Windblown Preview

Developer Motion Twin, which is well known for their work on the Dead Cells series, is back with a totally new roguelite title called Windblown. When you see the trailer for this new game, it looks totally different from what we have seen from them in the past. Instead of being trapped in a dungeon, cave, or some other dark and dank location, we are outside in the fresh air with tonnes of sunlight and water. It seems the developer was tired of depressing and dreary locations, so they made Windblown feel like the polar opposite! Plus, instead of a 2D experience, we are transported into a world that is now in 3D. I am excited to jump in and see what this new title has in store for players.

Enter your name and choose an animal-themed body to play as. Right now there are five different options you can choose from: axolotl, basilisk, bat, guinea pig, and pangolin. You won’t take on the exact form of these animals; instead, you look like a hybrid of a human and whatever you selected. Your character has a cartoony-like look as they have a black outline, but they don’t feel like it was made for kids.

There is a mysterious voice calling out to you, saying, “Awaken. Come. Join me”. We don’t know who this is at this point, but it doesn’t matter as we are tossed right into the action. The developer recommends that you play Windblown using a controller, so I’m playing with an Xbox controller. The first thing that you learn to do is dash using A (bottom face button). Dashing is going to be your main source of travel; why walk when you can get around so much faster? Plus, it is used to avoid incoming attacks from the enemy. At first, I was worried that it was going to be hard to control your character when dashing around, but that never ended up being a concern. The game will not let you walk off a platform or shoot too far with your dash so that you fly off the end of the block that you are trying to land on. It's like there are invisible walls to hold you on when there isn't a nearby piece of floating land to jump onto.

We can pick up a weapon to fight the enemy now that we know how to dodge to avoid attacks. The first one I picked up was a fish knife that is used by hitting X (the left face button). There are a large number of weapons to pick up, but you aren’t restricted to only one weapon; your character can hold two, so the Y button (top face) will be used for the second. Once you pick up a third one, you get to decide if you want to drop that item or which of the previous ones you would like to replace. Each weapon is a different level and deals a different amount of damage; they also have unique abilities, so it is worth keeping these in mind to create the best loadout you can.

The graphics in Windblown are incredibly vibrant and colourful, and the animated clouds in the background give the world a sense of life. There is no gore or blood in this title, as all the enemies you encounter are mechanical, not the squishy flesh type, which is quite different from the Dead Cells games! The soundtrack when you are exploring is very tranquil and serene, reminding me of the underwater levels in Donkey Kong Country. Once you get into a battle with enemies, it gets more upbeat until you are victorious, and it calms back down again.

Since Windblown is a roguelite title, you don't lose everything when you die; instead, you retain permanent upgrades that you purchase at the store at your home base. Here you redeem the cogs that you acquire from defeating enemies and smashing the pink pots you find placed around the level. Purchasing these items will keep them in your inventory even when you die, so it never feels like you have to start from scratch. I always appreciate being able to start my run with a weapon, as enemies won’t wait to attack until you are armed. I found it very satisfying to dodge out of the way at the last second when an enemy is diving at you, when you can slash them when they are preparing to attack again.

It makes you feel like you have a lot of freedom to go where you want. You can dash upwards onto higher platforms, but keep in mind that your enemies can also move up and down platforms, so if you assumed you would be safe higher up, you aren't. There are also forks in the road that let you select the path that you want to follow which usually leads to new power-ups and weapons to acquire.

The time that I have spent with Windblown has been great. It's incredibly enjoyable to zip around the screen on the different landpieces at insane speeds. This is another addictive title that is difficult to walk away from. I think all fans of roguelike titles should check this one out; I can’t wait to see what the full game is like when it releases!