Home Wind

About

Home Wind is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Adi Zhavo and was released on March 10, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

Home Wind is a minimalist, relaxing and cozy city builder about creating large settlements based on proximity tactics. All for free!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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88%

Audience ScoreBased on 485 reviews

graphics34 positive mentions

monetization3 negative mentions

The game offers a relaxing and chill atmosphere, making it perfect for unwinding after a long day.
It features beautiful visuals and a charming art style that enhances the overall experience.
The gameplay is simple yet strategic, requiring players to think about building placements to maximize points.

The game suffers from bugs and glitches, including occasional crashes and issues with loading levels.
There is a lack of variety in gameplay, leading to repetitive experiences as players progress through levels.
The monetization model is criticized, with some players feeling misled about the availability of premium content and the necessity to contact the developer for unlocks.

graphics
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The game's graphics receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the cute, hand-drawn, and relaxing art style that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some criticize the reliance on simplistic 2D visuals, arguing that they feel outdated compared to modern 3D graphics. Overall, while the visuals are often described as beautiful and charming, there are calls for more depth and variety in the graphical design.
- “Fun and beautiful graphics, easy to play, satisfying.”
- “I love the hand-drawn visuals and the gameplay is chill and relaxing while giving your brain some workout.”
- “The beautiful pixel graphics draw you in and you'll find yourself proudly looking down on your creations!”
- “The game features really lackluster 2D visuals (does the developer not know 3D graphics became mainstream in the mid-1990s?).”
- “Gamers don't spend thousands of dollars on gaming rigs and the latest 3D graphics cards to play 2D games.”
- “The graphics could also use some updating.”
gameplay
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
74%
4%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating its relaxing and casual nature, as well as its charming visuals and simple mechanics. However, many have noted that it can become repetitive and lacks depth, with a limited variety of challenges and a reliance on RNG that can lead to frustration. While some find the core gameplay loop enjoyable, others feel it needs more polish and additional mechanics to enhance engagement and creativity.
- “The mechanics are simple, but it gets really harder the further you go.”
- “I love the hand-drawn visuals and the gameplay is chill and relaxing while giving your brain some workout.”
- “The gameplay feels laid back, the scoring and UI is intuitive and you can play it at your own pace, either as a pleasant, relaxing, small-scale city builder or a min/maxer who is intent on squeezing every last coin out of the map.”
- “The game offers no real gameplay, no interesting choices, and no actual puzzles.”
- “I played the first 10 levels and then got somewhat bored of it - it becomes repetitive since the game loop is repeating itself with the same exact order of cards/monuments you get; modifying this or switching it up a little would make me put much more thought into the gameplay.”
- “Since the order of the 'building packages' is always the same, and most of the 'difficulty' is either due to randomly moving animals (a dumb idea, with no mechanic to make them move, it's just waiting for hours for them to move), pixel hunting, or glitches.”
music
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
46%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience with its pleasant melodies and calming soundscapes. Many players appreciate the art style that complements the music, creating a serene environment ideal for unwinding. However, some users noted a lack of variety in the soundtrack and expressed a desire for more customizable audio settings.
- “The music is wonderful and lends to the simple feel of the game.”
- “A blissful soundtrack that works very well with the gameplay.”
- “The visuals, music, and sounds are splendid, and the simple gameplay is truly something special.”
- “Although the music is relaxing, I found I just couldn't get into it.”
- “- music could use some more variety.”
- “Every few seconds you'll level up and it plays the same stinger music while also cancelling out whatever you are currently placing.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its relaxing and pleasant vibes, enhanced by atmospheric music and appealing artwork. Players appreciate the minimalistic design that encourages a laid-back experience, particularly in sandbox mode, making it an ideal choice for those seeking downtime from more intense gameplay. However, some users note that the game can still induce stress despite its intended calming ambiance.
- “Great presentation and atmosphere.”
- “This minimalistic city builder, with an emphasis on a relaxing atmosphere, is the perfect game to play when you are looking for some downtime away from other more high-intensity gameplay titles.”
- “They reinforce the patient atmosphere of the game, giving you time to stop micro-focusing and actually look at the beautiful community that you are creating.”
- “For a game about a relaxed atmosphere, it’s pretty stressful :’).”
- “They reinforce the patient atmosphere of the game; they give you time to stop microfocusing and actually look at the beautiful community that you are creating.”
- “But, if you are looking to scratch your creative itch, you should try out sandbox mode for its relaxed atmosphere and its no consequence gameplay.”
monetization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The game's monetization strategy has received mixed reviews, with many users noting that it is heavily reliant on microtransactions, despite being marketed as free. While players can progress through numerous levels without payment, premium content is locked behind DLC or in-app purchases, leading to calls for a reevaluation of the monetization approach. Overall, the presence of microtransactions detracts from the experience for some gamers.
- “Is this game the best free game on Steam, with absolutely no garbage monetization, and a lot of levels available for free?”
- “It does progress for free for many levels and then you can make in-app purchases to get more.”
- “On pricing and value for gamers, this isn't really free as the game is infested with mobile app store-like microtransactions.”
- “The game has premium levels, either via DLC or an in-app purchase.”
- “I think the developer needs to completely rethink the monetization.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The game's story aspect is largely absent, with no progression, upgrades, or overarching narrative, leading players to create their own stories in a sandbox environment. While some players found enjoyment in crafting their own narratives, the lack of structured storytelling and missions left many feeling limited and unsatisfied. Overall, the game lacks a cohesive story, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “Last night, I showed it to people from all sorts of different gaming backgrounds - military shooters, fantasy MMO, atmospheric story-driven, and all of them gravitated towards this and started playing.”
- “The story I made up in my head as I went along.”
- “It also has no progression between levels, like upgrades or research systems, no global quests or unlocks.”
- “This limits you a lot in what you can do, which is pretty much some base missions and a sandbox mode that doesn't really give you any information.”
- “Found open country and built me a small cottage and about 2 minutes later magical fields of crops appeared everywhere and more homes with neighbors already present inside; it was miraculous... I digress, no story.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and stressful, primarily due to issues like a lack of save points, cumbersome manual confirmations, and the need to constantly monitor various elements while progressing through levels. The city-building mechanics can also feel restrictive and frustrating, particularly when players are forced to place unattractive structures closely together to advance. Overall, the grinding experience detracts from the enjoyment of the city-building genre.
- “If not for the store issues, the lack of save points between stages, or the tedious manual confirmations for every action, it might have been tolerable to struggle through the maps.”
- “I enjoy this genre of relaxing city builder, but I find this game to be stressful and tedious.”
- “The wildlife adding to the score could get a bit tedious if the player is having trouble with beating a level and trying to max out the score.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
Islanders offers high replayability thanks to its procedurally generated maps, multiple levels, and sandbox mode, allowing players to continually explore and improve their strategies. The game's enjoyable mechanics and low entry price further enhance its appeal, making it a relaxing experience that encourages repeated play.
- “This is a game with lots of replayability, due to its many levels and sandbox mode.”
- “Unbeatable entry price point, pleasant visuals and style that is matched by substance, high replayability factor, relaxing and straightforward gameplay loop.”
- “Islanders is better, is replayable enough, and if you need more, there are different heirs out there, without annoyances packaged in.”
- “Considering the maps are procedurally generated, this is replayable.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting occasional glitches that can be resolved by restarting, while others have experienced more significant bugs, such as the ability to place an excessive number of buildings on a single platform. However, there are also players who report a smooth experience with no issues, indicating variability in stability across different play sessions. Overall, the game is described as fun but somewhat buggy.
- “Occasionally glitches out, but if you just close out, it's okay.”
- “There are also semi-common glitches, my favorite of which being the ability to place near infinite buildings on a single platform, so long as an inn is placed first.”
- “Fun simple, but a little buggy.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its unexpected and engaging results, though some players feel it could benefit from more interactive comedic elements, such as funny interactions with animals on the world map. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm, but there are suggestions for enhancing it further.
- “No idea why this happens, but it leads to extremely humorous results.”
- “Funny enough, this is the most engaging game that simultaneously makes me not want to pay to unlock more of its content, as I dread whatever torture dungeon awaits behind the locked gates of 'premium levels'.”
- “It needs more funny interactions when clicking on the animals in the world map, along with a squeaky toy sound effect added when you click them.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its focus on space optimization, allowing players to strategically build profitable structures that interact effectively with one another and the terrain, contributing to a relaxing gameplay experience.
- “Very relaxing game based on the optimization of space in order to build the most profitable buildings according to their interactions with each other and the terrain.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be a relaxing and wholesome experience, evoking positive emotions and a sense of comfort.
- “Quite relaxing and wholesome!”