Where Winds Meet Review – A Surprisingly Generous Package

by

I’ve been keeping an eye on Everstone Studio’s Where Winds Meet for the past few months. It’s an open-world action RPG that tries to combine a lot of popular game elements into one big experience. There’s already a lot of competition in this area, with huge games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Elden Ring, and the new Ghost of Yotei all being successful. So, when Where Winds Meet announced a large story campaign, tons of side quests, and both PvP and co-op modes, I was naturally a bit doubtful. It just seemed too ambitious to be true.

I had the chance to try out an early version of the game, and after playing for many hours over the past few weeks, I’m really impressed. Not only does Where Winds Meet have a lot of great content, but it often offers more than you’d expect from a free-to-play game – it’s expansive without feeling rushed or low-quality. Overall, it’s exceeded my expectations, although there are a few minor issues I’ll mention later.

I got to play an early version of Where Winds Meet, and while it’s been translated into English, there were some audio issues. A bunch of sound files were missing, which really broke the immersion in a few spots. It was a little jarring, honestly.

You play as a skilled swordsman, a traveler living outside of society in 10th-century China during a turbulent era. Raised by Uncle Jiang and Aunt Han, your journey begins when your treasured jade pendant is stolen, leading you through the beautiful landscapes of Kaifeng and Qinghe. The story takes a more serious turn with the appearance of a mysterious artifact called the Gold-Making Vessel, and you can expect some unexpected surprises along the way. While I won’t reveal any spoilers, the story is captivating, enhanced by well-placed cutscenes.

While Where Winds Meet has been translated into other languages, the demo I played had some missing sound effects, which made parts of the game feel disconnected. The voice acting that is there is pretty good overall, but there are some problems with the lip-sync and a few of the character designs aren’t quite polished, which can break your immersion.

The game is still being improved, and it currently has a few flaws, but the story is compelling and will keep you hooked. While the narrative is well-done, I think players will really enjoy the actual gameplay even more.

I really like the way quests are designed in Where Winds Meet. The main story missions are particularly captivating, with lots of cinematic cutscenes and dramatic moments. But the side quests are also excellent. They’re not just simple tasks – many are full-fledged adventures that take you all over the game world to uncover its secrets. Some can take up to an hour to complete and even include difficult boss battles, covering things like finding lost relics or investigating a crime.

I really enjoyed completing the side quests in each area of the game. Besides those, there are lots of other things to do – simple tasks like collecting items, unexpected events as you explore, and a unique feature called Wandering Tales. These optional activities don’t guide you step-by-step; you have to actively search for clues and discover what happens next.

The game also features powerful world bosses – different from the ones you fight during the main story – that can be really tough if you’re not high enough level or properly equipped. Enemies, both common creatures and bosses, are challenging and won’t go down easily. There’s a slightly odd glitch where regular enemies don’t seem to notice when you defeat their allies, but it’s a minor issue. These details, big and small, all come together to create memorable experiences in the game.

The game makes it easy to learn how to unlock new Martial Arts styles, often by giving you special side quests or encouraging you to align with a particular group.

In Where Winds Meet, the game features a unique guild system called “Hundred Industries.” Think of it like clans, but with many different branches offering a wide range of weekly activities and quests. If you put in the effort, it really extends the game’s lifespan, offering satisfying rewards that encourage you to keep playing. It’s a complex and highly replayable system, and one of the most ambitious free-to-play guild designs we’ve seen in a while.

The most impressive part of Where Winds Meet is its detailed and challenging combat system. It features 12 different martial arts styles and a wide range of special techniques, making it one of the best wuxia-inspired fighting experiences available today. Players can master unique weapons like swords, rope darts, umbrellas, and fans, each of which can be improved to unlock powerful new skills. For instance, an umbrella can be used to shoot projectiles, and a spear can create sonic blasts. Different versions of each weapon also exist, offering varied playstyles – one fan might focus on healing allies, while another is designed for dealing high damage from a distance.

Okay, so getting new fighting styles in this game isn’t a mystery – the game actually tells you how to unlock them, often by sending me on cool side quests or getting me to join up with different groups. And the combat? It’s awesome! There’s this thing called Mystic Arts, which basically lets me do crazy, over-the-top moves. I’m talking dropping huge bells on enemies, charging into battle on a flaming horse, or even unleashing poisonous mist. It really takes the fights to the next level!

Mystic Arts not only enhance combat, but also unlock useful upgrades like different dodge moves, the ability to slow down time when aiming a bow, and new ways to get around – including diving, wall-running, and brief moments of flight.

As you’ve probably noticed, Where Winds Meet does have some repetitive gameplay, which is typical for free-to-play games. However, during my experience, it didn’t feel overly burdensome or unfair.

In addition to Martial and Mystic Arts, the game features Internal Arts, which provide various benefits like increased damage, health, and a chance to poison enemies. Like the other Arts, you can improve these by collecting specific items. You can also directly upgrade your core stats – like weapon damage, health, and defense – through the Gear section. Each upgrade requires different materials. All of these systems work together to create a rewarding cycle: you’ll constantly be driven to complete quests and explore the world to find the resources needed to improve your character. I found this system to be genuinely engaging and quite addictive.

Like many free-to-play games, Where Winds Meet requires some repetitive effort to progress. However, during my time with the game, it felt fair and wasn’t overly reliant on purchases to succeed. The in-game economy is a little complicated, using a surprisingly large number of different currencies – over a dozen, actually – which is a bit confusing, but it’s part of the game.

You can get basic gold by completing quests, exploring the world, and winning battles. Keep in mind that the amount of gold you earn is tied to specific areas, and you can only trade limited amounts between them. Treasure Money and Jade are earned in similar ways – by selling items, finishing quests, opening chests, exploring, and participating in events.

I never felt pressured to spend money while playing. It seems like any purchases are purely cosmetic. The game has a lot of content, and while it can get repetitive, the way it asks for money feels reasonable, even if the pricing isn’t immediately clear. I didn’t get to spend much time with the co-op mode, though.

I was really happy to find someone to play with, but honestly, the connection felt a little slow. My attacks didn’t always register right when I pressed the buttons, and I’m hoping that was just a problem with the test servers and not how it will play when the game officially launches. They’ve also got PvP, which is cool, and a special mode where everyone’s gear is pretty similar, so it’s actually a fair fight. Honestly, that PvP mode is so addictive – I can already tell I’m going to be spending a ton of time on it, and it’s definitely the highlight of the online features for me.

Honestly, the fighting in this game is amazing. The story really pulled me in, and there’s just so much to do – it’s seriously packed with content. I can’t believe how much they crammed in!

Visually, Where Winds Meet is stunning. The game’s open world is its strongest feature, boasting beautifully crafted landscapes with lush fields and charming villages that really invite exploration. While character models and lip-syncing aren’t perfect, details like how populated the world feels, the lighting, and the combat animations are all impressive. The sound design is decent, though it could be more polished. I tested the game on a powerful PC (Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti, 32GB RAM, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X) and it performed very well, even with all settings maxed out at 4K resolution, with only occasional minor frame rate drops.

Overall, Where Winds Meet is a fantastic game and a strong contender for one of the best experiences of 2025. The combat is excellent, the story is captivating, and there’s a huge amount of content to explore. While it has some technical issues and might require a bit of repetition for some players, and there’s always a chance the in-game economy could change, it’s currently heading in a great direction. Even as it stands, it’s a really fun game you and your friends can play for weeks, and the online features keep it engaging. With more story content planned, hopefully available consistently across all regions, I’m excited to see what Everstone does with it next. Right now, Where Winds Meet is a definite success.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Read More

2025-11-14 21:43