A duck is swept away from its nest by a tornado and then meets a turtle and together they go on a 2D platformer adventure that is heavily inspired by 16-bit classics. ESPECIALLY the Donkey Kong Country series.  Windswept is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

When I say this game is like the Donkey Kong Country titles, I mean it!  You can play as the duck and turtle alternately, and when the one you’re playing as gets hit, then you play as the other one.  If that one gets hit you must start the level over or at a checkpoint.  But if you find a bubble with your friend in it, you can get them back.  You can swap between the two characters and get on each others’ shoulders, spin to attack enemies and even spin off ledges and then jump.  There are animal friends to ride on (like a chameleon and crab), and bonus stages with lots of collectables.  There are barrel cannons and even a brambles stage!

The duck and turtle mostly play the same but they have a few unique moves.  The duck can glide down after a jump with its wings, and the turtle can use its shell to slam into the ground.  While on each others’ shoulders you can toss the other player up or forward.  There are even more advanced moves, like one where the duck throws the turtle on the ground and then stomps on it to send it straight forward.  And while the basic running and jumping controls are smooth, the more advanced ones are harder to pull off and don’t give you enough time to practice.  The difficulty also ramps up way too quickly, I don’t remember the DKC games getting this hard.  And they really don’t tell you what the stars and moon coins and other goodies you collect actually do. But if you really like the Donkey Kong Country games, then you might like this.

Kid Factor:

Windswept is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence.  You can stomp on and spin into cartoony enemies and they just disappear in a puff of smoke.  If you get hit, you just fall over and run away.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the menu text but not necessary just to play.  Younger gamers may find it too difficult, though.

Tags: Game Reviews