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SNES platformers could be brutal experiences that demanded excellence, and WeatherFell’s Windswept feels like the latest game to tap into the lessons and concepts taught by those earlier titles. Is it difficult? Very. does the control scheme take getting used to? I didn’t feel confident in my abilities until the third world. If you can stick with it and find the right groove, it can feel rewarding.
Windswept is deceptively adorable. Marbles, a baby duck, ends up separated from their family and meeting Checkers, a small turtle. Together, the two are stronger and and more capable than they are alone. In order to deal with enemies, reach collectibles, and get past all sorts of platforming challenges, players will need to learn how to take advantage of each one’s abilities when they’re the “leader” character in order to get back where they belong.
As the duck, Marbles seems intended to be the character you use for different movement types. This means gliding to pass gaps or even using a charged version of the spinning attack to go a further distance. When in the leader position, the duck can Shell Throw Checkers and then jump on the in-the-shell turtle for a slightly higher jump. Checkers seems like more of the “might,” due to being a slower character with a heftier type of attack. However, I also felt like the turtle was generally a stronger leader. The Tagteam Upward Toss with Marbles as a leader results in a really substantial vertical leap. Groundpound is the Checkers Leader attack, which offers a bit more precise attack directly below than the duck’s spin and can go through the ground in marked spots. The turtle’s Dropdash also allows an on-ground or midair dash, which is helpful for maneuvering. The only time I felt I benefitted from using the duck as the leader was when I needed some sort of ranged attack, which involved tossing the turtle as a projectile. Otherwise, Checkers was it for me.
Like platformers such as Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario World, the goal is to safely get Marbles and Checkers to the end of each stage in the four worlds, dealing with challenges that get more demanding along the way and dealing with all kinds of collectibles and hidden stages. For example, you’ll be collecting the letters for the word “comet,” searching for cartridges, and trying to safely grab records along with the more ample stars. Different worlds feature different biomes and themes, though you don’t learn any techniques beyond the ones introduced in the first world’s initial stage. So theoretically, you have all the tools you need all along. You just need the precision, execution, and muscle memory to pull things off. And boy, do later levels rely on having gone through stages or situations often enough to instinctively know the timing through repeated exposure. The difficulty is a lot and, while the game isn’t terribly long, you’ll probably know by the end of the first world if you should keep going.
That said, I do get the sense that WeatherFell’s drive to make a game like those Nintendo Hard SNES platformers perhaps resulted in a title that omits some quality of life elements in more recent adventures that could have made it a little more accommodating to people who might need more time to get accustomed to the leader-switching nature of skills, precision jumping and timing, and eventually incredibly demanding stages. More checkpoints and opportunities to recover Checkers/Marbles if one falls would have been so appreciated. Some slight tweaking of the level design so some of the stages in the third and fourth worlds don’t feel reliant on replying until you memorize every hazard so you can complete it all in one quick, uninterrupted run would also be fantastic. Perhaps some additional telegraphing there could help?
While some level design elements are a bit awkward and the controls take some getting used to with the swapping and “exact” actions needed, the audio and visual design is on point. Windswept looks absolutely fantastic and sounds great. I loved the character designs for Checkers, Marbles, and every enemy. The biomes all feel unique, and there are cohesive design elements in stages in each world. There’s some great pixel art here.
Windswept is a demanding platformer that can feel Nintendo Hard at times, but it could prove quite satisfying if you put the time into it. It looks great and the moves can let you speed through levels once you get used to the execution and timing. I do wish that there were some elements to perhaps remove unreasonable segments that seem to only be passable with constant stage replays or that the checkpoint system worked a bit differently. If you’re looking for a challenge though, this offers it.
Windswept is available for the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Windswept
Windswept is a demanding platformer that can feel Nintendo Hard at times, but it could prove quite satisfying if you put the time into it.
