I've played a lot of ARPGS throughout the years, from spending a disgusting amount of time in Path of Exile to dipping my toes into Diablo. However, all of them have that same feel that makes them enjoyable and has a unique aesthetic to the ARPG genre that isn't really seen in other genres. Playing Wayfinder surprised me because it doesn't feel like an ARPG to me, at least in the classic sense of the genre. Instead, to me, it felt more like the kind of game you'd see ported to mobile as a MOBA. It gave me similar vibes to Smite in terms of camera angles and movements, with a cartoonish art style similar to Fortnite or even Palia. Because of these factors, I found it very difficult to get immersed in a game like this.
While for a lot of people, the color scheme and vibrancy of Wayfinder is bound to draw people in, it just didn't for me. Instead, it was a game where I had to turn the brightness all the way down, as it was giving me a headache. This is definitely more of a 'me' problem, as I am sensitive to flashing lights and bright colors, but it was pretty excessive. In some ways, the game reminded me of Borderlands, especially when you were charged with taking out Goblins. Although the combat style is vastly different from something you'd see in Borderlands, the layout and environments felt similar to that of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.
When you first open the game, you are hit with a lot of vibrant colors as the story is explained to you. Unfortunately, the story wasn't that memorable, and it wasn't something that I took an interest in during my time playing Wayfinder. For me, I bypassed the vast majority of the story and just tried to get stuck into the combat and exploration of the game, as that was what drew me in the most.
Wayfinder kind of suffers from a feeling of being generic. While the gameplay aspect is a lot of fun, there isn't much that is original. When I was first told about the game and the Critical Role collaboration, I was expecting something more akin to Divinity: Original Sin. Maybe I put my expectations a bit too high. I was expecting more of a roleplay element where you could have more impactful interactions with people and form bonds with the characters you meet, but that didn't seem like much of an option. The characters I spoke to were very well-developed, and they had hefty backstories, but it was hard to find any information about the character you're playing when in discussion with others. There's not really any witty banter or sprinkles of personality that showcase who the character is, regardless of who you choose.
Getting into the nitty-gritty of the content, I found myself really enjoying the combat system of Wayfinder. I chose to play as Ness, the typical edgy-looking rogue. The character designs are all pretty stereotypical, but this didn't bother me too much. The playstyle was fun, albeit it was nothing overly new. Although the combat was a lot of fun and was easy to get stuck into, parrying was difficult. The parry window was very short, but it also shared a stamina bar with dodging and blocking. This made it very difficult not to take damage, as you may be able to dodge one attack and block another, but you could very quickly run out of stamina before being able to parry the third. My main issue with this was that the enemies often came thick and fast, or they'd be joined by a much stronger enemy, making an easy fight very tense and challenging. Despite that, the combat provided a much-needed thrill in the game, and it was fun being able to Shadow-step through enemies to destroy them.
The gear system was a bit confusing, and I felt that it wasn't explained very well. While the gear was easy to find in your inventory, you'd find that you could also pick up gear for the other Wayfinders available to play. This made it a bit confusing for me at first, as I assumed any gear I'd pick up would be for my specific character. The upgrading system available was also a bit finicky to get used to, and you're immediately thrown into dungeons to collect resources that you have no idea how to use.
Overall, my experience with Wayfinder was pretty average. Unfortunately, nothing about the game stuck out, and there wasn't much that felt unique or groundbreaking. While the dungeons were a lot of fun, and the combat was the main thing that drew me in, it wasn't enough to keep me playing. Hopefully, as the game continues to get updated, new content and features will be added to improve the game.
Code provided by the publisher on PC.
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