Winds Of Change

Genre: Visual Novel

Players: 1

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Review:

Winds of Change is a Visual Novel released in 2019 on PC and then ported in 2021 to Nintendo Switch. This game’s creators describe the game as “The Ultimate Furry Tale”, but don’t let that frighten you away if you’re worried this might be something fetishy – this game’s characters may be animal-like people, but the story itself is closer to The Lord of the Rings than it is to something you’ll find on an adults-only website.

On that note, this game’s story puts the player in the role of “the seer” (or seeress, if you prefer), who starts the game seeing a vision of their woodland village set ablaze by a malevolent empire searching for a magical blade that has been hidden there. Seeking to avert this fate, you and a pair of scribes in service to you retrieve the blade and set out from the village to rendezvous with a resistance that intends to use the blade to take down the empire.

Right from the start, this game leans on some pretty common tropes – you start the game with amnesia, you’re a “chosen one” hero whose hometown gets destroyed, the “Frodo flees The Shire with The One Ring” moment, and the entire plot just has a very Joseph Campbell-esque “Hero’s Journey” vibe to it.

However, to this game’s credit, it often turns these tropes on their head – your character’s amnesia is quickly resolved as a side-effect of the game’s opening being a vision you’re experiencing, the hometown being destroyed is a part of that vision that you’re seeking to avoid, and the nature of your “chosen one” status is something of a mystery tied to what seems to be the gradual decline of your homeland even if it survives the current conflict. In short, Winds of Change does an exceptional job taking tired fantasy genre tropes and making them engaging again.

A part of the reason why is the strong writing and excellent characters. You’ll encounter numerous characters on your journey, with a few becoming party companions. These characters will often have differing points of view and you’ll frequently have to chime in and make decisions, sometimes coming with some interesting ethical dilemmas. In turn, the choices you make and how you respond to characters can influence your relationships with them. Furthermore, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask them their thoughts on new events you encounter, and you’ll even have the option to segue into brief side-story cutscenes to see other events from perspectives that differ from your character’s.

One issue I do have with this game’s story is how male-heavy it is, with only one noteworthy female character for large parts of that story – one of your scribes, Valessa. Thankfully, her character is wonderfully well-written and nuanced, and she’s a highlight of the story. On the other hand, the other scribe, Fortaime, is childish and annoying.

One element accentuating these characters is the full voice acting for all dialogue (save for your own character’s), which is overall very good. This is backed by lovely instrumental music befitting a fantasy epic. And this joins some excellent 2D visuals that include some very nice cartoony character designs in front of gorgeous painterly backgrounds.

Overall, it’s hard to find much fault with Winds of Change, apart from one the annoying character. This is a Visual Novel featuring a compelling story with strong characters, lots of opportunities for the player to make at times surprisingly difficult choices, nice visuals, good voice acting, and an overall strong presentation. As long as you can get past the “furry” thing, I would say that if you’re a fan of Fantasy stories, this is one that is absolutely worth seeking out.

tl;dr – Winds of Change is a Visual Novel advertised as “The Ultimate Furry Tale”, but far from being anything salacious, this is a surprisingly compelling fantasy tale about a seer coming into possession of a dangerous magic blade sought after by an evil empire. The story takes quite a few common genre conventions and explores them in unique and interesting ways, with strong writing, good characters, a solid presentation, and plenty of meaningful player choices. Even if you’re not normally a “furry” fan, if you enjoy fantasy stories you’ll want to give this game a look.

Grade: A-

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