As the mixed reviews flood in a day after Wuthering Waves’ release, the story pacing and dub criticism stick out as common sentiments in the player community.
Wuthering Waves is undeniably one of the well-anticipated releases this year. As the newest addition to the teeming action RPG genre, many mobile and PC players have great hopes that this game will be the “next big thing” of the gacha games world.
While many players have praised the game’s in-game mechanics, various criticisms have also been raised, ranging from visual bugs and lagging issues to more general technical difficulties.
However, one salient point players can’t seem to shake off with in-game rewards compensation is the pacing of Wuthering Waves’ plot and the dubbing. Some players have already expressed confusion over specific story points, while some frown upon the game’s storytelling approach.
Among the most salient points is the characters’ overwhelming “information dump” in the first few sequences of the game.
Chixia and Yangyang, the locals of Huanglong and our initial guides in Wuthering Waves, seem to spit out random facts about the in-game mechanics and lore without prior reason, eventually making the pacing and dialogue feel off and unnatural.
As Wuthering Waves’ successful predecessor and what seems to be its direct competitor, many players have compared its story progression with Genshin Impact’s first few hours. Some players have pointed out that WW’s “jargon” words are among the biggest concerns in the story’s pacing.
Many players noted that Genshin Impact’s Monstadt story quests were the perfect “simple yet informative” introduction to the Tevyat’s complicated lore. Wuthering Waves seemed to have opted for the other option: to leave the world-building to character dialogue and hope the players can catch up.
Beyond the pacing, some Wuthering Waves fans also noted how the English voiceover felt off and unnatural, with some resorting to other language VOs for a more pleasant experience.
Despite these comments, some players have appreciated the latter parts of Wuthering Waves story quests. One player details that the plot improves once you meet Scar and Cammilya in Chapter 6.
With the spotlight currently on Wuthering Waves, we could only expect more mixed reviews as players progress in the quests and storyline. Kuro Games was also quick to apologize and compensate for highly concerning sentiments such as lag and visual bugs.