Windblown News

Welcome back to another Windblown Development Log!

Over the last month we've been hard at work on new additions and features for the game, with a focus on community feedback. Our closed alpha testers have been paramount to our progress and have continued to offer their insight into how Windblown is shaping up and what they'd like to see.

In the coming weeks we'll begin inviting more players to our test, as we move closed and closer towards multiplayer!




[h2]Here's a breakdown of the development work from last month![/h2]

[h3]Main Topics[/h3]

• Prepared the game for our first Multiplayer alpha playtest (core tech, basic UIs, making some unlocks multi-compatible) - Multiplayer is our next major milestone, and something that has taken a lot of work. We can't wait to see how it's received, and how quickly everyone can break it...
  
• Gameplay rebalancing (order of unlocks, level generation) - Players reported that there could be difficulty spikes, so we wanted to look into the flow and progression of users runs through Windblown.
  
• Working on a new Shop (gameplay + graphics) - Thanks to player feedback, we looked to overhaul the system, increasing accessibility and diversity.
  
• Working on dialogue & scenography systems (dialogues, camera close up, NPC animations, sounds during texts) - Testers wanted to see some of the world building sooner than we anticipated, but it was important that they feel connected to the game and it's development. It's also important for players to understand the story, and why they should care!
  
• Working on something cool for the opening sequence of the game! - this feeds into the above point of player experience and world building. Without going into too much detail, this will help set the stage and paint the picture of Windblown!
  

[h3]Additional Work[/h3]

• Drafting the Onboarding of the game (simplify discovery and develop the story from the get go)
  
• Made backstabs more visually clear
  
• Added a proper save system
  
• Added new types of secrets that require some special moves to access
  
• Explored the tech we’ll use for advanced UIs
  
• Posted our first gameplay trailer!
  

And if you didn't catch that trailer, worry not, we have you covered!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Plus lots of bug fixing (or making bugs features...IYKYK)[/h3] 👀



(This was originally and bug, but players seemed to like the idea of carrying a weapon 10x the size of your character...)



Well that's simple - just head to our website and fill in the form!

We'll continue to expand out playtests as time goes on, and look forward to welcoming as many people to Windblown as possible ahead of it's Early Access launch later this year!





Our focus remains on the development of the game, and our relationship with the community. Windblown is a game born with the idea of developing it alongside the players. After all, you'll be the ones playing it!

We look forward to bringing you updates on our multiplayer testing soon, along with some cool stuff we have in the pipeline.

You can Wishlist Windblown below, and stay up to date on our social media!

Twitter Facebook YouTube TikTok

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911610/Windblown/

It's been a crazy few months for the Windblown team, so we wanted to take some time to thank you all for your passion, excitement and dedication to our latest crazy project!

Below you'll find a recap of what the team has been up to in the month of March, and a quick throwback to when we announced Windblown.

For those of you that don't know, Windblown is a lightning-fast action roguelite for 1-3 players. You'll leap across beautiful procedurally generated sky-islands, with the aim of taking the fight to a very angry vortex!

[h2]Since Announce[/h2]

When we first announced Windblown back in December 2023, we had high hopes for how it would be received. With this being our first major project since Dead Cells, we had a lot of cool ideas we wanted to explore, but until it's seen by players it can be a mystery if we're onto something special.

Luckily, we think we've got something super fun here!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h2]Closed Alpha[/h2]

A couple of months ago we opened the doors to a closed Alpha test. This was done with the aim to invite a very small amount of players to try Windblown and give us vital feedback on how it played. At the moment, we're more focused on if the game is fun, rather than squashing bugs (although we've done plenty of that too!).

Over the months we've expanded the test to more and more players, expanding our reach for feedback and allowing us to broaden our understanding of what players are enjoying. This has lead to a whole heap changes, tweaks, fixes and of course, bug busting!



Our plans with this form of testing is to open it up to more and more players, while keeping feedback manageable and concise. We need to be careful not to get overwhelmed, as we're a small team and we need to sleep sometimes!

As time goes on, we'll begin to share some of the changes we've added to the game, that way everyone can stay up to date with how the game is developing. But as a sneak peak, here are some of the additions we've added to the game since the closed alpha began:

• Changes to level design
  • More randomness/procedural generation
    
  • More reward choices
    
  • More combat situations
    
• New Gifts (passive buffs the unlock as you play and progress)
• Enemy updates, balancing and new varieties

[h2]We Spoke to the Press[/h2]

Earlier in the month we sat down with key members of the press, and gave them a sneak peak at what Windblown was all about and how it's shaping up (Not to mention our whacky design choices along the way)!

It was great to take the time to really explain the direction and intention with have with the project, although we did annoy a couple by not letting them play themselves!



[h2]Gameplay Trailer[/h2]

Late in March we released our brand new Gameplay trailer!

This 2 minute video focused heavily on the gameplay cycle of Windblown, and showcased a whole host of features, including weapon types, alterattacks, gifts, trinkets, and of course, multiplayer!

If you somehow missed it, you can check it out here!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The reception to this trailer has been nothing short of amazing, and we can't thank you all enough for your excitement for Windblown!

[h2]What's Next?[/h2]

Well, that's easy. We'll continue to work on Windblown with a key focus of ours being community engagement! We want to shape Windblown alongside the players, to make sure what we deliver is something gamers really want to play!

We'll continue to expand our tests, with an aim of welcoming as many people to the world of Windblown as possible ahead of our Early Access launch later this year!

Finally, we want to thank everyone once again. Announcing a new project after so long has been whirlwind, but is something we knew we wanted to do. We hope you'll stay with us on this journey, and we'll see you next month for another update!

You can Wishlist Windblown below, and stay up to date on our social media!

Twitter Facebook YouTube TikTok

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911610/Windblown/

[h2]Hold on to your hats, this one’s gonna get wild![/h2]

Windblown is a lightning fast co-op action roguelite from the crafters of Dead Cells! Take on the role of a Leaper, and defend the Ark from a suuuuuper angry Vortex! Collect the memories of fallen warriors and unleash your fury on gorgeous procedurally generated sky-islands.

We hope you're ready to dash, die, and repeat again in single player, or with up to two friends in online co-op!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h3]Wishlist now![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911610/Windblown

When Dead Cells developer Motion Twin started working on its next game, the plan wasn't to make a roguelite. It was to do something they'd never seen an action game accomplish before: match the speed and fluidity of Japanese action games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, but with friends...
Read more.

[h3]Since we announced Windblown back in December of 2023, we've been working nonstop to get it into players hands. It's taken a lot of blood, sweat, baguettes and tears, but we got there![/h3]

We've invited a VERY small number of players to come and test out an early version of the game, to help us gather essential feedback and understand what's working and what's not.

This is just the beginning however, as we continue to test the game we'll open it up to more and more players! At the end of the day, we want you to be on this journey with us, and help us shape Windblown into a truly fun experience!



Wanna try Windblown out for yourself?

Just head to the link below, sign up, and when we're looking for new testers you should receive a shiny email with instructions on how to make that happen!

[h3]>> Windblown Newsletter <


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911610/Windblown/