Hey everyone!
And welcome to the very first Windblown AMA!
For context, we hosted a livestream over in the Windblown Discord on November 5th. We took this opportunity to answer as many questions as we could from the Community, and shed some light on future plans for the game and overall project!
(Oh, quick update on one of the major topics...)
Sudden Death!
We're working on this as we speak and hope to deploy a reworked version next month.
If you'd like to watch the VoD of the livestream, you can check it out just below, or for a recap of the questions asked and answered, you can find all the info below!
AMA Recap
Dash Mechanic Design
The dash mechanic was one of the first features worked on when the team began developing Windblown. Initially, the game wasn’t designed to be fast-paced, but frustration with the existing systems led them to introduce the dash, which became a key element in shaping the game's faster pace.
Main Inspirations for Windblown
The game draws from various influences, though many of them are not directly related. The initial inspiration was to create a game like Ragnarok Online, but Windblown evolved into something quite different. Combat was inspired by Platinum Games (e.g. Bayonetta), while build systems drew from Binding of Isaac and Monster Hunter. Visually, it takes cues from games like Fury, Hyper Light Drifter, and Zelda, particularly the floating islands. The team also wanted to explore unusual animal designs, inspired by games like Fury and Dead Cells.
Vision for Town Building (The Ark)
The idea of building the ark was initially planned but had to be rethought due to time constraints. Instead, the game will focus on rescuing NPCs who will join the ark and unlock new features. While the town-building aspect is not a priority, the team is interested in creating a meaningful "prep" phase before missions, inspired by Monster Hunter, where players can prepare for the next run (e.g., cooking or other activities).
Roadmap for Upcoming Content
The team is focused on gathering feedback and addressing core issues early in the game's Early Access phase. While there is a roadmap which can be found here, the team are working on urgent fixes and building the game's foundation. Content like new biomes, weapons, monsters, and customisation will be added, but we can't confirm any specific timings just yet. The team is also discussing how future content, such as biomes, will be tied to the game’s narrative. Once we have a clearer picture of upcoming features, we'll be sure to let everyone know!
Modding Support
Modding support is a complicated issue and, at the moment, it's not a priority. The main challenge is that Windblown is a multiplayer game with a deterministic system, meaning it’s not inherently designed to support mods. Additionally, even games like Dead Cells, which have modding potential, are somewhat limited in this regard because they weren’t built with modding in mind. The team are focused on completing the core game first, and only after that could they look into the potential of modding.
Overarching Narrative and Lore
We plan to introduce a narrative, but it will not focus on the specific playable characters. Instead, the story will centre on the inhabitants of the Ark and explore their motivations for venturing into the Vortex. The characters are essentially orphans living on the Ark, and the narrative will gradually reveal why they are undertaking these dangerous runs. The lore will help explain the world and the players' goals, but it won’t delve into detailed backstories for individual characters. The narrative will be broader, focusing on the Ark as a community and the shared quest for answers.
Sudden Death Mechanic
The Sudden Death mechanic was designed to create a strong sense of tension and teamwork among players. It was the result of multiple iterations and testing of different multiplayer death mechanics. The core idea is to make players feel that they are directly tied to each other’s survival—if one player goes down, the others need to act quickly to save them. This was intended to encourage cooperation and emotional investment in the team’s success. However, the feedback from players has pointed out that it can lead to frustration, especially in multiplayer sessions where communication is difficult, such as without voice chat. While the intention behind the mechanic is to make the game more dynamic and intense, we recognise that it currently causes more frustration than enjoyment.
The team is working on improving the feature, and they are considering adjusting it to make it less punishing while maintaining the intent to foster teamwork. One issue they identified is that the health bar is disconnected from the Sudden Death mechanic, which confuses players and leads to situations where they can maximize damage output but are at a disadvantage when it comes to healing or recovery. We have started prototyping new versions that aim to make the mechanic more "merciful" and enjoyable, but balancing it for all players has been difficult. Some players love the current system, while others hate it, so the team are focused on finding a middle ground. The feature might also be renamed to better reflect its evolving design.
Stat Sheet After Runs
The game already has a system in place to track player stats, such as damage dealt and types of damage. This feature was initially used for development purposes but is currently deactivated. While the team has high-priority tasks to work on, such as fixing the Sudden Death mechanic, they do plan to re-enable the stat tracking in future updates. The intention is to provide players with a recap of their performance after each run, offering insights into how they contributed to the team’s success. However, the team doesn’t have a set timeline for when this will be implemented, as they are focused on other urgent features first. That said, the stat recap is definitely something we want to add once more pressing issues are addressed.
Accessibility Features
We are working on adding several features to make the game more accessible for a wider audience. One of the key features is the ability to adjust the dash mechanic so that you can hold the button to auto dash earlier on in the game. which has been a point of frustration for some players. As the game progresses, the team plans to include an option that allows players to adjust this mechanic to suit their playstyle and comfort level. Additionally, there is an "auto-combo" feature that was tested but was deactivated during the alpha for further refinement. The auto-combo feature would allow players to perform combos automatically, which could help those who find the combat mechanics difficult or tiring.
These accessibility features were already in development during the alpha but were disabled for improvement. The team is committed to implementing them in the future and ensuring that they’re available from the start of the game. The goal is to make Windblown more accessible to a broader range of players, particularly those who may find the current combat mechanics challenging.
Collaboration with Dead Cells
The team have discussed the possibility of incorporating elements from Dead Cells into Windblown, but they don’t want to overdo it or just include things for the sake of it. While there are ideas, such as the inclusion of absurd or funny weapons, the main goal is to focus on creating fun, unique weapons that fit the Windblown universe. The pan itself isn't a priority, but the concept of quirky weapons is central to the game.
There is already a reference to Dead Cells in Windblown, in the form of the Intern skin players got for purchasing Windblown in it's opening weeks of launch. There is also the Death Orb which comes from Dead Cells. However, we don't want to saturate Windblown with references from other games and would prefer to add features that are unique, "silly" and enjoyable.
Game Release on Multiple Platforms
Windblown is expected to be released on multiple platforms eventually, but this will likely happen after the Early Access phase. Currently, the game is focused on its PC release. The reason for waiting is that consoles do not allow Early Access games, and the certification process for consoles is lengthy. Once the Early Access period is complete and the game is polished, the team will look into porting Windblown to other platforms like consoles.
The team is also considering the possibility of crossplay across different platforms, as the game has been developed with crossplay in mind. However, certain platform restrictions, such as save sharing between consoles, may limit this feature. If it’s technically possible, the team plans to implement it, but this depends on the requirements and policies of different platforms.
Biome System and Passive Trinkets (e.g. Pets)
The team are working on a biome system, and they’ve already taken a first step with a simple mechanic in the game where players can choose between two biomes. This is the "minimum viable version" of the concept, but they do plan to expand this to allow more meaningful choices during a run. The team wants to provide impactful decisions to players, that they can implement in Early Access. The idea is to have different paths or biomes to choose from, adding variety and replayability.
As for passive trinkets, such as pets, we actually prototyped some items and interactions, but had to postpone the full implementation to ensure we had more time to polish the Early Access launch. Now the game is out, we'll be looking at continuing work on things like this to see if they work with our vision for the game.
More Levels and DLC Plans
The game is still in Early Access, and we're focused on expanding and polishing the core experience. There are plenty of ideas for new content, including additional levels, biomes, and features. However, the team emphasized that the current priority is improving the existing content and refining the core systems.
Regarding paid DLC, the team is not considering it at this stage. They stated that any DLC plans are far in the future, after the Early Access period is over, and only if the content makes sense and adds meaningful value to the game. We're committed to delivering quality content without adding "empty" or meaningless features. The team also explained that they have no intention of introducing microtransactions for skins or other in-game items. For now, the focus is on creating a complete and polished game, and DLC is not a priority.
Customisation Options for Leapers and Weapons
The team plans to add new skins to the game but aren’t sure about allowing players to customise leapers' outfits extensively. Changing outfits would be complicated, but we're exploring simpler customisation options, like colour changes for characters (similar to Among Us), and customisations for things like puke colour or dash trail colour. However, these ideas are still in early stages and aren't confirmed yet.
The team is prioritising original skins and content over creating a full character editor, as the development team is small (only 8 core developers, with a few freelancers). They're focus is on adding new, fun creatures and skins rather than investing time in extensive customisation features. Since the team is small, they must make careful choices about what to prioritise, as they can't compete with larger teams.
Why Didn't You Use Kickstarter?
The team chose not to pursue Kickstarter for Windblown because it would have required significant extra effort to prepare rewards and manage the campaign, which would have delayed development. Instead, they decided to focus on creating the game directly. While Dead Cells had a Kickstarter for its board game, Windblown didn’t need the same community-building strategy since it’s a video game and has the backing of Dead Cells to support development. The team preferred to avoid the extra work and focus their resources on the game itself.
What's Coming Next?
The next big update will involve a revamp of the "Sudden Death" mechanic and balancing improvements. The team is currently working on new rewards for different difficulty levels, as well as refining mouse aiming. They’re also focusing on new weapons, trinkets, and a new biome. Biomes are complex additions, involving new environments, rules, and enemies, so creating a new one is a significant task that will take several months.
Additionally, the team is working on addressing some multiplayer balancing issues. Players in multiplayer mode currently find the game too easy, even with the Sudden Death mechanic, and this will be adjusted. There's also a focus on improving user interface issues in multiplayer, such as making it easier to communicate without voice chat, especially during moments when players are crafting their builds together.
While there's no promise, the team may offer an alpha test branch in the future for players to test new features before they’re rolled out to everyone. This would be similar to the process used in Dead Cells for DLCs and updates. They’re also working on a system to deal with item dilution issues in roguelikes, where unlocking one item can reduce the chance of others appearing. The team plans to start with a simple solution, like a "ban" system for items, and then iterate based on player feedback.
Other Features and Improvements
The team are focusing on refining the game’s core systems, with a strong emphasis on multiplayer balancing. They’ve already made several tweaks to enemy behaviour, especially regarding stun and freeze effects. There are also plans to improve the multiplayer experience by allowing players to join others in the middle of a run, merging the lines between single player and multiplayer for those that want it.
In the short term, they are working on addressing small but important issues, like fixing user interface bugs in multiplayer that hinder communication. The team is also planning new features for cooperative play, such as shared abilities like the Magi Fishes, and cooperative mechanics that feel more organic rather than adding a distinct "multiplayer mode."
If you made it this far, GG! That's a lot of text to read!
Since the AMA we've deployed a couple more patches which addressed some issues discussed during our stream - for example: Mouse aiming!
Make sure to check out our News section for all the latest patch notes and updates
(Click the image to open the Windblown News tab)
