Windblown preview
If you’re a fan of roguelikes or stylish 2D action platformers, chances are you’ve played Motion Twin’s Dead Cells. Following that game’s smash success, the developer is back with Windblown. While it borrows a few mechanics from Dead Cells, it looks and plays quite differently than the previous game. What the two titles share is a strong vision, polished implementation, and addictive gameplay.
Back to the Ark
Unlike Dead Cells, Windblown is a fully 3D action game, taking place on a series of small, interconnected floating stages. Home base is the Ark, an elaborate floating storybook village. The Ark orbits a deadly storm called the Vortex, which regularly spawns monsters called Sentinels to attack the peaceful villagers. You play as a Leaper, an essentially immortal warrior defending the Ark from the Vortex’s encroaching enemies.
Like Dead Cells, Windblown is a roguelike, so having an addictive and satisfying gameplay loop is critical. Windblown checks the box with frenetic action and very finely tuned controls. Players bolt from island to island, fighting monsters and looking for loot, weapons, and a host of Trinkets and Boosts. Although Windblown has its own vocabulary for these mechanics, they’re familiar things like passive and active special abilities, weapon upgrades, consumables, and perks. Cogs can be collected and used back at the Ark to buy permanent weapons and Trinkets for the next run. While many games feature melee and ranged weapons, in Windblown the two weapons play off each other in creative ways and it’s fun to experiment with different combinations.
Several of Windblown’s ideas stand out. Mid-run it’s possible to send whatever you’ve collected back to the Ark, so when you die the stuff isn’t lost forever. You can recover the souls of defeated Leapers to gain special items. You can also avoid combat — at least temporarily — by zipping around the map simply collecting cogs and whatever other treasures are obvious, then circling back to take on enemies. Ideally, by the time you face a boss, you’ve collected better weapons and upgrades throughout the level. But, like all roguelikes, progress is definitely incremental. Windblown is a very challenging game, especially for solo players, but it does support co-op play.
Challenge Under the Facade
Dead Cells had a dark, Gothic aesthetic but Windblown is colorful and inviting, with a cel-shaded cartoon vibe and an anime-style intro video that sets up the narrative. You have a choice of adorable player-character animals like bats and axolotls. NPCs and enemies are a combination of humanoids, animals, and machines. However, the game’s action is so fast and furious there isn’t a lot of time to notice details in the environments. In fact, there’s so much action, color, and light going on — especially in co-op — that it often becomes a little difficult to keep focused on the player character amid the chaos.
Although it isn’t voice-acted, the game’s dialogue and characters are amusingly written, adding to the overall welcoming vibe. I mean, sure, it’s about the Vortex trying to annihilate the Ark but Windblown keeps things breezy, pun intended. Beyond the character designs, the weapons and effects reminded me a bit of a less-detailed Torchlight or maybe Skylanders. The game’s music is bubbly and fits the action but it doesn’t make a particularly strong impression.
Great First Impression
Windblown has a lot going for it, even in Early Access. The game has a very strong identity, well-thought-out mechanics, and is extremely polished. The way the character’s dual weapons synergize with each other and the player’s build is compelling fodder for repeated runs and experimentation. Some players might bounce off the difficulty — there are no options to turn it down — but that’s just about the only downside. Windblown is a promising and already excellent follow-up to Dead Cells.
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.
