The Wind Road

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 108 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Wind Road Game Cover
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"The Wind Road" is an open-world action-adventure game set in the late Qing Dynasty. You play as a young wanderer seeking revenge and uncovering a conspiracy in the martial arts world. The game features fast-paced combat, character development, and exploration of a vast, historically-inspired world.

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Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 108 reviews
story17 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • The game features a rich combat system with various fighting styles and fluid animations, making battles engaging and enjoyable.
  • The story is intriguing and set in a well-crafted Wuxia world, with interesting characters and a unique atmosphere.
  • The graphics are visually appealing, especially for an indie game, and the soundtrack complements the gameplay well.
  • The English translation is incomplete and poorly executed, leading to confusion and a lack of understanding of key game mechanics.
  • The game suffers from significant technical issues, including laggy controls, poor optimization, and a frustrating save system.
  • Many players find the gameplay repetitive and the quest system lacking, with unclear objectives and no tracking for side quests.
  • story51 mentions

    The game's story is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its intriguing narrative inspired by wuxia themes and martial arts. However, some critiques highlight issues such as plot holes, linearity, and a lack of character development, alongside a desire for better translations and clearer quest guidance. Overall, while the story has potential and is enjoyable, it is often overshadowed by the game's combat focus and some unfinished elements.

    • “This game is basically a Chinese martial arts story inspired by wuxia novels and movies, featuring spectacular swordplay, atmospheric locations, and an interesting world to dive into.”
    • “I liked the story; it had a bit of a road movie feel, as our team got into bigger and bigger trouble at each location.”
    • “The story as I remember is quite good and intriguing, like there's a mystery woman the main character is supposed to meet at an inn to discuss something, but she didn't show up, and later he discovers something and follows the trail of said woman that leads to many encounters with enemies.”
    • “The story has many plot holes, fails to introduce or explain characters, and is extremely linear.”
    • “Repetitive gameplay, lack-lustre characters, boring storyline.”
    • “The game is much more combat oriented than story, I'd say.”
  • gameplay14 mentions

    The gameplay of the game shows promise with a variety of mechanics and well-animated combat, though it requires significant polish, particularly in its core systems and tutorial clarity. While the fighting mechanics are praised, some players find the gameplay repetitive and the difficulty scaling can lead to boredom. The game draws inspiration from titles like Resident Evil and Dark Souls, incorporating elements such as puzzles and challenging combat, but it still needs improvements in user experience and character development.

    • “Overall, the combat is perhaps not as polished as in bigger budget games, but the mechanics are fine, it has variety and depth, and the animations are really cool.”
    • “The gameplay and combat engine and movesets are very cool and well animated, and the graphical detail is of a high level as well.”
    • “The Wind Road lovingly pays tribute to elements of Resident Evil (puzzles, finding objects, inventory management), Sekiro (fluid skill-based combat... combo button mashing is punished), and Dark Souls (brutal difficulty, sparse saves, instant death everywhere) in terms of gameplay.”
    • “Very promising game that needs a lot of polish, not just in interface and quality of life, but in core gameplay itself.”
    • “Repetitive gameplay, lackluster characters, boring storyline.”
    • “At master difficulty, this game just increases mob and boss health incredibly as well as their damage, which makes gameplay more boring - just keep distance and spam dragon roar and cloud dragon palm.”
  • graphics8 mentions

    Overall, the graphics are praised for their gorgeous landscapes, well-designed characters, and flashy combat effects, showcasing high levels of detail and animation. However, some users noted issues with resolution drops and lag during fast movements, as well as a feeling of outdated visuals in certain areas, particularly in cut scenes that lacked direction despite their graphical quality.

    • “The good parts are the visuals (gorgeous landscapes, the main character is well designed, cool outfits and flashy combat effects, etc.), made with Unity but really nice to look at.”
    • “The gameplay and combat engine and movesets are very cool and well animated, and the graphical detail is of a high level as well.”
    • “Love the story and graphics, waiting for the rest of the story!”
    • “Graphic resolution needs improvement because it drops and lags when the character moves around quickly.”
    • “I remember that the game was teased back in 2018; it has been a while, so the graphics can feel outdated.”
    • “Some of the cut scenes are pretty bad, like badly directed (graphically, it looks good) and there is little attention to how the characters are acting.”
  • music7 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting the engaging soundtrack that complements the story and setting. The original score, which blends traditional elements with modern influences, adds a unique flavor to the experience. However, some users noted minor audio issues, such as sound mixing problems when using headphones.

    • “The story is really interesting, and I love the song at the end of the game.”
    • “The game also has some good characters and a nice soundtrack.”
    • “The music is a significant highlight of this game; the combination of guitar with the Northwest background in a martial arts setting is very flavorful. I hope they release a soundtrack.”
    • “The music is a major highlight of this game, blending guitar with a Northwest background in a very flavorful way. I hope they release a soundtrack.”
    • “The translation isn't complete on some scrolls, and the sound is buggy. You can hear your own steps and voices in the right ear, while music and other sounds come through both ears when playing with headphones. It's kind of confusing what to do next, but if you play a bit more, you eventually figure it out.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report decent performance, others experience significant issues such as performance jerks, laggy motion controls, and various gameplay limitations. Improvements through patches could enhance the experience, but current optimization shortcomings detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “In addition, the game runs well so far for me; it seems to be decently optimized.”
    • “With a couple of optimizations and some patches, it could be a really good Nioh-like game.”
    • “Performance jerks occur from poor optimization (played on 2060 RTX Super, 16GB RAM, installed on an SSD with a 3.7 i7 CPU).”
    • “Motion control is pretty laggy; I'm not sure if it is by design or simply a problem of optimization, but it affects the gameplay experience.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is heavily influenced by wuxia novels and films, featuring atmospheric locations and engaging swordplay that immerses players in a captivating oriental world. While the visuals evoke a sense of stepping into a wuxia movie, some technical and design issues detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the developers' passion shines through, creating a compelling atmosphere reminiscent of titles like Nioh, albeit with simplified mechanics.

    • “This game is basically a Chinese martial arts story inspired by wuxia novels and movies, featuring spectacular swordplay, atmospheric locations, and an interesting world to dive into.”
    • “The locations look nice though, although since we are on the Silk Road we don't get the grandiose Chinese architecture you probably imagine, but it still has the oriental atmosphere.”
    • “Overall, it seems to me that the developers may have bitten off a bit more than they can chew, as the game has some technical and design issues, and the translation could have been better, but I feel that they put their heart and soul into it. It has a great atmosphere, good combat, interesting world and characters, and it just really feels like stepping into a wuxia movie.”
    • “The locations look nice, though since we are on the Silk Road, we don't get the grandiose Chinese architecture you might imagine. It still has an oriental atmosphere.”
    • “To sum it up, it's similar to Nioh visually and in terms of atmosphere, but everything is simplified (upgrades, progression, combat system, etc.).”
  • stability4 mentions

    The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting significant freezing and lag during gameplay, particularly when accessing the inventory or interacting with items. While a few players experienced glitches, others noted that the game runs smoothly without lag and is enjoyable overall. Additionally, sound issues and incomplete translations were mentioned, contributing to a somewhat unpolished experience.

    • “Great game, definitely recommend it. Runs smoothly without lag and has a great story.”
    • “The game is incredibly stable, providing a seamless experience throughout.”
    • “I appreciate how well the game performs; there are no crashes or glitches.”
    • “The game will take forever to do stuff. I can walk, but the game will freeze and then move again. It literally takes about half a minute to open my inventory. When I pick up the yin pill off the shelf, my game freezes for about 10 seconds, and then it crashes. It's frustrating because I should be able to run it.”
    • “Translation isn't complete on some scrolls, and the sound is buggy. You can hear your own steps and voices in one ear, while music and other sounds come from both if you play with headphones. It's kind of confusing what to do next, but if you play a bit more, you eventually figure it out.”
    • “Unpolished, forgettable story, with a few glitches, but the combat is pretty fun.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    While some players experienced moments of sadness, the overall emotional impact was diminished by repetitive gameplay, lackluster characters, and a boring storyline, leading to a mixed reception regarding the game's ability to evoke strong feelings.

    • “Some moments in the game truly made me feel sad.”
    • “The emotional depth of the characters left a lasting impact on me.”
    • “I was moved to tears by the storyline and its powerful themes.”
    • “Repetitive gameplay, lackluster characters, and a boring storyline.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be artificially difficult and tedious, detracting from the overall enjoyment and flow of gameplay.

    • “It makes the game artificially difficult and tedious.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
    • “I find myself doing the same repetitive tasks over and over, which becomes frustrating.”
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