Wayfinder MMO shows promise in its closed beta

WayfinderMMORPG based heavily on other classics, currently closed beta for PlayStation 5 and PC. Airship Syndicate has crafted a game with both fun and challenging challenges that is reminiscent of the classics. After I accepted Polygon’s invitation to the game’s closed beta, I found myself lured by the promise of just One more run until I realized WayfinderMy time was gone.

Although the beta version is not yet polished and lacks some assets, it gave me a pretty good sense of the gameplay. WayfinderIt is filled with comforting fantasies, infused in saturated colors and other interesting details. It’s set in the world of Evenor, a realm threatened by the malevolent forces of the Gloom. A long time ago, Gloom was attempting to destroy civilizations. But a group of Champions stood up against them and won. One year later, the Champions were reborn in Echoes as imperfect and incomplete replicas of their fallen heroes.

One of the Echoes is my chosen character. This allows me to pick from champions like Wingrave, the sword-and board paladin-esque Wingrave, or Niss, the sneaky and stabby Niss. The customization process allows me to customize the character of Wayfinder, which I then can use as my profession. There are plenty of options for cosmetics and colors available. It’s a neat balance between a player-created blank slate of a protagonist and a small, concrete cast.

Jumping in Wayfinder feels like riding a bike; you’ve probably done much of it before in other MMORPGs, and Airship Syndicate hasn’t reinvented the wheel. Many of the major systems were straight outta Airship Syndicate. WarframeThe fans will know the names of these characters and many others. World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 14You can also call it: Guild Wars II. How do you make it work? WayfinderIt is interesting to see how this combination works and what its differences are from other peers.

One, its geographic range is limited. I can hang out in Skylight, the remaining hub of civilization and peace in a world that’s otherwise been consumed by Gloom. From there, my character’s ally Omen can open portals to expeditions and zones to pockets of reality full of traps, brigands, spiders, or goblins. These zones act like dungeons, but they’re randomly generated for each run, leading to a different layout.

Airship Syndicate/Digital Extremes Image

You can also access other areas that may be dangerous. My adventure begins when I’m sent into the Highlands. There are maddened thieves hiding in crumbling ruin ruins, so this is a great challenge. While exploring, beacons appear in new places. I’m able to teleport among these beacons and the Gloom is held back by their light.

It’s an elaborate but rewarding process to empower and experiment with my Wayfinder of choice. Clearing minions and platforming up pathways, defeating bosses and earning more resources, I can either power up my main weapon and/or unlock other Wayfinders.

Although the game offers lots of space to play min-max or tinkering, I’m more drawn to playing with dolls and making my way towards my goal to create my very own home. It is possible to customize your own apartment by using the dolly dress-up. Wayfinder is to succeed, it’ll need to balance between both extremes — scaling content for those who crave a challenge, and offering cozy MMO comforts for role-playing and good vibes. Both of these areas are promising in the beta testing.