Winds & Leaves Image
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66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

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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 discoverLearn 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 their secrets in order to unlock new equipment and gather ancient dormant seed varieties. Find the perfect conditions to plant them in and you'll witness magnificent trees grow to maturity and transform the landscape.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 8
  2. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. PLAY
    Aug 24, 2021
    80
    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]
  2. Jul 29, 2021
    70
    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.
  3. Aug 2, 2021
    70
    This charming jaunt was a delightful, verdant explosion of summer, underpinned with a sound ecological message.
  4. Jul 27, 2021
    60
    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.
  5. Oct 18, 2021
    60
    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.
  6. Jul 29, 2021
    60
    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.
  7. Aug 10, 2021
    55
    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.

See all 9 Critic Reviews