NetEase’s Where Winds Meet will officially arrive on mobile devices — iOS and Android — on December 12, the Chinese publisher confirmed earlier today. The game is the latest entry on the gacha RPG genre, but has been adding some interesting numbers since its console (PlayStation 5) and PC (Steam, Epic) release on November 15.
That’s because, unlike its more prominent competitors, such as Genshin Impact (HoYoverse) and Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games), Where Winds Meet escapes from the cel-shaded 3D visual that has inspired the other games, instead going for a more realistic look (not photo realistic, mind you, just “more 3D-er” than most).
“We are both humbled and flattered by the kind words and encouragement from players around the world,” said Beralt Lyu, the game’s producer, in a statement. “Their support inspires us to continue improving the game and delivering even better content to our players. With the mobile version coming soon, we can’t wait for more players to join our growing community.”
Also, the fact that its gacha mechanics, although still very much luck-based, seems to be more directed to the cosmetic side of things. While the genre itself does not stop you from playing its games entirely for free, some games hide some of its most powerful features — such as five star characters and more powerful weapons — on its “luck-of-the-draw” systems.
NetEase has seemingly avoided that: on Steam, most of Where Winds Meet reviews specifically mention how you can create characters with full power capacity regardless of gacha pulls. You’ll still have to make them, but better rewards apparently come easier in this game compared to others.
Where Winds Meet has big numbers to stand on
Speaking of Steam, Where Winds Meet is seeing some interesting numbers from the PC crowd. According to Steam Database, the game was marked as a positive release on nearly 90% of its almost 75,000 user reviews (that is “reviews not made by professional media”). At the time of this writing, it also had just a little under 172,000 players in active sessions.
Those are all indicators of a very popular release.
As a gacha enthusiast myself, I am still playing Where Winds Meet, as we have a review of the game coming up. We’re also planning a handful of starting guides for the game here at PRG, so make sure to stay tuned if you need any help with the title over the following days.
