Wind Story

Not Ready For Release

Standing on my farm with my pet Boka

An amusement park on a farm? What a strange combination.

I grew up near one of Australia's iconic 'big' things: the Big Pineapple. It was built in 1971 on a pineapple plantation as one of Queensland's earliest forays into agritourism. The 23-hectare tourist attraction originally showcased 40 varieties of fruits, nuts, spices and sugarcane, as well as offering shops, restaurants, and a one kilometre train ride around the grounds. Over the years, the site has held musical festivals and farmers markets, and now houses a zoo. I couldn't help but think about the strange, eclectic mix of offerings at The Big Pineapple when I read the premise of Wind Story, and I was excited to create my own agritourist attraction. Perhaps I could make a Big Potato or something similar. (One of those also already exists—it's in New South Wales.)

Unfortunately, it's difficult to enjoy the 'farming sim but it's also…' elements of Wind Story because the core farming sim elements of the game are lacking. The controls are unintuitive, the writing is awkward, and the user interface is just bad. The frame rate is laggy, with the clock often skipping minutes as your pet Boka stutters along. Farming sims are good because they feel good, and Wind Story is yet to figure out how to emulate the satisfying polish that players have come to expect from this genre.

Wind Story released on Switch on April 10 but is coming to Steam as an early access title on April 24. I think the small team of developers will benefit from the early access process, and hopefully will be able to use player feedback and to build this game into a better representation of its potential. Right now though, Wind Story needs a lot more work.

Originally posted on Player2.net.au →