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Every facet of Dead Cells was installed and fastened tightly, the facet itself had a slick finish to die for. Now, its developer, Motion Twin, is gearing up to release what’s hopefully another banger. Presenting Windblown, whose first curtain drop was at the Game Awards 2023.
Admittedly, Windblown has big shoes to fill, but setting the bar high only makes it all the more exciting to see what the indie developer comes up with next. Plus, the reveal trailer certainly doesn’t disappoint, sending silly little goosebumps down the arm.
While Windblown is still fresh in memory, we’ve combed press releases and Steam for details on what to expect. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming game, Windblown.
What is Windblown?
Windblown is an upcoming lightning-fast action roguelite game that pits Leapers against the Vortex’s Sentinels. It'll have a rather charming animated art style and perhaps feature the most beautifully colored ways to die.
Story
The Ark, a floating island orbiting a deadly Vortex, is under attack. The Vortex’s Sentinels thirst for blood. It’s up to you to fight them in relentless battles and restore the natural peaceful order of Ark life, or die trying. At its core, Windblown shines light on its windy theme. You’ll dash across stages like bolts of lightning. Lots of secrets will lurk in the depths of the islands. At the same time, the Vortex’s killing machines will be swarming around you, dying to see you fail.
The official story via Steam reads:
“Wake up, warriors! This is Windblown, a lightning-fast action roguelite crafted by Motion Twin, the creators of Dead Cells.
You innocent souls have lived peacefully in The Ark, a floating village orbiting around the gigantic and deadly Vortex. However, don't let that calm existence fool you; your cozy little island is about to get devoured…
Countless warriors, the Leapers, have met their end fighting dreadful emissaries of the Vortex; now it’s your turn to save your kind, or turn into cannon fodder trying…”
Gameplay
As the name suggests, Windblown will have a prime focus on speed. Characters will fasten rocket-like devices to their backs that let them dash through arenas at lightning-fast speeds. It’s an interesting concept, action roguelite, the genre the game will be, isn’t popular for incorporating blazing fast speeds.
Motion Twin is also choosing a top-down, isometric perspective with 3D action in place of Dead Cells’ 2.5 approach. It’ll allow vast landscapes in the form of floating islands that constantly change shape and appearance. From the Vortex to the Ark, players will have a teeming amount of secrets to uncover.
Moreover, you’ll be busy engaging in relentless battles against the Vortex’s Sentinels. Hell has no fury like these minions, who don’t hesitate to slice you in half. And just when you feel like you can breathe a little, oppressive bosses ram into you. They show no mercy, with death seeming inevitable.
But Motion Twin also adds that the game will be “tough, but always fair.” Perhaps, with the help of the fallen Leapers, you can absorb their memories. These will empower you with new fighting styles and give you the ability to swap between multiple weapons. Furthermore, you’ll be able to “collect stronger and more complex weapons that will turn you into the ultimate killing machine.”
Besides character progression, your next bet to stay alive is to master skills, down to the finest detail of timing a dash perfectly. Miss a beat, and your character will head spinning toward a Sentinel’s blade. With each death, though, you’ll learn enemy movements and come back swinging in stride. Or, you can always recruit buddies to help you in an online co-op.
Development
Developer Motion Twin will partner with publisher Kepler Ghost to release the lightning-fast action roguelite, Windblown, sometime soon. Motion Twin is no stranger to gaming, having gifted us showstopping roguelike-Metroidvania, Dead Cells. They’re switching up their M.O. this time around and have quite interesting development views to justify the ‘why.’
According to the team, they wanted their next project to be a lightning-fast combat roguelite. But such a sub-genre doesn’t exist, and so, instead of building one from scratch, they decided to craft one their own way. In the press release, Motion Twin adds, “We rolled up our sleeves and crafted the game we yearned for—one that lets us dive into the action on our own and with friends whenever the mood (or too much pain) strikes!”
To describe the upcoming game, Motion Twin says, “Windblown is what happens when a rogue-like game guzzles a whole lot of energy drinks, hits the gym, and wears treadmills on its feet. It's got combat that zips by at lightning speed, and we've tossed in some eye-popping, shiny clouds and gravity-defying islands for good measure. Think of it as Dead Cells’ hyperactive sibling, spinning in a 3D sugar rush.” Pretty exciting stuff.
Trailer
Windblown | Announcement Trailer
You know it—the first trailer is already out now. It’s a must-see, with such an intense buildup from start to finish. We get hints of The Ark and the Vortex, with the animated art style standing out right off the bat. While scarce, we also do get hints of the gameplay. Evidently, we’ll be fighting on steroids, dashing about the arena, and slaying, quite gruesomely too, some tenacious Vortex minions.
Release Date, Platforms, & Editions
Unfortunately, the final launch may still be a long way down the road. For now, Motion Twin is focusing on an Early Access version on Steam. It’ll drop sometime in 2024, so keep an eye out to help them fine tune it to the best standard. Meanwhile, Windblown will only exclusively launch on PC platforms via Steam. But remember, it’s only the Early Access version. In the future, perhaps more platforms will have the chance to feature it.
As for editions, it’s still too early to say. But, as always, feel free to keep track of new updates on the official social handle here. We’ll also be posting new information as soon as it comes up on gaming.net.
