Where Winds Meet is an open-world ARPG set in a fantasy version of 10th-century China.

If you’re a big fan of Wuxia and its growing reach in the video game world, this free-to-play adventure is a strong pick for your library. The classical Eastern fantasy atmosphere, martial arts themes, and magical creatures based on Asian mythology fill this virtual world. It’s a seamless open world out there: no loading screens when changing from one area to another. There’s a lot of detail worth immersing in and saving a screenshot for. Where Winds Meet’s visuals can keep on giving for as long as your gaming machine has the specs to match them.

The main story is on the lighthearted side, like many Chinese martial arts movies and shows. There are quests to do, masters to find, and opponents to defeat: all in the name of becoming the master. There’s enough single-player content to explore the world on your own and find side quests to do in case the slowing down on the main plot is your thing. With around 100 hours of single-player content as of this writing, there’s little reason to put this on the sidelines and play it while looking for the next sidequest-filled area.

There are plenty of logic and reflex mini-games scattered all over the world that await those who are willing enough to take the time finding them. Variety is where it’s at: base building, stealth missions, fishing, hunting, and other visual versions of traditional pastimes are out there. What’s even better is that you can play these on your own or invite a friend to do a friendly competition.

The ones behind game development have confessed to being fans of soulslike games, particularly the parry and timing-intensive gameplay of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. There is plenty of dodging, parrying, and counterattacking gameplay to find here, albeit less difficult to pull off than the source of inspiration. The game offers enough time for you to parry, unlike the split-second precision many souls-like titles require you to pull off. The potion-guzzling animation is present in this game, so dying to an enemy who consecutively interrupts your HP recovery is a possibility. Be wary of fast-moving enemies who home in on you just as quickly. There is a respectable range of weapons to master. Standard swords and spears are found in this game, as well as battle fans and, believe it or not, parasols. Choose what you feel like mastering and develop your proficiency with what fits your style of play best.

Of course, like with other MMORPGs, gear drops, stat optimization, and endless item refinement are staples. The path to being the best martial artist also lies in how lucky you are in getting the right stats for your weapons. This also suffers from the bloated menus that free-to-play MMOs are plagued with. Keep in mind ‘menus inside menus’ and make sure there are no aggressive enemies that will take advantage of you sorting your inventory. You will have plenty of time to toggle through stuff when HP is at 0 anyway. Let’s not forget about the grind for the best in everything, wearing you down, but this is a feature of multiplayer online games.

In short, Where Winds Meet offers fresh gameplay while keeping the familiar MMORPG staples. It's definitely a game wuxia, and MMO fans should check it out.