Their Calament arrived without a sign. Their world shattered without so much as a sigh. What is dead will stay buried. Except nothing ever truly dies. Which part of you will you save? What is left untouched by all this pain? Let the echo be heard.
—"Daybreak" CG Trailer
Wuthering Waves is an upcoming open world Action RPG with a Gacha monetization model, developed by Kuro Games (of Punishing: Gray Raven fame) for Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. It was first teased on May 2022, and is set to be officially released two years later on May 22, 2024. There were also two closed beta tests in between those years.
Its official YouTube channel can be found here
, which includes its various pre-release videos and promotional trailers.
This game provides examples of:
- Alliterative Title: Wuthering Waves
- Central Theme: Sound is a recurring theme, and many of Rover’s voice lines allude to sound.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: One of the characters featured in the "En Route" Character Teaser is Chixia, wearing an outfit with asymmetrical parts such as one shoulder being covered with pieces of cloth while the other is exposed, or simply one foot having a shorter sock.
- Gravity Screw: As seen in the "Daybreak" CG trailer, the woman in blue runs away as objects from the environment behind her (such as rocks and water from the river) slowly float upwards.
- Gun Twirling: Aalto's Resonator Showcase video has a stylish slow-motion shot where he twirls his handgun around his finger.
- Hit Stop:
- From the "Suonare" Gameplay Demo, a playable character's weapon produced a distinct ring sound and a brief slow-motion effect as it clashes with the opponent's.
- The character-specific "Resonator Showcase" trailer videos also make deliberate use of slow-motion effects and camera panning when the character hits their opponent, as seen in the "Sanhua – EVER SO PURE" video.
- From the "Suonare" Gameplay Demo
- Iaijutsu Practitioner: Yangyang is first shown with a sheathed weapon on her hip in the "Daybreak" trailer. The first Gameplay Trailer and "Suonare" Gameplay Demo onwards show her unsheathing her katana and putting it back to its scabbard during her attacks.
- Knowledge Broker: In his "POPULAR DEMAND" Resonator Showcase video, Aalto describes himself as "an honest broker of information open to negotiations at the right price".
- Le Parkour: The first Gameplay Trailer demonstrates vertical Wall Running, Wall Jump and Double Jump as movement mechanics that can be used to simply reach the balcony of a structure. The later trailers reveal more traversal options or acrobatic actions, such as horizontal wall running in the "Suonare" Gameplay Demo, and grabbing a roof's edge in the "WAKING OF A WORLD" trailer.
- Male Gaze: One of the first shots from the "Daybreak" CG trailer has the camera focusing on Yangyang's neck and shoulder-revealing outfit. Later trailers also utilize male gaze for fanservice, such as the "En Route" Character Teaser opening with a focus on Chixia's exposed belly.
- Mascot: Yangyang is the general representative of Wuthering Waves since her side portrait serves as the game's official icon in the app stores and in the online social media platforms.
- Mon: The fourth Dev Talk video confirms and demonstrates a "monster collection" gameplay mechanic. After defeating enemy monsters, the player has a chance to collect their Echoes, which then allows summoning that monster to provide offensive, defensive, healing, or movement assistance.
- Ms. Fanservice: Yangyang's outfit bares enough skin as it's sleeveless and partially backless. Male gaze ensues depending on her in-game animations or how the camera focuses on her in trailers and cutscenes.
- Parrying Bullets: Near the end of the 2022 Tokyo Game Show Exhibition Gameplay Trailer, the playable character deflects a turtle creature's ice shard back at it with a well-timed sword slash.
- Reverse Grip: Just as her name appears behind her in the "A WAYFARER'S ESCAPADE" Resonator Showcase video, Danjin strikes a pose holding her sword with a reverse grip.
- Rhymes on a Dime: The narrator in "A WAYFARER'S ESCAPE" speaks in rhymes for the entirety of the video.
- Sword Lines: The slash lines of bladed weapons may vary in color depending on the character. As seen in the "Suonare" Gameplay Demo video, these can be in white, yellow/orange, or light blue, amongst others.
- Tag Team: As shown in the 2022 Tokyo Game Show Exhibition Gameplay Trailer, there's only one active playable character on the field, but it's possible to swap to other characters mid-battle. The Closed Beta Tests reveal that up to three characters can be in a party.
