The Indie Informer

My preview for one of the most looked-forward-to indie follow-ups, Windblown, began with a discussion of Mountain Dew. The developers that make up Motion Twin, not being American, find its unnatural color unnerving. And, coincidentally, the sickly green hue would show up in the brand new trailer they soon shared with me… in the form of vomit.

Between the toe-tapping score and dazzling dashes, the trailer returns again and again to a poor little Axolotl character who just can’t keep its lunch down. When that image isn’t filling the screen, I catch a glimpse of enemies sending out a hail of bullet-hell projectiles and a big fish friend that helpfully eats any hostile creature in its path. The mood is set, and the whimsicality certainly seems to set Windblown apart from the developer’s previous title, Dead Cells. But that’s only until I look a little closer.

The departure could be considered a risk. Motion Twin rose to astounding success with Dead Cells and many fans were perplexed by the perceived change in direction. The nine-person co-op relies on its fans to pay the bills and make their visions come to life. Each member of the group shares evenly with their fellow creators, both wins and losses. But they all seem to also share the belief that there is no point to chasing after success. They’d prefer, instead, to make games that excite them. So enters Windblown.

Sadly, I don’t get the chance to jump onto the sticks to experience what the dash-heavy and frenetic action feels like myself. But having the developer play the game opens up a new opportunity — watching the studio’s dynamic play out. Our tour guide falls victim to the first mini boss and earns a spirited round of ribbing from his teammates. “Really?! You died? I feel like you betrayed our country,” rings out before the game loads into a hub village located atop a floating island.

At this point, I couldn’t hold back asking about the vomiting, since I didn’t see it in action during the first run. This prompted a hearty round of laughter and a general explanation that puking in response to starting a new run –which is hard on the body — was a kind of joke the team thought up and just had to put in the game.

I did however, get a great look a the game’s various weapons and synergistic trinkets during the action. Each session has space for a primary and secondary weapon, along with two trinkets that can stack abilities. Additionally, each weapon has its own distinctive abilities, nothing is a simple reskin.

The number of ways to mix, match, combine, and utilize your equipment’s potential is mind boggling. Just when I thought I had a handle on it, the team introduces a special I can trigger when switching between my primary and secondary weapon. Constant motion is the goal. There are currently eleven weapons in the game, with the possibility of another one getting thrown in before the team embarks on a closed alpha.

It’s just as well that we’ve ended up back at the central village because it allows us to explore the game’s narrative underpinnings. In the distance is an ominous, swirling mass. This vortex, the team explains, is swallowing everything in its path, including my comforting slice of home. This is why a group of heroes have banded together — to keep that from happening.

Windblown was conceived of as a multiplayer experience. Motion Twin envisions a group of friends — much like themselves — coming together at the end of a hard day to dash through the game’s vibrant levels and tackle its threatening opponents. However, they assure me of one thing that worried me: You can play single player all the way through. In fact, the multiplayer aspect seems to have been handled with a lot of consideration. One of the most impressive proofs of this is that players can drop out and in at any time during the playthrough and the game will automatically scale to adjust for the difference. So, feel free to go it alone, with friends, or any combination of the two.

Home base, called The Ark, is also the first time I notice hints of the darker side of the game. The floating barge our heroes hang out on is loaded with cargo under a tarp. It would be easy to miss, but a detail under the covering catches my eye and I realize the “goods” are actually piles of our heroes’ bodies — perhaps remnants of past failures.

As a roguelite, there is a system for permanent progression via “gifts,” though we don’t go too deep into how this works. Before heading over the the settlement’s local dummy to show off various weapons, moves, and characters. Despite the flowery nature of the world and bright-seeming tone, it looks like there will be a lot of crunchy strategy for fans to bite into. And for those who just like button mashing, they should be able to enjoy the game too. By the end of the demo, I’m convinced Windblown is the “kickass” game the team need to keep going strong.