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Winds & Leaves
Released On: Jul 27, 2021
66
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Where to Buy
Where to Buy
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
66
11% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
78% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
66
11% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
78% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The grow-and-go loop may be
simple but there’s enough
challenge to keep you thinking.
The game’s a looker, too. The
clean, stylised visuals deliver a
deep sense of satisfaction as a
barren desert floods with
colourful trees – the reds,
greens, and blues of your
endeavours encouraging you to
keep going, to keep planting
more. It’s a visual treetment
that works. To backpetal
slightly, there are some
bugs, but nothing the
dev won’t swat away in
time. [Issue#5, p.86]
This charming jaunt was a delightful, verdant explosion of summer, underpinned with a sound ecological message.
The game's list of issues outside of its inventory is mercifully short. Climbing trees is janky, but the basic locomotion system – a mechanic where you ride stilts hand-made for the PS Move – is exquisite, so getting around is a breeze. The bigger concern – something that may well be fixed by the time you read this – lies with crashing. The pre-release version of the game we reviewed crashed a ludicrous number of times, and as this is a VR experience, it’s especially disruptive.
Winds and Leaves has potential, but the waggle-to-walk controls, the constant jaggedness and morphing vegetation on PSVR, and the detached climbing mechanic cover up most of it. provided you're at peace with the issues it has, It can be a relaxing and meditative experience, but there are better options out there.
Winds & Leaves has some nice ideas and for those looking for a nice tranquil VR experience with some light puzzles, it perfectly suits. The problem is Winds & Leaves can be a bit too quiet. Lush green grass and colour forests are all well and good but they’re still devoid of life, no animals suddenly return. So you end up walking through your lovely forest world alone, it all feels a bit soulless. Winds & Leaves was enjoyable for the 7-8 hours it lasts yet there was no desire to return.
Winds & Leaves is a charming ans soothing VR experience, but not without flaws. Controls are not very precise and we are kind of disconnected from this artistically dashing world because of aliasing and clipping. A pity, we would have loved to let it grow on us.
Wind & Leaves turned out to be a real bummer. The exploration and world history are intriguing and there’s no denying the beauty of the world as it speeds through growth when time is fast-forwarded. There is also some really good soundtrack music going on too. The intent of creating a Journey-like experience is clear but there are too many game mechanic missteps that break immersion. This a game some will no doubt like because of the world. It all depends on your tolerance level of the game mechanics.
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Summary Learn to read the signs of the various climates, awaken old landmarks, and grow your own forests in this PlayStation VR flora builder. Stranded in a barren landscape, you are the only being capable of mastering the ancient art of growing vegetation. Journey across the Steppe to discover landmarks left behind from a previous time. Uncover...
Rated E
for Everyone
Platforms:
- PlayStation 4
- PC
Initial Release Date: Jul 27, 2021
Developer:
- Trebuchet
Publisher: Trebuchet
Genres: