Where Winds Meet: A World Worth Getting Lost In

Where Winds Meet has officially released globally, and it has been on my radar for the past couple of months. A good story paired with a beautiful world I can explore to my heart’s content is exactly what I’ve been looking to spend my time with. Being a huge fan of open-world exploration, the 150-plus hours of content immediately intrigued me. After spending a few dozen hours in the game, I can confidently say I’m already extremely impressed. I’d like to review and break down some areas of the experience, my likes and dislikes, what I’d love to see in the future, and my overall impressions of Where Winds Meet so far.

The World & Atmosphere

The scenery absolutely lived up to my expectations. The environment you’re placed in is beautiful, and I’ve been playing on both my PC and my PS5 (yes, this game has cross-progression, which is another major plus). It’s been breathtaking on both platforms. I have yet to notice any major graphical issues while exploring the open world. So far, Qinghe, one of the first areas you’re introduced to, has become one of my favorites. I often find myself returning to the Bamboo Abode, admiring the surroundings while exploring and searching for every secret it holds.

Another standout moment for me is how the game reveals its world to you. When you first step out of the Bamboo Abode and watch the landscape unfold before you, it’s genuinely awe-inspiring. I know many players will likely make this comparison, but it truly gave me the same sense of wonder I felt in Breath of the Wild when the world opened up and invited me to explore.

I’ve been genuinely impressed with the atmosphere of the game. The day–night cycle is seamless, I haven’t experienced any sudden jumps from night to day. It all flows naturally and smoothly. There’s also a handy clock you can adjust to set the time to whatever you prefer, and I’ve used it frequently since I love exploring during the day. The weather patterns also transition nicely without feeling abrupt.

One of the things I was looking forward to most, based on interviews and trailers, was the promise that the world would feel alive. Thirty-plus hours in, I can confidently say that promise so far has been fulfilled. Everywhere I go, something is happening. I’ve been pulled into countless moments and side activities just by walking past them. The NPCs I’ve spoken to feel alive, they each have their own backstories, problems, and goals they’re trying to resolve. Every side quest I’ve stumbled into has felt fleshed out and uniquely crafted. The villages I’ve visited so far feel lively and lived-in, no empty towns that leave you feeling alone while playing. This was an aspect I was genuinely worried about, as many games promise a truly interactive world but fall short. So far, this game has delivered.

One feature I wasn’t sure I would enjoy but ended up loving is the AI-driven dialogue system when chatting with NPCs. I’ve had countless unique conversations and have actually enjoyed engaging with them.

Exploration & Discovery

One of my favorite elements in any video game is exploration. I love collecting every little collectible, opening every chest, finding every book, fishing every fish, you get the picture lol. It’s something this game promised as well: a vast open world you can dig into and truly explore. And again, it has not disappointed. You’re able to explore within the first 15–20 minutes, almost immediately.

As I began traveling to my next main quest location, I stumbled across a toxic purple flower. Next to it, I discovered a signpost for the first time. If you’ve ever played any of the Dark Souls games, a signpost works just like the messages left behind by other players. I had no idea this feature even existed in Where Winds Meet, so discovering it made me feel genuinely giddy. The signpost gave me a hint on how to get rid of the toxins on the flower so I could then collect it.

From there, I continued down the path and came across bodies scattered across the dirt, with a rather ominous figure lingering in the distance. The music shifted slightly, and fallen signposts, left behind by those who came before me, were littered across the ground. Several of them warned me not to continue or attempt the fight ahead. And, of course, I attempted it anyway… and of course, I failed lol. But that build-up was incredibly memorable and remains one of my favorite moments in the game so far.

After failing against the mini-boss, I noticed a crumbling castle structure in the distance. I made my way toward it and met a man standing outside who explained that bandits had taken it over in search of a hidden treasure within its walls. He asked for my help in finding it, and that sent me on an adventure of retaking the castle, fighting the bandit leader, solving a puzzle that opened a pathway beneath the ruins, and exploring a dungeon-like area to uncover the treasure he mentioned. And all of this happened within my first one to two hours of gameplay.

There’s truly something waiting around every corner. This game rewards you for exploring, practically begs you to explore, and me being the adventurer that I am, I happily obliged. And I’m extremely glad I did.

Story

I’ve recently played a lot of free-to-play games, and the story seems to be one of the first things that gets pushed to the backburner. I wasn’t expecting an amazing narrative on the level of The Witcher 3, but once again, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I haven’t experienced too much yet, I’m only about 30% through the main story, but so far, the pacing has been enjoyable. The story is engaging enough that I’m genuinely excited to see where it goes. The opening hours are fairly typical, introducing you to your main character and a few supporting characters, but it’s done well and lays a solid foundation for what’s to come.

My one complaint so far with the story is that some of the translation is either incorrect or missing entirely. I started playing with English audio. The acting itself is pretty good, but it doesn’t always match the character who’s speaking. There were moments during quests where my character would randomly repeat lines of dialogue over and over again. The subtitles also don’t always match what’s being said, which led to some awkward moments.

About halfway through, I switched to Chinese audio, and I’ve personally been enjoying the story more that way. There was one moment where the subtitles completely stopped, and I missed several lines of dialogue. These are all fairly small grievances, I’d still say the translation is relatively good overall. I’ve played plenty of games where the translation doesn’t even come close to this. I’m hopeful that as time goes on and they continue refining things, these issues will be resolved.

Another small complaint I have involves some of the cutscenes, which have occasionally felt a bit awkward. For example, there was one cutscene where my character and another NPC were standing on a hill, observing several fights happening below us. I’m pretty sure it was a visual error, because while watching the battle, the scene would randomly cut back to us, but we wouldn’t be in the same positions as before. We’d just be standing there stiffly with no expressions. It happened a few times and pulled me out of the story. However, other cutscenes, especially during a few of the early boss fights, were quite good. Again, a small complaint and hopefully something that will be polished over time.

Characters & Interactions

I’ve enjoyed the numerous side characters I’ve come across in this game. The ones I’ve met and spoken with so far feel surprisingly complex. They have backstories, personal motivations, and clear goals, not just who they want to become, but the past experiences that shaped those ambitions. For the most part, the dialogue flows smoothly. There are a few awkward moments here and there, but I think that’s mostly due to translation issues rather than the writing itself.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed the interactions I’ve had and the characters I’ve met along the way. The game also includes a nice character screen that tracks everyone you’ve encountered, their stories, and locked details you'll need to uncover to complete their character arcs. Oh, and yes, there’s even a cat named Meow Meow that you can meet in the world, and it absolutely counts as one of the characters lol.

Collecting & Achievement Hunting

If you’re heavily into collecting and achievement hunting like I am, then you’ll be thrilled to know that those features are definitely a big part of this game. It includes an impressive Collection Compendium with a current total of 1,227 items to find and gather. The game divides these into categories such as Food and Drink, Weapons, Medicine, Astronomy, and more. Pictured below is a screenshot of the Collection Compendium.

There aren’t just a ton of items to find and collect, there are also plenty of achievements to hunt for. I’ve recently gotten into achievement hunting in video games, and I find it to be the perfect mix of fun and a great challenge. I was happy to see that this game not only includes achievements, but offers a substantial amount right from the start. Pictured below is the achievement menu.

On top of all this, the game, as I’ve mentioned, really encourages exploration and rewards you for it. They’ve also included an exploration menu for the two current main regions, each containing several areas for you to dive into even further. This exploration menu is pictured below.

Combat (light overview)

I’m not the best person to talk about combat. I enjoy a bit of challenge, but I’m definitely not someone who runs the hardest content, I don’t have the patience for that lol. That being said, I’d still like to share my early impressions of the combat in this game. Overall, I’ve really enjoyed it. The devs not only created options for players who love difficult combat, but also gave players like me ways to make things easier. They included a guide assist feature that shows you when to block or dodge, and I LOVE this feature.

Combat feels smooth, switching between weapons is effortless, and swapping classes is completely seamless. I’m currently running a spear and fan combo, and I’ve been having a blast with it. Whether you’re someone who wants a challenge or someone who just wants to explore, this game truly accommodates both, you can play however you want.

Performance

This game, for the most part, has run pretty smoothly. I haven’t noticed any major framerate drops, and it’s performed well on both my PC and PS5. The only issue I’ve run into on PS5 is that the game will occasionally kick me out at random. It’s not too frequent, and I’m hoping it’s something that gets fixed soon.

As for bugs and glitches, surprisingly I haven’t encountered any beyond the cutscene issue I mentioned earlier, I know, shocker lol. Hopefully that continues to be the case as I keep playing!

Quality-of-Life Features

Let’s talk menus for a second. I’ve heard plenty of complaints about this, and I’m going to add to it a bit. The menu system isn’t so bad that I can’t follow along, but let’s be honest, there are a lot of different menus. It doesn’t completely throw me off, but I can definitely see how it might be overwhelming for some players. I do think this is something that will improve over time.

One menu in particular that I think could use a little love is the inventory system. It is organized nicely, and maybe I just haven’t come across a merchant yet, but I currently have an overflow of armor, weapons and items that I genuinely don’t know what to do with lol. This could very well be user error, though.

However, I will say that the UI itself is pretty clean. I actually really like the current visual design of everything.

I also really enjoy the map and the fast-travel accessibility. It’s easy to use and fun to discover new waypoints across the map.

Final Thoughts

As you can probably tell, I’m really enjoying this game so far. I’m able to move at my own pace and explore to my heart’s content. I find myself wanting to play every day and continue discovering everything this game currently has to offer.

I’m excited that the game seems to have a clear content roadmap. I’m especially looking forward to more map exploration. I’m also looking forward to trying some of the content I haven’t experienced yet, like the co-op and MMO elements.

I would highly recommend this game to anyone who’s feeling unsure about giving it a try. It’s completely free to play, and from what I’ve seen so far, the only things available for purchase are cosmetics and battle passes/season passes. The single-player story mode is amazing, and if you’re an exploration nerd, this game is absolutely made for you!

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