With the Void Matter beneath Lahai-Roi growing unstable, Wuthering Waves 3.3 ‘Reverbs From The End Of Galaxies’ sees Rover (Jane Jackson, The First Descendant) join their allies as they put everything they have into defeating Aleph-1 and bringing Aemeath (Cara Theobold, Overwatch’s Tracer) home. But the Threnodian isn’t the only malevolent being standing in their way, as the Grand Architect continues to pursue their goals.
One of the more common complaints levied against Wuthering Waves‘ first anniversary was the lack of significant plot development in the corresponding update. Kuro Games clearly took the criticism to heart, making sure the second anniversary delivers major story moments as the Threnodian threat is addressed. But while it is filled with character appearances and major beats that will hold fans on the edge of their seats, not everything flows together perfectly. And its biggest miss comes early on in the story.
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Rather than following Rover at the tale’s opening, Wuthering Waves 3.3 sees Hiyuki (Mei Mac, The War Between the Land and the Sea) return to Honami to help purge the remaining Left Behinds from the city, as is her duty as Miko of Flaming Sakura. Hiyuki’s initial arrival delivers a strong first real look at the powerful resonator’s character.
Wuthering Waves 3.3 is a solid accomplishment despite an early misstep.
As she helps each spirit find release, we see her struggle with the varying opinions the Left Behinds hold of her. Some celebrate her arrival, even if it’s too late to save them, while others blame her for their fates. Hiyuki herself aligns more with the latter, as she also feels she has not done her duty.
This opening setup creates a fantastic place for Hiyuki to occupy. As the larger plot unfolds, Hiyuki, the hero who failed, comes face to face with Rover, the hero who “always” wins. The exploration of Hiyuki’s story through this comparison is a great one, crafting a human character who could’ve easily been little more than an elemental powerhouse.
Hiyuki’s personality also takes on even greater weight thanks to Mac’s fantastic voice work. Hiyuki’s experience, mindfulness, and wisdom seem to infuse every word she softly speaks. The character’s bearing and screen presence, despite her softer-spoken nature, put her in the same group as past personalities like Changli and Canterella. And that’s great company to keep.
Hiyuki’s self-doubt plummets further with the arrival of the Grand Architect.
Further laying the groundwork for Hiyuki’s self-doubts is the arrival of the Grand Architect. The constantly scheming menace brings the familiar loathsome presence that always surrounds them. Half mocking, half goading, the Fractsidus leader hits the ground running as they establish their place in the story.
But while their presence is as excellently delivered as ever, it is the clear goal of their discourse with Hiyuki that throws cold water on Wuthering Waves 3.3‘s opening sequence. Despite the game trying hard to leave the results of the villain’s mission unclear, there is never any doubt about how Hiyuki walked away from the meeting. To even consider any other possibility would be a hard left turn for the narrative that would be unbelievable.
Despite this part of the Fractsidus plot falling flat, the grand scope of what we discover about their plans in Lahai-Roi and their objectives for Denia adds a lot of depth to the organization. Rather than doing something completely different from Rinascita or simply repeating the same plot, Wuthering Waves 3.3 reveals an evolving objective that draws on lessons the organization has learned previously. What they are striving for makes a lot of sense given their previous actions, but will still surprise with the details.
Facing the big bad requires all hands on deck.
While the Grand Architect serves as a secondary villain, the true threat here remains Aleph-1. With the constraints put upon the ever-ravenous Threnodian loosening, time is running out for Startorch Academy and the Roya to save their world.
Everyone you want to see here does. Every major protagonist from the 3.x updates returns to lend their aid. Even some side characters, like the remaining Heliodic Six members, arrive to give their aid in the growing crisis. The way everyone comes together to confront their common enemy infuses the story with a raw positivity that absolutely glows. There is no one savior of Lahai-Roi; only a people unwilling to surrender.
The ensemble’s joint effort leads to a couple of the series’ biggest fight scenes. The final climactic clash with Aleph-1 is as epic as it is original for the series. The game manages to design the boss fight as a smooth experience that players of all skill levels will enjoy, while still elevating it to the level of a grand confrontation, which its narrative has become known for.
Helping both the epic and personal play out with maximum impact is the incredible use of both cinematography and lighting. The perfect angle is always found, bringing sweeping landscapes, monolithic obstacles, and personal interaction to life. The lighting takes the visual foundation these shots create and amplifies them with a gorgeous layer of emotion in the most critical of moments.
But while the biggest beats and cast presence all shine, Wuthering Waves 3.3 does feel a bit rushed at times. Its second act features setbacks that are too quickly overcome to reach an endpoint. With a little fleshing out, this story could’ve easily been two updates, with the first ending on a losing note to build drama for the eventual success. As it is, it feels like Kuro powered through the story a bit too fast, so the big finale landed on the game’s birthday.
The narrative also introduces new gameplay mechanics that players will interact with. A glide option is added to the motorbike, finally making it so folks will have little to complain about leaving their wings in Rinascita, only sadness is that it comes right at the end. There are a couple of fun platforming segments that use some new gameplay tricks. While brief, they are novel enough to add variety to a chase sequence.
Players will take part in everything from Tetris-style obstacles to combat pinball.
The only place where gameplay goes astray in Wuthering Waves 3.3 is with an unfortunate Tetris-inspired moment. Tasking players with escaping a 2D trap by scaling over falling blocks that resemble the familiar shapes, the sequence initially has novelty, but it drags on for much too long. Coupled with how slowly blocks fall, even the least coordinated players will find themselves getting anxious waiting for their next obstacle to land.
Outside of the story, the update’s big side event is a combat pinball game. Reuniting with friends old and new, players must propel pinball versions of the game’s cast around the screen, as they fight off monsters.
Characters have stats that must be leveled, abilities that can be triggered, and even a leadership passive that only activates when you make a character the leader of the three-person squad. It brings an adorable, fun way to earn some extra premium currency and have a silly adventure with the cast.
Wuthering Waves 3.3 delivers the epic finale fans have been waiting for.
The other major gameplay elements for Wuthering Waves 3.3 are the new character. Hiyuki feels great and brings gorgeous visuals to their combat sequences. As the first glacio character Wuthering Waves has gotten since Carlotta, not to mention her gorgeous, classical Japanese-inspired aesthetic, many will be eager to snatch up Hiyuki.
Wuthering Waves 3.3 brings the Lahai-Roi storyline home with an epic finale. Despite not hitting every note as cleanly as it might have, it comes through at the most critical times. Players will have much to celebrate beyond the extra rewards Kuro trots out for the anniversary.
