Winds of Change

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 18
  3. Negative: 3 out of 18

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  1. Tenebrislux
    Aug 9, 2021
    10
    I love this game. It’s one of the only things to make me cry. In fact I’m going to play it again
  2. FurryFoeHammer
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    Great game. Recommend. Great indie title if you enjoy that kinda thing :) Rawr!
  3. justyouruser
    Jun 16, 2021
    0
    this game is cringe bad and stupid klace husky should go to hell hope this gets deleted also die furries
  4. Wolfslacher
    Jun 16, 2021
    10
    It's awesome... Furs and non furs should play this once.... Rank of Complete it.... Personal rating.... But it really is a good game for people who like stories.
  5. Lycos94
    Jun 16, 2021
    10
    Absolutely amazing.

    This game made me feel things i have never felt while playing games, The characters are great, the art is great, the story/writing is great, the voice acting is great, the music is great, i cant think of a single thing about this game that i didn't love. I have laughed, and cried, and went through all of the feelings during this journey. I have played it over    Absolutely amazing.

    This game made me feel things i have never felt while playing games,
    The characters are great, the art is great, the story/writing is great, the voice acting is great, the music is great, i cant think of a single thing about this game that i didn't love.

    I have laughed, and cried, and went through all of the feelings during this journey.

    I have played it over the span of about 2 weeks, and there has been no day in between where i didn't find myself thinking about the characters and story, even when i wasn't playing it.

    I keep telling my friends to try it because i love it so much, and am so excited about it, and i just want more people to have the same amazing experience that i had, and talk with them about it.    … Expand
  6. Blaze_Mari
    Jun 16, 2021
    10
    - Very Pawsome! ^w^

    This game didn't excite me at first but when I played it I was Mind blown! Some of the parts were almost like the scenes from Neptunia Vll. (Wanna say it but that could spoil the story for new players) Over all this game is very Interesting and it really warms the heart I can't wait to do a video on it sometime! ^w^
  7. fgcvbnvcxvcb
    Jul 1, 2021
    0
    klace husky deez nuts KLACE DESERVES TO GO TO HELL AHHAHAHHA DIE FURRIES HAAAAHA
  8. Rezzy
    Jun 17, 2021
    10
    Ratio cause that other guy gave it a zero. Damn this has to be 75 characters long so here’s some filler
  9. JakeRaccoon
    Jul 4, 2021
    8
    Winds of Change is a fully voice-acted furry visual novel with a remarkable story and characters but also with some flaws.

    For this type of a game, the most significant part is, of course, the story. For the first hour or so I really wasn’t that into it. But I urge everyone to stick around as by the halfway point I was totally hooked. The whole thing from start to finish provided me    Winds of Change is a fully voice-acted furry visual novel with a remarkable story and characters but also with some flaws.

    For this type of a game, the most significant part is, of course, the story. For the first hour or so I really wasn’t that into it. But I urge everyone to stick around as by the halfway point I was totally hooked. The whole thing from start to finish provided me around 15 hours of gameplay.

    There are couple of plot holes but nothing major. The story is something I could write multiple essays about but let’s keep things spoiler free and just say that the story is not perfect but especially towards to the end it’s brilliantly written and the dialog is good enough that I’m easily able to overlook these minor mishaps in the plot. You undoubtedly have to experience it yourself to understand what I mean by this.

    Like in many other visual novels, the primary game mechanic of the game is traveling to the next available location using the map. The UI is okay at best and having to move a cursor around the screen never works too well on consoles.

    Upon arrival to a new location, the next story bit takes place and a new location is unlocked. All locations come equipped with great artwork and there are multiple areas of interest that can be clicked to learn more about the environment or get some extra dialog.

    In most places there are some optional stuff to do. The player can engage in one-on-one conversations with their comrades, listen to (sometimes humorous) conversations other characters have with each other and also view short cutscenes of parallel events taking place elsewhere. These are all optional, but it’s highly recommended to play through all of them to have the full experience. In some later areas of the game, special heart-to-heart conversations can be had with the main characters. Those are very important if you wish to pursue deeper bond – or even romance – with your comrades. They also have some impact on the story. It’s not a dating sim by any means tho.

    Still, forming bonds and friendships with the main characters play a huge part in the game. I loved that but it might not be for everyone. But there’s also a plenty of action to take place, so really, it’s something for everybody.

    In my opinion, the most common pitfall for this type of a game is that way too often I come to the realization that my choices don’t actually matter at all. I’m happy to report that in Winds of Change that never happened. There are about ten major choices that will impact the story and the ending heavily. Many of the choices are cleverly written and making the difficult calls really makes you feel the same burden that the protagonist feels. Getting emotions like this from a game is really rare for me so Winds of Change receives huge props for achieving this.

    However, especially towards to the end, there are multiple long cutscenes during which you’re rarely able to impact the story at all. There were multiple times when I felt I would like to do, say or ask something but was not given an option to do so.

    Personally, I never replay these kinds of games. I like thinking that every choice I make will be final. However, if figuring out how different choices affect the story and the ending is your thing, you can freely save and load at any time. The only thing I would wish for would be an ability to name your save files.

    That’s pretty much it. Some final thoughts I want to include:

    I very rarely get interested in visual novels and even less often in ones featuring anthropomorphic characters, or “furries”. Winds of Change managed to do something utterly amazing here. As a grown-up man I find this hard to admit, but I was pretty much shedding tears throughout most of the final chapter. Normally I never find myself getting emotional like that, but this game really caught me off guard. It must have been the combination of the beautiful, cleverly written story, amazing and well voice-acted characters and me completely being immersed in the world and in the protagonist I’m playing. And I now realize I haven’t even said anything about the music yet. Maybe I allow you to find out about that part yourself…

    Only bug I encountered was when my save file somehow got corrupted and loading it resulted in a black screen with only music playing. Fortunately, I could load the previous autosave and didn’t lose any major progress. Still, save corrupting bugs are something that should never exist in fully released games.

    My final verdict: If you have any interest in visual novels and can live with the hiccups mentioned, I highly recommend this experience for everyone. Even through the game is advertised as “Ultimate furry tale”, there’s absolutely no need to be a furry to be able to enjoy Winds of Change. If you happen to be a fur tho, that’s just a bonus and you will likely appreciate the game even more.    … Expand
  10. NindieSpotlight
    Dec 17, 2021
    7
    While interactive fiction doesn’t tend to suit my tastes most of the time there are instances where I can at least step back and acknowledge when something a bir more special comes along in the space. I’d say that’s the case for Winds of Change, a fantasy story set in a world of anthropomorphized wolves and centered on a conflict at a grand scale that, of course, your unwitting characterWhile interactive fiction doesn’t tend to suit my tastes most of the time there are instances where I can at least step back and acknowledge when something a bir more special comes along in the space. I’d say that’s the case for Winds of Change, a fantasy story set in a world of anthropomorphized wolves and centered on a conflict at a grand scale that, of course, your unwitting character quickly gets drawn right into the center of. While the production value and polish from the generally solid voice acting cast to the distinctive characters help add value it’s really the quality and depth of the writing and dialogue that help it stand out. With numerous key decisions that can be impactful more than one run may be in order if you really want to explore what all can happen, and the quality of the characters is really what helps make that notion appealing.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/06/mini-reviews-june-3rd-edition-nintendo.html    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Best Switch Game of 2021
97
#97 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Aug 23, 2021
    70
    Winds of Change really is a fantastically written story, that, despite its surface level niche target audience, is a must try for any visual novel fans, or high-fantasy story fans. I’m sure you’ll get something out of it, and for any members of the furry fanbase, if you haven’t tried this game out and chosen a character to “stan,” I have but two questions: Why haven’t you, and why isn’t it Valessa?
    Read full review
  2. GamingTrend
    Jul 22, 2021
    80
    As furry visual novels go, Winds of Change is in the upper echelon. Leaps and bounds from its predecessor, this follow-up boasts a charming cast of characters, wonderful character models, and some great storytelling. If you want a fantasy tail… erm, tale to sink your teeth into, this is one you should check out.
    Read full review
  3. Switch Player
    Jul 19, 2021
    80
    Winds of Change is a visual novel that presents players with an intricate and intertwining high-fantasy narrative full of twists and turns. With an eclectic cast of anthropomorphic animal characters, this visual novel will satisfy story lovers and animal lovers alike.
    Read full review
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