With the New Solar Celebration complete, Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2 sees the immediate threat to Startorch Academy passed. However, the Fractsidus’ end goal remains a mystery. The ongoing danger the organization presents to the academy and the people who call it home is something President Lucilla cannot permit. Luckily, she knows an industrious student who is always ready to get under the Fractsidus’ skin.
If there is one element that Kuro Games has delivered with consistent quality over the nearly two-year run of Wuthering Waves, it’s their delivery of memorable characters. This key focus comes as no surprise, after all, selling characters is how they make their money. This is one of those rare situations where both the business and the player win, as the profit side of the equation pushes the developer to create incredible characters that players will happily spend money on. And it looks like they may be delivering some of their best work yet with Lucilla.
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Since the 3.1 story update, Lucilla has been seeing more and more screen time. The buildup to her character had already introduced fans to a confident, stylish figure who oozes both personality and presence. However, up until now, we’ve largely seen her connection to external threats directed at others. Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2 sees the school president pitted against more internal struggles, as the Fractsidus try to use the surreal nature of the Dark Side to overwhelm Lucilla with the pain of her past. They woefully misjudged her.
Through the plot to break Lucilla in Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2, we learn a lot about who she is.
Through the insidious plot to break Lucilla in Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2, we get to learn a lot about who she is, as well as what her forte is. We discover that she is a memory-based resonator who can gain memories from objects. However, Lucilla has a limit to the number of memories she can hold. It turns out that discovering this restriction in her youth caused some severe loss of identity for her.
How Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2 shows the Fractsidus trying to use her past weakness to break her spirit plays out well, even if this style of heroic trial feels a bit played out. The ever-changing nature of the Dark Side allows the story to pop visually, helping distract from the familiar approach to manipulation, but it is Lucilla herself who steals the show, making the sequence shine rather than feel like a predictable struggle with one’s past.
Rather than be shaken by the showcase of her stumbles and possible failures, Lucilla mocks the overly theatrical attempt to break her spirit. Her acknowledgment of what was and her refusal to allow it to be weaponized against her help present her as a true embodiment of what we’ve seen Startorch Academy to be: an organization that learns from its past to blaze a trail into the future.
Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2 brings other characters into the light, building on or introducing them.
This deviation from the usual provincial “death and rebirth” of the hero works so well because of who Lucilla is in the story. She is a side character, someone whose journey is already largely written. We don’t need to see her struggle to overcome her past to build the central plot; that’s Rover’s (Jane Jackson, The First Descendant) job. Using Lucilla’s more limited time to showcase the personal strength that comes after such truths have already been accepted elevates both her and the moment into something memorable.
While the vast majority of the story centers on Lucilla, Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2 also brings others into the light, building on or introducing them to the story. We learn more about Denia and her dealings with the Grand Architect. It seems the questionable student may not be as evil as her time in Sigika’s story made her out to be, though she definitely appears to be in over her head now.
The other major character presence here is the newly revealed Hiyuki. While her presence in the story is light, it’s calculated to make an incredible first impression. The soft-spoken sword wielder shows up in time to save the day, displaying a chilling prowess that makes short work of her foes.
The character-rich moments are brought to life through an incredible visual presentation.
All of Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2‘s character-rich moments are brought to life through an incredible visual presentation. The camera work and lighting create striking moments, augmenting everything that the characters and story bring to the game. Combined with the strange and frequently disturbing locale that is the Dark Side, the story delivers a true feast for the eyes.
The only small complaint I have about this entry into the Lahai-Roi narrative is that it’s not very interactive. The story sections of Wuthering Waves always prioritize narrative over gameplay, but this story brings interactivity to an all-time low. Only two incredibly brief fights play out, and there are no puzzles or platforming elements either. There isn’t even a boss fight to cap the festivities with.
Despite the story lacking in gameplay, Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2 does provide a fairly large side mode: Knights of the Wild. This sizable combat event tasks players with taking out up to seven groups of enemies, frequently under special circumstances, until they are ready to clash with the boss. Defeating each group of enemies raises the player’s power level in the side mode. Once one group is defeated, the player can choose to skip the others and go straight to the boss. Bypassing the benefits of beating the other enemies creates a more challenging experience, should they choose to do so.
Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2 delivers an artistic story.
I love this approach to customizable difficulty. Letting players opt into an approach that caters to their skill set and team quality allows the mode to welcome players across the investment spectrum without making them feel like they are missing out on rewards.
Wuthering Waves 3.2 Part 2 delivers an artistic story that is sure to make players fall head over heels for Lucilla. Her poise, strength, and unyielding acceptance of who she is make her as memorable a personality as her character design makes her visually. It just remains to be seen when players will have the opportunity to add her to their teams.
Wuthering Waves is available on PC, PlayStation, and mobile devices, and is slated to arrive on Xbox Series X/S later this year.
