Windblown – Preview
Combat hack’n’slash and colour... lots of colour
The folks at Motion Twin decided to continue their roguelike journey after the success of their first title, Dead Cells. And today we can see a part of what they’re preparing for us with Windblown, their new roguelike title. The people at Cosmocover and Kepler Interactive were kind enough to give us access to the game's preview, so let's see what aspects are praiseworthy and what aspects are to be criticised.
In Windblown, you are a Leaper, a character who can load themselves into a cannon as a cannonball to be launched into an energetic Vortex where they must fight enemies to collect resources and bring them back to their home city to be used in various ways – obviously, most will be used to improve the equipment and abilities you possess, to become even stronger when you return to the Vortex. You can choose your main character from a multitude of anthropomorphic animals, and then you are thrown directly into the Vortex. After the character dies for the first time, you are transported back to the city, where you learn that you possess a device that can bring you back to life whenever enemies have slaughtered you. You meet the NPCs who will help you with various upgrades (in exchange for resources, because, isn't it true, even aliens from the most distant planets have an entrepreneurial spirit), and then you return to plundering resources from the Vortex whenever you wish or, more precisely, until you die and are revived. Simple, elegant, classic.
What did I like about Windblown? First of all, how fluid every movement is. From the combos you can perform with the different available weapons to the dodges you can execute in series to escape danger. Fights unfold quickly once you encounter enemies, so you don't have much time to ponder and meditate on the immortality of the soul. Personally, I like this combat style where you have to make quick decisions, dodge at the last second, and be rewarded for understanding which enemies to prioritise to have an easy life. The attacking creatures do have animations that signal they are about to attack, plus the screen shake option that indicates this. I'm not a fan of screen shake generally, and it's probably the first thing I look to disable in any game, but in Windblown, it didn't seem that annoying at first. I still hope they will give us the option to activate or deactivate it in the final version.
During the rounds, you can access a series of melee and ranged weapons, along with some utility items that let you slow enemies, explode them, etc. – these latter items go on cooldown once used, so you can't abuse them indefinitely. Regardless of your preferred weapon type, you can equip a maximum of two simultaneously, and each has an attack button assigned. You are free to swap which weapon is primary and secondary at any time, in case one of the buttons is more convenient to press – I say this because I played on a controller. I expect we'll be able to freely rebind buttons for each option once the final version is released. I'm generally a fan of swords, so I used them most frequently. Plus, their animations and special effects look much better than those for ranged weapons.
The game's perspective is isometric, similar to games like Diablo or Hades, and Motion Twin has moved from the 2D graphics we're used to in Dead Cells to 3D graphics. I think it's a smart change that encourages exploration and somewhat more atypical combat styles. By exploration, I mean that most platforms are floating islands, but if you pay attention to different signals, you can find resources and chests hidden under these islands or by various environmental elements. And by somewhat more atypical combat styles, I mean situations where you can make enemies follow you onto platforms with more space, in case their initial location is too cramped and doesn't give you freedom to manoeuvre. But even more atypical than that is the fact that you can use platforms at different heights to avoid attacks or place yourself in a safe spot. By this, I mean that the dash option is normally limited on flat ground, and you can't chain dash after dash. But if you decide to change platforms, the cooldown that would normally apply on flat ground magically disappears.
Among the things I liked is also the fact that enemies become vulnerable if you attack them immediately after you see their attack animation begin, which gives you a few seconds to hack and slash without them retaliating. I also want to mention the indicators for weapons, consumables, or chests you find during expeditions that persist until you reach the next platform where you fight – they will help you if you somehow forget to pick them up. Also from the “indicators” series, I appreciate that there's an audible indicator when the cooldown for utility items is over and you can use them again. And another pleasant aspect, more for the type of player I am, is that you don't have to do much base management in the town – you go, buy what you need, then go on your way and start another round of the game.
Now let's see what things aren't so pleasant. The first and by far the most annoying of them is the visual direction. Although I like the idea of a miniature world with cute characters, there's an acute lack of contrast and outlines during gameplay. And when I say acute lack, I mean that I constantly felt dizzy the whole time I played and felt there was no clear demarcation between objects, characters, enemies, and the environment during the rounds. Everything seems to blend into a colourful amalgam that moves quickly and gives you the sensation of a spinning camera. The first day I played, I thought maybe it was because I was too tired from work. But the second day, I saw that the phenomenon persisted. What's more, I have another roguelike title in review, but I had no problem playing that one for several good hours on each of those days. In short, if you know you are sensitive to vibrant, fast-moving colours, I advise you to be careful – maybe it's better to wait, watch some gameplay, and see if it doesn't cause you discomfort. Even if you don't have such problems (I'm sure I don't, as this is the first time I've encountered this phenomenon), take care of your eyes.
Another aspect that initially seemed confusing to me was the different crossroads, where you have to choose between various rewards for which you must fight. Some of the symbols weren't very intuitive, so I just guessed to see what I'd get after defeating the enemies.
Also, I found it quite limiting that you can't start your rounds with any initial weapon you want from the unlocked ones. You can unlock an option that gives you a random weapon at the start of a round, but you might as well restart the runs until you get the weapon you prefer. I'd say it's a sensible and Quality of Life option to be able to choose your initial weapon.
Overall, Windblown makes many smart decisions in terms of gameplay, and very few of them displeased me. However, I hope they resolve the issue related to the visual direction, because I don't like not being able to play because the graphics strain my eyes and cause dizziness.
Played on: PC
Release date: 24 October 2024
Developer: Motion Twin
Publisher: Motion Twin, Kepler Ghost
