Wuthering Waves vs Genshin Impact: All similarities and differences explored

Wuthering Waves is the newest hot topic in the world of anime-styled MMORPGs. Developed by Kuro Games, it is getting a lot of praise from fans and critics alike. However, one thing that is haunting this new free-to-play gacha game is its similarity with other popular games in the genre, especially Genshin Impact. Even in our games like Wuthering Waves list, we compared these two titles and stated their visual similarities.

Be that as it may, it doesn’t mean Wuthering Waves has no identity of its own. In this article, we have explored all the differences as well as similarities between Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact.

---

Wuthering Waves vs Genshin Impact: Similarities and differences

The similarities between these two games (Image via Kuro Games)

Similarities:

1. Open-world exploration: Both games offer open-world environments filled with grand cities, set pieces, quests, NPCs, secrets, and many more.
2. Gacha system: The modern norm of “free-to-play” games, both of the titles utilize quite a rigorous gacha system where players can collect characters, weapons, and other items through random draws or purchases.
3. Character switching: Both games allow players to switch between characters during combat. It’s very similar to Pokemon, but real-time.
4. Elemental reactions: Another similarity with the Pokemon games. Both games feature elemental reactions between characters, which can be used to create powerful combinations and strategies. Simply put, it’s an elaborate stone-paper-scissors but with natural elements.
5. Visual style: The reason why people are calling Wuthering Waves a Genshin clone. Both of the games feature very similar art styles in their graphics.

That’s quite it for the similarities between the games. Now, let's review the differences.

---

Both ARPGs also have many differences (Image via miHoYo)

Differences:

1. Combat mechanics: While the combat feels familiar, Wuthering Waves ramps up the challenge with a bigger emphasis on nailing those dodges, parries, and perfectly timed strikes.
2. Difficulty: From what we've seen, Wuthering Waves isn't pulling any punches in terms of difficulty. Aggressive enemies and demanding strategy/timing make this a more difficult affair than Genshin's more approachable battles.
3. Storyline: Wuthering Waves has a darker, more mature storyline focused on rebuilding a post-apocalyptic world, whereas Genshin Impact has a more lighthearted, adventurous storyline with a focus on exploration and character development. It’s like comparing the story of Dark Souls with Zelda.
4. Traversal: Wuthering Waves includes features like wall-running and retractable grappling hooks for much smoother traversal. Although Genshin features a very similar gliding mechanic present in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it still lacks the fluidity of Wuthering Waves' traversal.
5. UI and QuickTime events: Wuthering Waves incorporates cutscene-like sections into battles, which are likely QuickTime events, whereas Genshin Impact’s combat is more linear and free-flowing.
6. Free-to-play model: It’s a long shot but according to various reports and the community belief, Wuthering Waves is designed to be more free-to-play friendly, with a focus on accessibility and a more generous gacha system. whereas Genshin Impact has a more complex monetization model. However, we advise taking this point with a little grain of salt.

---

That’s all the differences and similarities we have witnessed so far. But beware that this is not a definitive list. Wuthering Waves was released only recently and there are chances that over the course of its runtime, the devs may implement more similar mechanics to Genshin or introduce some new aspects that may revolutionize the genre.