The demo for a little 90s-inspired platformer hit Steam recently: Windswept, a pixellated platformer about a duck and a turtle going on a very large adventure while trying to get home after a storm. The platformer lets you switch between duck and turtle, or one player can take control of both characters in local co-op mode. Windswept is “coming soon,” and will run a Kickstarter (opens in new tab) soon, which I hope means it’s coming this year because I quite like it.
It’s a pretty classic setup where each of Duck and Turtle has its own has their own way of moving around—the core of a good platformer. Despite that the controls aren’t overcomplex and the movement feels quite good for an unreleased game. The Duck and Turtle each ahs their own moves and combo moves with each other, and while playing alone you can hotswap between them. If one of them is hit by an enemy they’re immediately out, but they can be rescued later in the level.
The final game promises to have a “huge world spanning 5 regions with a few friends to meet along the way” and more than 40 handcrafted stages to explore as you go, each with “a bunch of secrets and collectibles to uncover.” There’s also apparently an additional post-game challenge mode, which I’m pretty sure is set on the moon.
Did I mention that the duck and turtle and the world they live in is cute? It’s great modern pixel art with a personality all its own. There’s grumpy octopuses with moustaches, angry bees that are also knights, and the duck lifts its wings when it runs which is adorable.
You can find Windswept on Steam (opens in new tab), though it’ll apparently also launch on Epic. It’s currently listed as “coming soon,” but you can play the demo now.