Windswept Review

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If you played video games in the 1990s, or even revisited those classic titles, you likely remember how special platformer games were. Titles like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, and Yoshi’s Island were incredibly charming and easy to fall in love with – that era was truly a golden age for the genre.

I grew up in the 90s with a brother who loved video games, so I started playing early – games like Mario, Kirby, and Donkey Kong were my first companions before I even started school. Because of that, I have a really strong fondness for those classic games.

I knew I had to try Windswept as soon as I read a comment on Reddit comparing its demo to Yoshi’s Island. That game is probably my favorite platformer ever, so anything with a similar feel immediately grabbed my attention.

Now that I’ve finished Windswept, I understand the game’s design. It’s clearly inspired by classics like Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario World, Celeste, Kirby games, and Donkey Kong Country – influences the developers openly acknowledged during the game’s Kickstarter campaign. While you can definitely see similarities to those titles, Windswept still manages to feel fresh and unique.

So, is Windswept as good as the very best classic platformer games? Not quite. But it’s unfair to expect that level of quality. What Windswept does offer is a sweet and endearing tribute to those older games… even though it can suddenly become incredibly difficult. Let’s dive into the details.

’90s Charm For Days

Starting up Windswept feels instantly nostalgic, like booting up a classic SNES game on an old TV. WeatherFell perfectly captured the look and feel of the ’90s in every part of the game, and the soundtrack is a genuine retro gem.

Old-school platformer games weren’t known for their stories, and Windswept keeps it simple. You start as Marbles the Duck, who gets blown away from home by a tornado. He quickly meets Checkers the Turtle, and together they work as a team to try and find their way back home throughout the game.

Starting up Windswept instantly took me back – it’s like that feeling of blowing into an old SNES cartridge, getting it perfectly seated, and watching the graphics finally come to life on a classic CRT TV. It’s pure retro nostalgia!

The story isn’t meant to be complex. Just like classic games like Mario and Donkey Kong focus on simple goals – rescuing a princess or collecting items – Windswept keeps things straightforward. While Celeste blended retro platforming with a really touching story, I don’t think Windswept needs to do the same. It’s fine that it uses a more basic storyline.

Windswept consistently delivers a captivating and nostalgic experience. The game features an overworld reminiscent of Super Mario World, where you guide your character to each level. Each new area is beautifully designed and accompanied by an outstanding soundtrack, one excellent song after another.

The game features 40 side-scrolling levels that are cleverly designed and varied. Throughout the game, you’ll find rideable creatures like dolphins, bats, and puppies. These creatures work similarly to Yoshi in Mario or the mounts in Donkey Kong Country – they aren’t essential for finishing levels, but they offer new ways to move around and provide an extra bit of health protection.

Okay, so the puppy mount is… different. Honestly, playing it feels exactly like those mine cart levels in Donkey Kong. You know, the ones everyone either loved or hated? I think the puppy sections in this game, Windswept, are going to be the same way. They’ve really captured that old-school, slightly frustrating but also kinda fun feel of those DK levels – it’s definitely got that ’90s wonkiness!

Fluid And Demanding Platformer Mechanics

Beyond the cute mine cart puppy theme, Windswept offers a surprisingly complex platforming system. It rewards players who try different approaches and react quickly, ultimately requiring mastery of its mechanics. You can play as either Marbles or Checkers, and switch between them instantly with a single button press.

The game quickly turns into a fast and exciting experience where you’re constantly switching characters and pressing buttons, especially once you learn how to combine different actions.

Marbles and Checkers both have unique abilities. Marbles can slide around and launch Checkers as a ranged attack. Checkers can perform a powerful ground pound and throw Marbles upwards, allowing you to reach higher areas. While these moves seem simple at first, mastering the combination of them creates a quick and exciting gameplay experience that involves rapidly switching between characters and executing precise button presses.

The saying “easy to learn, hard to master” definitely applies to the game Windswept. It quickly teaches you all the basic moves in the first level, but then leaves you to experiment and discover more advanced techniques on your own. The game provides a solid foundation and then confidently lets you build upon it.

Overall, I think this is a good direction, but it might be challenging for some players. It’s a throwback to older game design, where players had to figure things out on their own without relying on tutorials or extensive help.

The game becomes challenging towards the end, asking players to consistently use complex platforming moves they may have figured out on their own. This feels a little strange because, for most of the game, these advanced moves aren’t necessary, except in optional, hidden challenge areas that aren’t required to finish the main levels.

I’m pretty good at platformer games, but a few levels near the end were so difficult and required such precise movements that I just skipped them. After playing for four or five hours, I didn’t feel motivated to spend the time learning those complicated solutions.

Tons To Do And Collect

Like most classic platformer games from the 1990s, Windswept has plenty of collectibles for completionists. Throughout the levels, you’ll find cloud, moon, comet, and star coins, each of which requires specific actions to collect in a single playthrough.

Just like collecting letters in Donkey Kong, you’ll find and spell out C-O-M-E-T throughout the game. Completing the hidden bonus rooms in each level will reward you with moons. And if you collect all the cloud coins – one hidden in each level – you’ll unlock a final, challenging area similar to the Special Zone in Super Mario World.

As a player, I really appreciate how carefully the collectibles are hidden in this game – it feels like you’re constantly being rewarded for exploring! You definitely don’t need to find everything, but if you’re someone who likes to 100% a game, Windswept has a ton to offer and will keep you busy for a while. It’s a completionist’s dream!

At Lamp’s Shade, a shop run by a cheerful moth, you can trade the star coins you’ve collected for things like collectible action figures of characters and enemies from the game. You can choose to keep the figures in their boxes or take them out and pose them in cute and playful ways. It’s a totally optional feature, but I really appreciate how much thought went into it.

The game also features collectible vinyl records, each containing one of the 40 amazing songs you can enjoy whenever you like. You can also find and collect mini arcade games within the game’s world. Plus, you can even pay a moth with coins to help you find any collectibles you might have missed in previously completed levels.

Everything in Lamp’s Shade is fantastical, but it beautifully showcases the passion and care WeatherFell put into making this game. That dedication is what makes Windswept so delightful, but be warned – it’s also a surprisingly emotional experience.

An Ultimately Ridiculous Challenge

The biggest problem with Windswept, and what prevents it from being a truly great platformer, is its difficulty. Around 60% of the way through, it becomes frustratingly hard. I enjoy a good challenge – I loved games like Bionic Bay and the extra levels in Celeste – but Windswept takes it too far.

It’s going to be absolutely nutty to see how speedrunners optimize this game.

The first half of this game is wonderfully charming and relaxing, much like classics such as Super Mario World or Yoshi’s Island. However, it unexpectedly becomes much harder later on, creating a frustrating jump in difficulty. While you have unlimited lives and checkpoints, the increased challenge still feels overly demanding.

Initially, the game’s difficulty is mostly found in optional extra levels, while the main levels are enjoyable and easy to get through. However, by the end, Windswept starts to feel like a very basic, introductory ‘Kaizo’ game – you’re constantly dodging obstacles with incredibly tight timing, fully utilizing all of the game’s movement abilities to squeeze through the smallest gaps.

I really enjoy this game’s design, and I’m excited to see how players will find the fastest ways to beat it. However, I have to admit that the later levels were surprisingly frustrating after I had such a great experience with the first half. It’s a shame, because I was prepared to call it one of my favorite games of the year before things got much harder.

The game has a helpful Assists menu – or, for those seeking a real challenge, difficulty modifiers. It’s great that these options are available, as many players will likely need to use at least a few of them just to reach and beat the last boss.

It’s a shame, because the game loses its sense of accomplishment when you start using features like invincibility or skipping levels just to get past difficult parts. I really enjoyed it for most of the time I played, but I eventually had to rely on assists I usually avoid in platformers. This was especially frustrating, because Windswept has the potential to be a truly great game.

Closing Comments:

As a huge fan of old-school platformers, I absolutely fell in love with Windswept at first! It’s clearly a love letter to the classics from the 90s, and it looks amazing. The controls are really smooth and satisfying, too. It does get brutally hard towards the end, though, and I found myself relying on the help features just to keep going. Honestly, the beginning felt like a potential masterpiece, but it didn’t quite maintain that level throughout. It’s still a game I’d recommend to anyone who grew up with those retro platformers, but I was a little disappointed it didn’t fully deliver on its initial promise.

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2025-11-11 17:16