Windblown showcases the quality of roguelikes in the company of friends.
It is a lot of fun to eliminate enemies alongside others.
Some of the most beloved roguelikes are single-player titles, like Hades, Balatro, and Dead Cells. However, Windblown, the new roguelike from Motion Twin, the studio behind Dead Cells, has shown how exciting it can be to play these types of games with others.
In Windblown, the player controls an adorable animal adventurer, which can be either an axolotl or a bat, launched from a cannon into a massive mysterious tornado, fighting through different zones. Just like in Dead Cells, you can equip up to two main weapons. Typically, I use one weapon for close-range combat and another for long-range attacks. Each weapon also offers the option to perform a combo using a special move from the other weapon, called “Alterattack.”
For example, I enjoy using a crossbow to attack enemies from a distance and combine it with a heavy greatsword. I rarely use the sword on its own; I prefer to employ its Alterattack, which cracks the ground in a straight line to keep hitting enemies from afar. This turns each run into a constant rhythm of shooting arrows and using Alterattack at the right moment. After five hours with the game, I’m still not bored of this pattern. Windblown recently launched in early access, and more than a dozen weapons can already be unlocked, suggesting many combinations yet to explore. Additionally, with four different biomes to traverse in each run, there’s plenty to discover.
The bosses are a real challenge. All this would be enough for Windblown to be part of my regular selection of roguelikes to unwind at the end of the day. But the multiplayer mode is making Windblown the game I turn to every time I fire up my Steam Deck. Windblown's multiplayer rooms, which unlock relatively quickly, allow you to team up with up to three people. You can communicate via voice and text chat, although it’s not mandatory; I’ve opted to use four emojis in-game. Additionally, it’s possible to name the rooms; I created one called “help me get my first win,” and I was immediately joined by two players eager to help me take on the tornado. (Sadly, we didn’t secure the win).
When I play solo, I tend to be cautious and strategic, thinking about how to use the weapons and positioning myself against aggressive enemies to dodge their attacks. With a team, battles become faster and turn into bursts of light, color, sound, and damage. It’s a lot of fun to annihilate enemies alongside other players, and it’s comforting to know they’ve got your back in critical moments.
There are currently many excellent roguelikes to play. Hades II has just received a major update, Balatro is almost impossible to put down (especially now that it’s available on mobile), and I’m looking forward to playing Shogun Showdown again, which I feel is being underrated. Windblown needed something more than its Motion Twin heritage to stand out, but so far, its multiplayer mode is what keeps drawing me back.
