Wuthering Waves

2024 action role-playing video game

2024 video game

Wuthering Waves

Developer(s)| Kuro Games
Publisher(s)| Kuro Games[a]
Director(s)| Solon Lee
Producer(s)| Solon Lee
Designer(s)| FLA
Wolf
Dong
Programmer(s)| Farmer
Engine| Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)|

* Windows
* Android
* iOS
* PlayStation 5
* macOS

Release|

* Windows, Android, iOS
* May 22, 2024
* PlayStation 5
* January 2, 2025
* macOS
* March 27, 2025

Genre(s)| Action role-playing, gacha
Mode(s)| Single-player, multiplayer
Wuthering Waves

Traditional Chinese| 鳴潮
Simplified Chinese| 鸣潮
Literal meaning| Sound Tide
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Míng Cháo
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization| Mìhng Chìuh
Jyutping| ming4 ciu4

Wuthering Waves [b] is a 2024 free-to-play open world action role-playing game developed and published by Kuro Games. The game is set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world of Solaris-3 after a catastrophe called the Lament wiped out most of humanity and caused unknown beings and monsters, called Tacet Discords, to appear. Humanity adapted to the threat and over time rebuilt civilization. The story follows the amnesiac Rover, who has awakened from a deep slumber and sets out to explore this new world.

It was revealed on March 23, 2022, initially inspired by Death Stranding with the aim to create a post-apocalyptic world where players can experience the fusion of new and old civilizations. The game development also draws inspiration from various sources, including Punishing: Gray Raven for its combat mechanics, as well as the Pokémon games for its echo system.[1][2] Wuthering Waves has been compared to other titles of the genre such as Genshin Impact, but aims to place greater emphasis on its combat system compared to its predecessors.[3] The game was released for Android, iOS and Windows devices on May 23 (May 22 in the United States), 2024 followed by PlayStation 5 in January 2025, and macOS in March 2025.

## Gameplay

[edit]

Gameplay screenshot showing character Yangyang engaging in a fight

Wuthering Waves is set in an open world.[4] The player controls the protagonist Rover, as well as recruited allies called Resonators, which are split into 4-star and 5-star rarities.[3] The endgame content features modes where characters can be used in a series of combat challenges.[5]

The game's combat system features Intro and Outro skills; Intro skills are triggered when the characters enter combat and Outro skills are triggered when the characters leave combat. Both abilities (skills) are triggered when the characters are switched.[6][7]

The game's gacha system features banners known as Convenes, where Resonators and Weapons can be obtained. There are three types of Convenes: novice, event, and standard. A pity system guarantees that 5-star items are obtained within a set amount of pulls.[8]

Characters may equip Echoes obtained from defeating enemies, completing quests or participating in events, granting them abilities which summon or transform characters into monsters briefly.[6]

## Development

[edit]

Wuthering Waves was revealed on March 23, 2022 by Kuro Games. It was announced for iOS on March 25, 2024. Development happened at Kuro Games's recently opened facility in Hong Kong, instead of its main studio in Guangzhou.[citation needed]

The game underwent two closed beta tests, with the second concluding in March 2024. After the first closed beta test, the story content was largely reworked in response to player feedback that it felt "uncomfortable".[5]

On March 29, 2024, it was announced that Wuthering Waves was to be released on iOS, Android, and PC via the Epic Games Store in late May.[9] On May 2024, it was announced that Wuthering Waves will be available via the Mac App Store in the future.[10] On March 21, 2025, it was announced that the game will be released via Steam on April 29, 2025.[11]

The PlayStation 5 version was released on January 2, 2025, with version 2.0,[12] and the Mac version was released on March 27, 2025.[13]

## Reception

[edit]

Reception

Aggregate scoresAggregator| Score

|

Metacritic| iOS: 73/100[14]

PC: 69/100[15]

PS5: 76/100[16]
OpenCritic| 71%[17]
Review scorePublication| Score

|

Famitsu| 34/40[18]

Wuthering Waves had over 30 million pre-registered users from over 100 regions and initially launched to a mixed reception with some positive feedback.[19][20][21] While some players pointed out some issues at the game's launch, others praised the game saying it had the "best gameplay" among gacha games.[22] Within its first week, it became the most downloaded in 100 regions.[19] Some players were able to access unreleased content by changing the system clock.[23][24][25] Other bugs included animation errors, such as issues with character movement.[26] Some players who attempted to launch the game from the Epic Games store were met with a screen that read "Fatal Error", with a guide later being published on how to fix the issue.[27]

At the same time, critics said that the generous rewards in Lustrous Tides made up for these bugs.[19] On May 23, 2024, Kuro Games issued an apology to players and promised that players would receive in-game rewards as compensation for the game's issues.[28] When patch 1.0.19 was released on May 29, in an attempt to fix the game's bugs, players found that the patch had removed all music from the game, and guides were released on how to fix the bug.[29][30][31] On the same day, a bug was found that caused the game's audio to become delayed or be removed altogether. Guides were later released on how to fix both bugs.[32]

Despite the rocky launch, critics and the overall playerbase praised Wuthering Waves for its "refreshing" combat system, open world, and movement mechanics alongside its "forgiving" gacha system.[20][21]

### Awards

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2024  | Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards  | Best Audio / Visual Accomplishment  | Won  | [33]
Game of the Year  | Nominated
Galaxy Award | Best Science-Fiction Game  | Won  | [34]
The Game Awards 2024 | Best Mobile Game  | Nominated  | [35]
Players' Voice  | Nominated
TapTap Game Awards  | Player's Choice  | Won  | [36]
Sensor Tower APAC Awards  | Best Open World Adventure Game  | Won  | [37]
2025  | 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Mobile Game of the Year | Nominated  | [38][39]

## See also

[edit]

* Punishing: Gray Raven

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Published in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan by Nijigen Games (Operated by Kuro Games)
2. ^ Chinese: 鸣潮; pinyin: Míng Cháo; lit. 'Sound Tide'

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Reyes, Jess (August 26, 2024). "Wuthering Waves interview: Kuro Games looks back at launch and ahead to the future". Epic Games. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
2. ^ Siddarth, N. (July 10, 2024). "'The initial concept was Inspired by Death Stranding' - Wuthering Waves devs discuss its development, challenges, and future plans [Exclusive]". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
3. ^ a b Moorcroft-Sharp, Jamie (March 28, 2024). "Wuthering Waves release window, platforms, trailer, and more". Destructoid. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
4. ^ Tolentino, Josh (July 26, 2022). "Wuthering Waves Gameplay Trailer Shows Open-World Action". Siliconera. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
5. ^ a b Allsop, Ken (March 27, 2024). "This Genshin Impact rival brings the HoYoverse charm but with better combat". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on June 5, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
6. ^ a b Orr, Brett Michael (May 23, 2024). "Wuthering Waves Review: Genshin-Like, But No Genshin-Love". Anime Corner. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
7. ^ Dean, Grace (May 28, 2024). "Wuthering Waves Resonator Intro and Outro Skills explained". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
8. ^ Elona, Jules (March 8, 2024). "Is Wuthering Waves a gacha game? Here's what you can expect". ONE Esports. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
9. ^ Romano, Sal (March 29, 2024). "Wuthering Waves launches May 22". Gematsu. Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
10. ^ Lada, Jenni (May 20, 2024). "Wuthering Waves Launch Trailer and Mac Store Release Shared". Siliconera. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
11. ^ Vargas, Diana (March 21, 2025). "Wuthering Waves Confirms Steam Release Date". Game Rant. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
12. ^ Killmurray, Conor (January 3, 2025). "Award-Winning Open-World Action RPG Has Arrived On The PlayStation 5". ScreenRant. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
13. ^ Neely, Amber (March 27, 2025). "'Wuthering Waves' and 'Control Ultimate Edition' now available on Mac". AppleInsider. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
14. ^ "iOS (iPhone/iPad) Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
15. ^ "PC Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
16. ^ "PS5 Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
17. ^ "Wuthering Waves Reviews". OpenCritic. May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
18. ^ Romano, Sal (January 22, 2025). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1883". Gematsu. Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
19. ^ a b c Mohan, Aaryanshi (May 30, 2024). "Wuthering Waves Player Count: How many people are playing". Esports News Gaming. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
20. ^ a b Alice, Holly (May 30, 2024). "Wuthering Waves review - why have one good gacha when you can have two". Pocket Tactics. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
21. ^ a b Chakrabarti, Sanmay (June 3, 2024). "Wuthering Waves Review: A Combat Juggernaut in Gacha Gaming". Beebom. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
22. ^ Busby, James (May 24, 2024). "Tectone praises Wuthering Waves saying it has 'the best gameplay in any gacha'". Dexerto. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
23. ^ Liu, Stephanie (May 24, 2024). "Wuthering Waves Bug Lets You Access Future Content Early". Siliconera. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
24. ^ Gose, Lance (May 24, 2024). "Wuthering Waves Trick Lets You Unlock New Characters Early". Game Rant. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
25. ^ Makar, Connor (May 24, 2024). "Wuthering Waves players have been testing an unreleased character by changing the date on their devices". VG247. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
26. ^ Black, Grace (May 31, 2024). "Wuthering Waves: How to Fix Lag & Framerate Issues". Game Rant. Archived from the original on November 25, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
27. ^ Constable, Tyler (May 23, 2024). "Wuthering Waves: How to fix Fatal Error bug". Dexerto. Archived from the original on June 5, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
28. ^ Nightingale, Ed (May 24, 2024). "Wuthering Waves developer apologises for launch issues". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
29. ^ Stella, Marloes Valentina; De Santiago, Eddie; Rothery, Jen; et al. (May 28, 2024). "Music Not Playing - No Music Bug Explained". IGN Guide. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
30. ^ Woodward, Jacob (May 28, 2024). "Wuthering Waves no music playing: How to fix". MSN. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
31. ^ Souza, Patrick (May 28, 2024). "How to Fix Music Not Working in Wuthering Waves". The Escapist. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
32. ^ Borges, Franklin Bellone (May 29, 2024). "How to fix delayed audio in Wuthering Waves cutscenes: Audio delay solution". Destructoid. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024.
33. ^ "Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2024 winners revealed". Pocket Gamer. August 20, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
34. ^ "《鸣潮》获"银河奖最佳科幻游戏奖", "科不科幻"国内外玩家吵翻天" [Wuthering Waves won the Galaxy Award for Best Sci-Fi Game, and gamers at home and abroad are up in arms about whether it's sci-fi or not]. GameLook (in Chinese). September 30, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
35. ^ "2024 Game Awards - Best Mobile Game". The Game Awards. Archived from the original on March 18, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
36. ^ "TapTap Game Awards 2024 ― Winners". GameLook (in Chinese). September 30, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
37. ^ "Sensor Tower APAC Awards 2024 ― Winners". SensorTower. February 18, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
38. ^ Welsh, Oli (January 10, 2025). "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a GOTY front-runner at the DICE Awards". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
39. ^ "28th Annual DICE Awards Results". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved February 14, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wuthering Waves.

* Official website

*[Ref.]: Reference(s)
*[lit.]: Literal translation