Update: the release date for Windblown has been confirmed, with Motion Twin’s upcoming action-roguelite set to launch itself into the realm of Early Access on October 24, 2024.
Windblown offers solo and co-op action for up to three players with the game taking place on “ever-changing islands in the sky” as they battle the so-called Sentinels that are out to get you.
If you’re eager to try out what sounds like a fast-paced and frenetic action platformer, there’s going to be a demo available to try as October 14. Windblow is taking part in Steam Next Fest and the game will be playable until October 21. If you take part you’ll also get a Guinea Pig skin for your character.
Original: In the wee small hours of December 8, while I was asleep here in Norfolk, Motion Twin used The Game Awards as the platform for the announcement of the studio’s follow-up to Dead Cells.
Windblown is the name of that game, and it’s coming to Early Access at some point next year. That’s as much as we’re getting when it comes to an official release date, for now. There is, however, an absolute treasure trove of information out there.
Having taken a closer look at the game and all of its marketing, I have to say that I am extremely excited about this one, and that’s before you consider the developer.
Motion Twin, the French studio behind the superlative Dead Cells, is promising to bring “a whole new level of speed to the action [roguelite] genre.” Here’s what the studio is proposing…
Three Leapers leaping
Player will take control of so-called Leapers, and according to the devs, they “absorb the memories of the fallen warriors who came before, learning how to master the fighting styles of the predecessors to unleash their full potential.”
As you can see from the trailer attached below, the action looks silky smooth and very fast-paced. I can also see why we’re going to be called Leapers, as the little critters can certainly jump.
Perhaps the thing that has me most intrigued, however, is the inclusion of online co-op. The chance to play a roguelite with a friend or two should never be sniffed at. This one’s a three-player game.
As noted above, Windblown is heading to Early Access next year on PC. Given precedent, I’m expecting a cross-platform release eventually, but for now you’ll have to make do with wishlisting the game on Steam.
More interesting things about Windblown
It turns out that there’s a wealth of information already available when it comes to what the developer has planned. I’ll leave the flavour text on the cutting room floor, but there’s plenty on Steam is you want it.
“Think of it as Dead Cells’ hyperactive sibling, spinning in a 3D sugar rush,” the studio teases.
Our little Leapers live on something called The Ark, which orbits a deadly Vortex – this is the gauntlet that players will be running as they look to save their mates back home. Or die trying.
It’s actually not too dissimilar from the setting of another very good game that just released: Astral Ascent. If you like the sound of this, hit the link.
Anyway, I’m excited at the prospect of the multi-layered environments of Windblown. It sounds like players are going to be encouraged to tackle them at speed. These are procedural “ever-changing islands in the sky” where you’ll meet “oppressive bosses who just can’t wait to chew you up and spit you out.”
According to the game’s marketing, we’ll be swapping between different weapons on the fly. As we collect more memories, we’ll eventually access “stronger and more complex weapons”.
Windblown Early Access release date plans
Motion Twin is already being extremely transparent with its plans for Windblown: that is going to keep the game in Early Access for “a minimum of one year.” Wisely, the studio notes that it may need more time than that. Fine with me.
“The current Early Access version of the game includes 5 biomes and 4 main weapons, and is fully playable with 1, 2 or 3 players,” the studio promised. “However we will iterate on this scope as we gather your feedback to bring you more content regularly throughout the Early Access period.”
There’ll be surveys sent out to the community throughout, so early adopters will be vital to how the studio fine-tunes its follow-up to Dead Cells.
As noted in the update above, Windblown will be released into Early Access on PC Steam on October 24, 2024.
How much is Windblown going to cost, then?
In terms of price, nothing has been confirmed. What has been confirmed is that the price will rise when the game leaves Early Access – early birds will get the best deal, then.
The studio also confirmed that it may make a slight price increase during the EA process, while always trying to keep things fair in terms of the value that is being offered to new players. Again, this is very fine with me.
We still don’t know when Windblown is launching itself into Early Access on Steam, though. Nor do we know which platforms the game is going to appear on beyond PC, however, I’d bet my procedurally generated bum that it will land on all the major platforms at some point. Stay tuned for more updates!
