What is Winds of Change? An Explanation From The Developer
What is Winds of Change? This is a question I get asked almost every day. Having launched on Steam in August, it quickly rose up the charts, and was even featured as a top seller. What appears to be a simple visual novel with furry characters is actually much more than that, at least to me. It’s the culmination of almost a decade’s worth of work. The planning for the story and world started back in 2011, and the first concept art of Valessa and Fortaime (two of the main characters) dates back to early 2012. There was a break of a couple years while I focused on professional growth, but my first game, Major\Minor, was released in 2015. My hope was to test the market, and raise money to tell the story I’ve always wanted to tell — the story of Winds of Change.
Major\Minor was successful beyond my wildest expectations. In fact, I even have a Game of The Year Award in my office. It had a very small budget, but a very big heart. It was praised for its emotional story and for the fact that your choices actually mattered. Raising the funds to make Winds of Change is something I did around four to five months after Major\Minor was released. Then, development started on Winds of Change, and took around four years. That’s basically the timeline of my life from 2011 to the present. As I’m still pretty young, this was a significant portion of my life to spend on the pursuit of telling one story, and that’s why no matter what I make next, Winds of Change will always hold a special place in my heart.
But again, what is Winds of Change? This is hard to answer, but I’m going to try my best. If you’ve ever watched Star Wars or Lord of The Rings, you’ll probably be right at home. It’s a story about war, loss, and sacrifice. Depending on your choices, it could also be a story about love against all odds. Around twenty years before the game takes place, The Triumvirate (rulers of the world) forcefully occupied a lawless city. This city was a haven for piracy, debauchery, and an all-around bad time. Sending their forces, known as The Inquisition, they attacked the city and took it over, placing a General in charge and tasked them with keeping the city in line. They introduced law and order into what they saw as chaos. However, this didn’t come without a cost. Many innocent lives were lost.
“Back during the occupation…? I killed so many innocent people, made orphans out of so many children. I’ve been facing that for the last twenty years, but today was the first time I’ve faced it in person. I played a part in condemning them — forcing them into this war; and now I must play my part in ending it.”
~Gryz, General of Mazeo
The adults who lost their loved ones wanted nothing more than revenge, and there was a surplus of children who lost their parents. This shared trauma brought both groups together, creating a new family — The Rebellion. Fast-forward twenty years, and these adults molded the children into soldiers, taking away any future they had by turning them into instruments of their revenge. The time has finally come to dethrone The Triumvirate. They have the strength, and the numbers to do so.
The Triumvirate is shrouded in mystery, and seemingly immortal. They’ve had the world in their grasp for as long as anybody can remember. The only thing The Rebellion knows for sure, is that The Triumvirate relies on an artifact — The Blade of Exodus — to ensure their rule. Their first goal is to infiltrate The Triumvirate’s castle, steal the blade, and turn their own weapon against them. They are successful, but the leader of The Rebellion perishes, leaving the young Damek in charge. He helps The Rebellion pick up the pieces after this massive loss and continues the plan that his former leader, and father figure, had set in motion. Of course, you, as the player, get caught up in all of this.
“The Triumvirate shall fall. They will burn for what they’ve done here today; and in the end?They will beg for the mercy they were too unkind to give to us. We will free this world from their grip, and deliver it to the hands of the righteous. Our dynasty will be marked with blood, yes, but theirs was marked with far more.”
~Damek, General of The Rebellion
The blade finds its way to the village of Valinorth, where your player character was born and raised. You are The Seer (or Seeress), and you help guide Valinorth’s history down the right path via prophetic visions gifted to you by the realm of spirits. Your most recent vision is a shocking one, and it results in the entire village being evacuated, with you being handed The Blade of Exodus. With your two best friends in tow, Valessa and Fortaime, you go on an exodus of your own, to bring the blade back to The Rebellion, and travel the world of Alestia. I don’t want to spoil anything like why you have the blade, or what happens along the way, but this is a large journey. There are around 27,000 lines of (fully voice acted) dialogue, and around 270,000–280,000 words. There is no sequel bait, no planned DLC, and no microtransactions. This is a full experience, and the world will be forever changed based on your decisions, and the impact and bonds you form with those you call your friends.
You recruit six party members by the end of the game, and each character has their own personal story that spans the entirety of the game. These personal stories are completely optional, but flesh out the characters and help you bond with them. All six are romance options regardless of the gender your character identifies as. You can also be fully polyamorous, with different combinations of romance options resulting in fun party banter. Included among the options is also an asexual character. I don’t like making outlandish claims but I’m pretty sure this is the first asexual character in a game of this type. I really did my best to diversify the options, because so many AAA titles are made in order to be sold to cishet males. It’s nice to see a change of pace, and some representation in other regards.
The personal story for each of your party members ends in a loyalty scene, a la Mass Effect 2. It is important to earn the loyalty of every comrade possible before launching the final attack. In fact, if you’ve ever played Mass Effect 2, you’ll find that the story structure is extremely similar. Your party members talk amongst themselves as you move from area to area. You can even stop and chat with them if you want to have some downtime and get to know them. While the main story focuses on huge choices that will change the history of Alestia forever, the personal stories and romance subplots are a nice change of pace that show us anything can flourish during a time of war. I hesitate to call Winds of Change a dating sim, because those typically revolve entirely around romance options. You can play through the entirety of Winds of Change without ever flirting or getting involved with anybody.
“Honor is a term used to stay the hand in difficult situations, Monarch. When the final drop of blood must be spilled, and your honor stops you? What then? Is the future of our world on the shoulders of those so weak? Do not concern yourself with honor. The enemy does not, and this is why they win. Concern yourself with the correct actions — not the right ones.”
~Howl
Winds of Change doesn’t involve your typical battle between good and evil. Both sides have ideals with merit. Like all wars, it’s simply a clash of beliefs. This makes for a very morally grey journey. Major choices are never clear cut. For example, do you try and uphold tradition, and keep the world the way it was? Or are you willing to make some major changes here and there in order for your army to become stronger? The game deals a lot with this. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to ensure your victory in the end? Will the world, or even you, be the same when it’s all over?
As Fortaime wonders: If you have to change who you are in order to win, then is it truly winning? I could go on about this for a long time, but it’s best experienced for yourself. This balance of compromise and integrity is at the heart of this journey. If the world you’re fighting for is drastically different at the end of your journey, then what were you fighting for? If it’s no longer there, was it worth it? I’ll go into more spoilery detail about the morality of the choices and each of the character’s themselves in another article, so I’ll try to just cut it short before I reveal too much.
When playing a game that involves major choices, you have to wonder if they matter. The less than stellar ending of the Mass Effect trilogy is still mentioned to this day when talking about this subject. But rest assured that your choices matter in Winds of Change. Each player gets an epilogue at the end of the game that takes all of their choices into account, including their bonds with the other characters. You really do leave behind a drastically different world; and each of your party members will have their lives forever changed because of your actions. I recommend going into this game as blind as possible, and doing as much side content as you can. If any of the concepts or thoughts above got you curious, you’ll more than likely love the journey that Winds of Change provides. It really lives up to its name. But what are the winds of change blowing for? Alestia? Your allies? Or perhaps, even yourself? The events and struggles depicted in Winds of Change are all very real; even in the face of its fantasy setting. You’ll likely find yourself relating to many of the characters and their stories, and you’ll also find yourself thinking about some important questions.
So, if I had to answer the question of “What is Winds of Change?”, I guess that would be it. A catalyst for thoughts and reflections on yourself, the world, and those around you. How do you define the cost of a life? What are you willing to sacrifice in order to save others? This isn’t a game that you play through for the wow factor, the action, or a steady rush of dopamine from achievements and rewards. This is a long journey, and a slow burn. But hopefully, like the world and the characters who inhabit it, you too will change, if even a little bit. They say that the crown weighs heavy on the head that wears it. When pushed to your limits, how will you react? And more importantly, how will you be remembered?
“Strength doesn’t come from numbers, though. It comes with the ability to be ourselves. To express what’s inside. Without our independence, we’re no different from anyone else. If we lose that, we lose Valinorth’s very soul.”
~Valessa, Scribe to The Seer
Winds of Change is available on Steam for $20 USD here:
