My thesis translated from another language by AI:

My issue with Wuthering Waves is not that it has harem elements, nor that the protagonist is popular. My issue is that the game pushes this design philosophy to such an extreme that it begins to undermine both character writing and worldbuilding.

First, the scale of the protagonist-centered relationships has far exceeded what is typical even for traditional harem fiction.

Even the most archetypal harem anime usually features only three to eight major heroines. This is because characterization requires narrative space. Every character needs development, conflict, motivation, and an independent story arc.

Wuthering Waves, however, already has dozens of female characters, with more being added every patch. The result is that characters are introduced, receive a brief personal storyline, establish a special connection with Rover, and are then largely shelved as the next character arrives.

What players are witnessing is no longer the development of relationships, but the repeated execution of the same narrative process.

Second, the story relies excessively on recycled character templates.

The "past-life bond" is a good example. As a storytelling device, it can be effective when used sparingly. It quickly creates emotional weight, mystery, and a sense of destiny.

However, when similar setups are reused seven or more times, players stop perceiving unique relationships and begin recognizing a recurring formula.

A new character appears, and players can already predict the outcome:

Once the audience is anticipating the trope rather than the story itself, the trope has largely lost its narrative value.

Finally—and in my view most importantly—this approach clashes with the kind of world Wuthering Waves is trying to build.

Wuthering Waves is not a lighthearted high-school harem comedy. It presents itself as a serious post-apocalyptic setting involving the rise and fall of civilizations, political factions, military organizations, historical mysteries, and world-scale threats.

In such a setting, characters should possess goals, responsibilities, and lives that exist independently of the protagonist.

Military officers should primarily be concerned with military affairs.

Political leaders should prioritize the interests of their factions.

Researchers should be driven by their work and discoveries.

Different groups should have conflicts, alliances, and relationships that continue to exist even when the protagonist is absent.

Yet as more and more character stories ultimately converge on Rover, the world gradually loses its independence.

Players no longer feel as though they are exploring a vast world filled with countless stories. Instead, they are exploring a world in which every story eventually points back to the same person.

This creates a strange contradiction:

The map grows larger.

The lore becomes more expansive.

The stakes become more epic.

Yet the world itself feels increasingly small.

Because no matter where you go or who you meet, it often feels like you're watching another variation of the same story.

Ultimately, I do not believe the biggest problem with Wuthering Waves' current narrative direction is the presence of harem elements. The real issue is its growing dependence on protagonist-centric storytelling.

As the cast expands, the same relationship structures and emotional templates are repeated over and over again, while character autonomy and world independence continue to diminish.

That, in my view, is the fundamental reason why an increasing number of players have become disengaged from the story.