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This is both an answer to the question in the title of the post, as well as an unofficial sort of review of Wayfinder as it exists in its current early access state (since MetaCritic is not allowing people to post reviews of the game in early access). If you are reading this after Wayfinder Echoes 1.0 releases, please take my review with a grain of salt, as I imagine my opinions will not be fully representative of what the game might be upon the release of version 1.0 on October 21st, 2024.
Additionally, I wanted to write this not as someone attempting to proselytize or convince people to support this game, but instead as someone who liked most aspects of this game and wanted people who were considering buying it to feel well-informed before they decided to shell out the money for it. As such, I made every attempt to be as objective as possible in sharing my thoughts, while also striving to be deeply respectful to the people who worked to create this game.
If you want the shortest, most succinct answer to the question I asked in the title of this post: I personally think Wayfinder Echoes is a good game. Despite what you may (or may not) have heard about its past issues, I believe it's quite enjoyable in its current state. However: Your mileage may vary. I come into this review as someone who has been playing the game for over 150 hours, and have been enjoying playing it in bursts since formerly playing it relentlessly for about 100 hours. Having said that, I almost put Wayfinder down within the first 5-10 hours, because it didn't fully grab me at first. That is not me saying "You should stick with it if you don't like it at first" - rather, I simply felt that such a detail was important to mention, as I did not necessarily enjoy myself entirely while playing Wayfinder, despite eventually truly enjoying it.
If you want a number rating? 8/10. It's generally very good. Some players may find it a bit simplistic, or might be put off by the art style and lack of a strong narrative, but I think the largest part of what is here is very solid.
At its current price point ($25 USD, $34 CAD), this game is a steal - I would be slightly more reticent to recommend the game depending on the price set for 1.0, but I think I would need to see what that price is before I say anything definitive about that.
If that's too much of an oversimplification for you, my additional thoughts are below.
What games are similar to Wayfinder?
In terms of its combat, itemization and levelling system, I think Wayfinder borrows a lot from Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the Monster Hunter series (especially in the endgame) and the Diablo games - if this game was an MMO, it certainly doesn't seem that way in its current state. The combat feels to me like a more refined, modernized version of Amalur's, which I personally loved - however, it is a bit more challenging and complex than Amalur. The game is also like Diablo in that there isn't a character creator, and the 7 (soon to be 8) playable characters have mostly different active and passive abilities (though they all share weapon movesets) - however, unlike in Diablo, each character can use any weapon, meaning that there is slightly more freedom in terms of how each individual character is built. For example: Niss, the prototypical "rogue" character, starts out with twin daggers as her weapon of choice, but she can use any weapon you want - if you feel compelled to give her a shotgun or a greatsword, there are likely ways to use those weapons to make functional and competent builds that can handle most of the game's enemies.
Itemization feels comparable to Monster Hunter, with tiered armour sets that generally increase in power (along with a perfectly implemented transmog system for both armour and weapons), as well as a similar endgame grind for said items (though not anywhere near as tiresome and frustrating as the kind of grinding you'd get out of the MH games). Something that I found particularly impressive was the sheer number of dye options for armour and weapons - there's a reasonable number of skins for weapons/armour, but the number of colours you can dye them is astonishing.
In terms of aesthetics, the game I'd actually compare Wayfinder to is Fortnite - where the melee combat definitely feels like Amalur, the gun mechanics (as this game features both swords and guns) feel comparable to Fortnite. The art style, the 3rd-person gun mechanics and the emotes/stickers/etc. all seem somewhat similar to what you'd see there - while that will definitely be a strike against the game for some, I feel pretty neutral on it. I've enjoyed Fortnite in the past, and Wayfinder's art style doesn't detract from the mechanical elements I enjoy. This game isn't Dragon Age or Baldur's Gate by any stretch of the imagination, so an art style that was reflective of the more grounded nature of those games would probably be unfitting in a game like this. Wayfinder is bright and colourful and not too heavy on lore, and I think the art style fits that motif. While I definitely found the presence of emotes like the "Highland Shuffle" cringeworthy and gag-inducing, it didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the game - these completely cosmetic aspects of the game felt like forced holdovers from when the game was in its awkward teen years as a live-service/MMO-type game. As with most aspects of the game, there was no need for me to engage with it at any more than an absolute minimum, so no issues there.
I've also heard people compare Wayfinder to Warframe - I can't comment on this (as I haven't played Warframe), but I'd assume it's a reasonable comparison to make.
Overall, I think that if you aren't going into this looking for a gritty open-world RPG with a strong narrative and a matching art style, you will be pleased. This is, in essence, a fun loot grind that's relatively light on story. It's got great combat, it's highly accessible (yet can be tough to master), and is generally a very technically stable experience (even in early access). As I said in the beginning, your mileage will vary depending on your personal tastes - this game's art style and simplicity are absolutely for everyone. Having said that, a game for everyone is a game for no one, and I personally enjoyed most of what was on display here.
What about the story/narrative/characters?
I personally didn't find myself pulled into the story, but not engaging with it had absolutely no consequences - something I deeply appreciated. I didn't find myself all that interested in any of the characters or lore, and some characters were, undeniably, a bit grating. But thankfully, there was no impetus to engage with any of them, or the story at large - like with Amalur, the story and lore are there for those who do find it interesting, and those who don't can largely ignore it. I personally found this a major relief, as I enjoyed the game but didn't care for what was happening narratively.
I heard Wayfinder had some issues in the past - are those still a concern?
I've heard that too, but I am coming into this having never touched the game before September. I had seen a review a while ago that did not recommend the game at that time, and I steered clear of the game back then, as MMOs are of almost zero interest to me. However, as stated prior, I like this game enough in its current state (as what I would call a single-player, 3rd-person action RPG) to have played it for well over 100 hours, and I think that merits praise.
Having said this, Wayfinder will be in early access for another week, and there are understandably still some bugs and jankiness that I trust will be ironed out. Currently, the game's framerate on PS5 takes quite a nosedive once you enter the 2nd main open area (Frostmarch) - this was a stark contrast to the fairly stable 60 FPS I experienced up until then. There are also some rather frustrating bugs here and there involving itemization and certain world events, but based on what I've been playing through, I have a feeling these issues will largely disappear upon the 1.0 release, or shortly thereafter.
Final thoughts:
Wayfinder's strength lies in its simplicity and accessibility - it's an awesome hack-and-slash RPG that feels (to me) like a modernized Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but with more flexibility, especially in its opportunities for min-maxing and buildcrafting. Its story is not something I felt drawn to, but the game doesn't self-importantly force the narrrative down your throat, either. The lack of microtransactions is also nice, especially considering the wealth of cosmetic options.
I did not experience co-op, so I can't comment on how well that feature has been implemented. But you can play this game with other people (it also has crossplay, which was recently implemented!), so I'd say that's one more positive to add.
Lastly (on a more personal note): In 2024, Wayfinder feels unique to me. These days, I personally don't see too many quality action RPGs that aren't isometric or soulslikes, so it's nice to play one that doesn't necessarily kowtow to modern gaming trends while still proving to be interesting enough to play.
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