibrant world. So while there are over 100 hours of content available to the solo player with a vast story and range of activities to complete, gear and weapons to earn, and bosses to best, the sheer amount that caters to simply immersing yourself is awe-inspiring.
You could be the wayward Merchant who goes around buying low and selling high while also stealing from and pranking others. But you could be a noble warrior who is only loyal to his faction and pushes through the dungeon grind together. Incidentally, if you want to ferry people around and explore the world at your leisure, every discovery contributing to your Guild’s status while moonlighting as a PvPer who terrorizes the weak…well, have at it.
It’s a staggering amount to play through for the global launch, and considering how much content has been added to the Chinese version since its release last year, there’s even more to come. Where Winds Meet may initially seem like your average open-world action-adventure title with more than its share of ridiculousness. But underneath its veneer is a true understanding of the Wuxia genre, letting you become a part of its world rather than a tourist passing through.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
