Open-world wuxia game Where Winds Meet is holding its first beta test in North America later this month

We got our first look at Where Winds Meet when it was revealed at Gamescom in 2022, shortly after which executive editor Tyler Wilde said he was particularly looking forward to getting a real job in its “wuxia-style Assassin’s Creed” open world. (Hey, to each their own.) Later this month he’ll have his first shot at finding out how that goes in the first closed beta test taking place outside of Asia.

Where Winds Meet will set players off as sword-wielding wanders in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era of ancient China. Different factions offer access to unique martial skills, or you can choose to go it alone, honing your own abilities along the way. The mostly-singlerplayer game (Where Winds Meet will offer multiplayer for “specific experiences” like PvP and world events, but the narrative and exploration is a solo affair) promises “realistic physical conditions, real consequences, and the interconnectedness of nature and society,” and a narrative that will be shaped through player choice.