The recent PlayStation State of Play showcased several original titles, with Where Winds Meet being one that stood out to many. While everyone is waiting for Elden Ring’s upcoming DLC this month, the Soulslike genre is growing at a rapid rate, with new entrants popping up almost every month.
The trailer by Everstone Studio has shown a lot of inspiration from Hidetaka Miyazaki’s genre while adding some new elements, and exciting players who enjoy the Wuxia experience. If the studio can blend the best parts of both genres, we may have a Game of the Year contender on our hands.
Where Winds Meet Looks Like an Amalgamation of Elden Ring and Sekiro
One of the most notable aspects of FromSoftware titles is the desire to push the envelope and introduce new mechanics to every new game. Bloodborne introduced more aggressive combat; Sekiro expanded on that and also added traversal; and Elden Ring was the studio’s first truly open-world title. Everstone Studio appears to have learned from all of these and added its own twist to them.
Where Winds Meet is described as an open-world action-adventure RPG based in China’s Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era. The trailer showed a very interesting world, with some beautiful locations that are going to rival the scenery we have seen in Elden Ring. The gameplay we have seen so far has also given us a look at the cities we will be exploring, and there is a great deal of detail in their design.
The title will feature superhuman martial arts, a fighting style Elden Ring is also adding to the game, which the player will have to master to progress. This is where we see the Sekiro influences; the combat is fast-paced, requiring the player to dodge incoming attacks and master the art of parrying.
Many weapons in the game are going to complement the Wuxia genre, with categories such as Glaives, Dual Blades, Fans, and Spears enabling players to choose their style of attack. Gameplay footage also shows traversal and dynamic fights on rooftops, so the game is going to feel lively.
Chinese Martial Arts to be Highly Represented in Where Winds Meet
Combat in FromSoftware games has always been a highly praised aspect of the game. Sekrio has the steepest learning curve of all titles from the studio, but the combat still feels incredibly well-balanced. Miyazaki operates on the philosophy that combat should be harsh but feel equally as rewarding.
Everstone Studio would do well to learn from this, especially when working with martial arts. Titles such as Sifu have delivered a realistic martial arts experience, but it will be interesting to see how the supernatural elements are woven into the real-world skills that are part of the combat roster.
No release date was provided for the title, but it’s possible to pre-register for the game on the website. The images and screenshots shown on the site are also very eye-catching, and if the game is true to its representation, then we can expect a gorgeous combat experience.
What caught your eye in the Where Winds Meet trailer? Let us know in the comments below!
