- Gamers are worried that Wuther Waves has flopped due to server issues, glitches, and a lack of optimization for lower-end devices.
- However, Kuro Games responded quickly with fixes, apologies, and compensation.
- Despite the initial problems, the game has potential and offers a different experience than Genshin Impact.
Wuthering Waves, the highly anticipated supposed Genshin Killer, launched with a bang – or perhaps a sputter. Server issues plagued the first few days, leaving players frustrated and unable to explore the vast open world. Glitches and bugs popped up, adding to the initial disappointment. Then came the wave of criticism, particularly from the Genshin Impact fanbase, who found the combat “too weird” and the world design “dull.” But before we declare Wuthering Waves a shipwreck, let’s take a deep dive and see if the storm is truly over, or if rough seas still lie ahead.
Server Issues
There’s no denying it – Wuthering Waves’ launch wasn’t smooth sailing. I couldn’t even get in the game on launch, and for the next couple of days, I had to play on 600+ ms. For players all over the world, disconnects and lag were frequent. These technical hiccups were a major blow, especially considering the hype surrounding the game. It cast a shadow over the initial experience for many players, making them think Wuthering Waves flopped already.
The reasoning behind this was likely an oversight on Kuro Games’s part; a lack of proper global servers caused by inexperience. Hoyo had already established servers throughout the world for their prior multiplayer games, especially Honkai Impact 3rd. This is where Kuro Games, still being an infant in the realm of game studios, failed.
Glitches & Gremlins
There were also reports of glitches from a large amount of players. These ranged from relatively harmless bugs, a muted audio here and a funny animation there. Some users experience significantly worse bugs, having their characters clip out of the world or creating a repeated set of textures. Some bugs got so popular that streamers tried recreating them, such as the time stop bug.
Optimization Issues
The game was almost unplayable for a large amount of players, especially those playing on lower-end devices. The game was too eager in its launch and failed to account for situations such as this. I downloaded the game on my phone to check just how bad it could get, and the FPS drops on the first day made me immediately switch back to PC.
Genshin Bias
A lot of complaints are coming from Genshin fans. Regardless of if this is an attempt to sabotage Wuthering Waves to ensure Genshin stays on top, or if these are genuine issues, I’d like to talk about them. The main difficulty newcomers have is with the combat system. Unlike Genshin’s extremely straightforward and easy-to-grasp combat, Wuthering Waves implements parries, combos, air switches, multicharacter combat, and so much more.
Another problem is with the contrast between the two worlds. Teyvat is a largely colorful world, and that’s what fans of Genshin are used to. To them, Wuthering Waves’s Solaris-2 is boring. While a perfectly valid opinion, to say Wuthering Waves flopped because of this is unjustified.
Swift Response From Kuro Games
After the first few days of reports, Kuro Games immediately issued an apology and started working on the issues. The initial server and optimization issues were largely cleared, and they started working on the bugs. They also offered compensation in the form of gacha pulls, and let players choose a free 5-star.
Is The Game Really A Flop?
I’ve put in 30 hours so far into the game, and I’ve not witnessed a single game-breaking bug. I did have server issues on launch, but after Kuro’s resolution of them, my game runs smoothly. I’ve been having more fun in the game than I ever remember having in Genshin, especially the combat.
Another thing people seem to forget is that the game just came out. Sure, a game coming out unfinished isn’t a good thing, but to say having a few bugs means the game isn’t complete is exaggerating the issue. Genshin also had a million bugs on launch, despite releasing after a longer development period and a drastically shorter map, with an ounce of the features Wuthering Waves released with.
From what I can see, despite the initial hiccups, Wuwa is off to a great start. I can’t wait to explore more of the world, and see what the amazing community comes up with!
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Heya, I’m Asad (Irre) Kashif! I’ve been writing about anything and everything since as far back as I can remember. Professionally, I started writing five years ago, working both as a ghostwriter and writing under my own name. As a published author and a council member in Orpheus, my journey in the world of writing has been fulfilling and dynamic.
I still cherish the essays I wrote about my favorite PS2 games, and I’m thrilled to have transformed my passion for game journalism into a career. I’m a theory crafter for Genshin Impact (and now Wuthering Waves) and have a deep love for roguelites and roguelikes. While I prefer indie games for their distinct aesthetic and vibes, I do enjoy triple-A games occasionally. I’ve also been playing League since season 6, and I main Akali! I have a keen interest in discovering and playing more obscure games, as well as researching forgotten titles. Additionally, I am a front-end programmer who dabbles a bit in gamedev occasionally.