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Wayfinder is an upcoming action MMO that will soon be available on both PlayStation 5 consoles and PCs (through Steam). I recently sat down and previewed the title on both platforms to see how this stylish game played out. Although I didn’t get to spend as much time and get as deep as I wanted to, I still spent quite a few hours exploring the fictional world of Evenor.
Wayfinders are the characters in the game that players control, as they do battle against a mysterious force known as Gloom. Essentially, the Gloom is slowly decaying the world of Evenor, and it’s up to the players to team up and overcome this force and push it back.
I spent the weekend playing through the early game portion of Wayfinder, and although I loved the presentation and overall gameplay, there are certain elements that I felt could be clearer and less grind-heavy in nature.
What is Wayfinder? A closer look at the upcoming action MMO port
The preview session ran this past weekend, and it was nice to dive into an interesting action MMO like Wayfinder. While you only get to pick from one of three characters at the start, you can unlock more over the course of your experience. You must start with Wingrave (The Seeker), Silo (The Tactician), or Niss (The Shadow Dancer).
I wanted to play someone cool and sneaky, so I went with Niss the Shadow Dancer. Interestingly, she reminded me a lot of a Drow or Tiefling Rogue in Dungeons & Dragons. The horns, purple skin, a pair of powerful twin daggers, and cool movement technology certainly seemed familiar. In general, you'll receive a decent tutorial that teaches you how the game’s combat and movement mechanics work.
I played on both the PS5 and PC during this Wayfinder preview session, primarily using a controller on both platforms. Although the keyboard and mouse controls are nice, games such as this one personally feel better with a controller.
It feels a lot like many other action RPGs that I’ve played before - complete with double jumps, a dodge roll, and two attack buttons. In addition to four attacks which can be activated and have cooldowns, you have a basic attack and a stronger strike. Furthermore, you can equip certain consumables, such a flask that restores health.
You must explore Lost Zones, which are essentially dungeons, and try to push back the Gloom. In general, these areas have closed doors that you can go through, small puzzles to solve, treasures to obtain, and, of course, enemies to defeat. Sometimes, you must battle powerful bosses, but that wasn’t always the case for me.
As this is a multiplayer game, each character also has a character archetype to keep in mind. Fortunately, I had access to Senja The Champion as well, a former gladiator who's incredibly muscular. Besides swinging around a giant axe, Senja can throw powerful punches at foes and generally serves as a tank. She's capable of pulling groups of enemies together, taunting them, and dealing heavy amounts of damage. Senja was easily my favorite character out of all the options that I saw and played as/with.
Players have one account and can swap out their characters before they go into battle, so they can pick whatever playstyle they prefer. Considering that Wayfinder is going to be a free-to-play game when it arrives for new-gen consoles and PCs, as of writing this article, it’s unclear how characters will be unlocked, either with real money or gameplay.
Overall, I truly loved playing the game. The combat was enjoyable, being fairly smooth and action-packed. It felt like I could easily interrupt my attacks to dodge roll away from incoming damage and stay safe. The in-game attacks felt brilliant, and whether I was using a PS5 controller or the keyboard/mouse setup, I felt like I was completely in control.
Although the dungeons weren’t incredibly long, they certainly didn’t feel like a waste of time. Since players are likely going to be traveling through the same dungeon multiple times, it’s a good thing that they don't take too long to complete.
The world outside of combat in Wayfinder is beautiful and frustrating
When you aren’t demolishing the forces of chaos in Wayfinder, you have a hub area to wander in, as well as other zones out in the wilderness. The actual world itself is brilliant. I love the visual esthetic of it, and moving around is reasonably simple, thanks to the Fast Travel system. However, I found something that frustrated me pretty quickly.
I feel like the game is going to be incredibly grindy when it comes to obtaining new weapons. The only way that I saw to unlock better weapons was to craft them. However, in order to craft them, you'll need quite a few resources.
To craft a weapon, you need the Weapon’s Shell, Form, and Spirit. Each of these componenes takes its own crafting reagents. You can then put them together, and make the entire weapon, which further requires more resources. In general, it just feels like a really clunky system. This could also always change, or getting particular resources could ultimately become quite easy. As it stood in the preview session, it seemed like it could be a very frustrating system.
The aesthetics of Wayfinder are fantastic
With Wayfinder being a great deal of fun to play, the visuals of the action game definitely deliver as well. The art style is sharp and colorful, and all of the characters certainly have unique designs. From the massive body and muscles of Senja to the mysterious, scythe-wielding Kyros, I love the design of the world and the characters themselves.
The enemies look cool as well, and everything about the esthetic fits in nicely. It’s a very stylish game, especially when combined with solid sound effects and music. While exploring the woods, it was nice to hear what sounded like a babbling brook off in the distance. In particular, the sound effects were quite good and crunchy. I was glad to see it’s not all style, but substance as well.
In conclusion
While I love Wayfinder, I have an instinctual fear or worry when it comes to free-to-play MMOs. I’ve played more than my fair share of the genre, and the notion that it could become pay-to-win in the near future is a legitimate concern. Although I’m not suggesting that this game will definitely go down that path, we don't know what happens next. Since this is a free-to-play game, it will have monetization in some form.
Nevertheless, there’s nothing wrong with fair monetization. As long as this game doesn’t become a horrifying grind if you aren’t spending money, it could be a genuine hit. Overall, Airship Syndicate's RPG feels and looks good.
Wayfinder is a flashy and fun action MMO, and the three-person parties certainly feel enjoyable. There’s plenty to see and do in the game, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else arrives when it's officially published by Digital Extremes later on in Spring 2023.
