Despite Wuthering Waves being a gacha game, this never holds it back. The gameplay, characters, world, exploration, and music are of extremely high quality, and with every update, it delivers richer and more dynamic features that further immerse you in this innovative world.

Personally, I play this game for the story and characters. I have absolutely fallen in love with the narrative Kuro is trying to convey. It is undoubtedly one of the most visually stunning, thematically rich, and emotionally resonant stories I’ve encountered in a video game. It offers everything that matters to me in a story and so much more.

This game has an overwhelming number of qualities that I couldn't do justice to in just a brief review. Rover feels authentic, natural, progressive, flawed, and grounded. While some might say this story is about "gathering" wives, that couldn't be further from the truth. Rover's thematic journey revolves around fate versus free will. Can they unite humanity and overcome the fated end that the Lament poses? There are many deep and intricate layers to their character, how they tie in with the world itself, the people they save, and the overarching narrative.

On top of Rover, the antagonists in this story are some of the most metafictional, creative, well-written, and engaging characters I’ve ever seen. They consistently deliver in terms of presentation, which only makes you more invested. They challenge Rover in a way that makes you question the choices they've made throughout their journey, as well as the core values of the world and humanity itself. I won't spoil who they are or what they do. I simply urge you to find out for yourself.

The side characters are also fantastic. Especially from Rinascita (2.0) onwards, they are all brimming with life. The 1.0 story and its characters are still great, but the storytelling is weaker, which has led to less investment from people, and I completely understand that. However, every side character in 2.0 onwards has amazing dynamics with Rover. They genuinely feel like their own individuals, with emotionally cathartic backstories, realistic ideals, and world views. While some of the female characters have romance, it never detracts from their individuality. They are not reduced to mere accessories - they have their own ambitions, motivations, and ideals separate from Rover. Kuro makes an active effort to demonstrate this, and they have accomplished it fantastically.

Gameplay-wise, it only complements the story being told. It becomes deeper with each update, the character kits become more complex, and they continuously add unique and engaging mechanics that breathe EVEN more life into the system, enhancing its incredible addictiveness. The exploration throughout the game is amazing and serves to connect the world while building upon it. The only gripe I have so far is in the later regions, where it is admittedly quite hand-holdy. Other than that, the game is stunning, rich, and keeps you unlocking quests, hidden secrets, and amazing lore that's scattered across this vast world.

In terms of the Gacha system in this game, it is relatively fair. I've managed to pull every character I've wanted, and they are quite generous with the amount of pulls you receive as a F2P player. The best thing about the Gacha system is that the weapon banners are guaranteed. This means that when you reach 80 pulls (pity), you are guaranteed to receive the weapon of your choice. Unfortunately, characters still have a pity system, but it's a lot less taxing when you don't have to worry about losing your 50/50 on BOTH the character and weapon banners. Whilst there is still a bit of grinding, I wouldn't say it's tedious if you're a casual player. Especially since the in-game rewards system for levelling is generous, so you earn lot of pulls from simply progressing the main story.

All in all, this is absolutely a F2P game worth getting invested in. Kuro games consistently makes the game better, listens to player feedback, innovates, improves the world, gameplay, and narrative. If you love anime or manga series like Bleach, Re:Zero, Steins;Gate, Cyberpunk (Edgerunners/2077), or even if you simply enjoy romance stories, I think you'll definitely find some value in this game.