Wind Peaks

There’s certainly something to be said for a game that leaves me thinking about it and wanting more. Wind Peaks definitely grew on me. But, reaching the end after playing for just over three hours (and getting all achievements) is a tough pill to swallow for a $14.99 game. I hope the sequel plays it less conservatively.

78%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

optimization, grinding

78% User Score Based on 117 reviews

Critic Score 72%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $7.15

Buy NowGet on Steam$14.99

About

Wind Peaks is a charming adventure puzzle game that follows a group of young campers on a quest to uncover the secrets of a mysterious forest. Players will solve puzzles, collect hidden items, and experience a heartwarming story in a hand-drawn, cartoon-style world. With its relaxing gameplay and vibrant visuals, Wind Peaks offers a peaceful retreat for players of all ages.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 117 reviews

story9 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Wind Peaks features beautiful hand-drawn graphics and a charming art style that appeals to fans of whimsical aesthetics.
The game offers a relaxing experience with ambient sounds and a casual gameplay style, making it suitable for players of all ages.
The hint system allows players to receive guidance after a short wait, which helps alleviate frustration when searching for hidden objects.

The gameplay can become tedious due to the excessive clicking required to find objects that are often poorly visible or obscured.
The game is very short, typically lasting only 1-2 hours, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied, especially at full price.
Many objects are hidden in a way that lacks logic, making it frustrating to find them without clear clues or hints.

story
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
72%
12%
The story in the game is generally perceived as thin and lacking depth, serving primarily as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. While some players appreciate the cute art style and lighthearted tone, many express frustration with the vague plot, repetitive levels, and an unsatisfying cliffhanger ending that leaves the story feeling incomplete. Overall, the narrative elements are seen as simplistic and not engaging enough to warrant significant investment from players.
- “It's a fun story and the game is very cute.”
- “Loved the story to drive the game and look forward to season 2 :)”
- “A cute story wrapped up in a neat hidden object game - reminiscent of kids' Wally-style books; the images are full of interesting rather than junk.”
- “The plot is wafer thin, but that's okay because it's really just an excuse to go searching in every bloody bush and tree for any number of objects to complete the map's objectives.”
- “The bare-bones story is awful and the ending is infuriating.”
- “The game implies that it's only the first season of the game, but the short story and the lack of interactions between characters don't make me feel attached to the story at all to care about the continuation.”
graphics
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
42%
6%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, colorful, and cartoonish art style, which many players find appealing and reminiscent of classic hidden-object games. However, some users note issues such as pixelation, graphical glitches, and frustrating gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are generally considered well-executed and enjoyable, they are sometimes seen as underutilized in the context of the game's content and mechanics.
- “The graphics of the game are amazingly clear.”
- “Wind peaks has beautiful graphics.”
- “I absolutely love the direction taken with the art style and wish more hidden object games adopted this style, instead of the overly used cliché horror/realism approach.”
- “You do see a bit of weirdness in some scenes at times, signs that these scenes are layered graphics that sometimes got some weird cuts, but it's really nothing major.”
- “When zooming in, some graphics are pixelated or smudged on my 4K monitor, which is distracting.”
- “Many of the spawn points were selected before a major update that changed some of the graphics, which means that now some spawn points are behind unmovable items.”
gameplay
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
72%
10%
The gameplay is primarily focused on a casual hidden object experience, featuring charming art and relaxing soundscapes, but it is criticized for its simplicity and lack of depth, with many mechanics underutilized. While some players appreciate the light puzzles and the game's overall charm, others find the short playtime (around 1-3 hours) and repetitive nature of searching for items to be limiting. Overall, it offers a wholesome, family-friendly experience, but may not satisfy those seeking more complex gameplay.
- “The exploration and casual gameplay are pretty fun, with peaceful forest sounds adding to the chill vibe.”
- “The game is short (~2 hours), but it's a wholesome experience with no violence or hyper-realistic graphics—just light, easygoing gameplay.”
- “The basic gameplay loop involves searching intricate scenery for people or objects, usually accompanied by some sort of hint system in case you get stuck.”
- “The art of this game is gorgeous and charming; sadly, the gameplay isn't that amusing.”
- “I liked the art style of the game, but I found the gameplay rather lacking.”
- “Frankly, I would have expected the mechanics of 'shaking the tree', 'moving the bush', and 'pushing the rocks' to have an impact in the game, but they are never used elsewhere than in the tutorial that introduces those.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
59%
18%
The music in the game is generally described as decent and relaxing, with some reviewers appreciating the ambient sounds that complement the gameplay. However, many noted that the soundtrack is often forgettable or minimal, with some instances of silence during gameplay. Overall, while the music adds a pleasant atmosphere, it lacks variety and depth, leaving players wanting more.
- “I thought the soundtrack was decent, especially with the ambient forest sounds complementing it.”
- “It has nice music and art style, and the gameplay is not too difficult.”
- “The soundtrack imitates the sounds of a forest, with birds chirping.”
- “Monotonous music, no voice acting at all.”
- “It's so easy to not pay any attention to it like there's no soundtrack at all.”
- “I had to double check this, but there actually isn't any music in the game, except for specific circumstances, such as while you're on the title screen, or watching cutscenes.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Wind Peaks" is generally well-received, with players appreciating its funny sound effects and a short, hilarious story that adds charm to the gameplay. While some reviewers noted a desire for more humor, they still found the game to be simple, funny, and lovely, with instances of amusing overlaps in design. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the game's appeal, though its presence varies throughout.
- “Now to the game, Wind Peaks is a puzzle game, with new puzzles every map and a short but hilarious story to it.”
- “Nice and funny, with cute drawings and its own story.”
- “Simple, funny, lovely.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, featuring gentle environmental elements like swaying trees and soothing nature sounds that create a chilling vibe. Reviewers appreciate the blend of mystery and engaging storyline interactions, drawing comparisons to successful series like Gravity Falls. Overall, the atmosphere is described as captivating and enjoyable, earning a score of 7/10.
- “The trees gently swaying added a very nice touch to the atmosphere of the game.”
- “I liked the atmosphere and the storyline interactions.”
- “With the setting and theoretical air of mystery, despite not having any payoff for it, it makes me think of successful series like Gravity Falls and the atmosphere it created.”
- “Wind Peaks has the soul of Where's Wally/Waldo books, which you should find objects scattered all over the place without hints, with the plus of the cartoonish handmade drawings, background nature sounds, and a chilling atmosphere.”
- “The background nature sounds give the game a chilling atmosphere.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game "Wind Peaks" is well-optimized, running smoothly on high-end hardware without any performance issues, even during graphically intensive scenes. The absence of voice acting and dialogue does not detract from the overall experience, as the narrative is effectively conveyed through silent cut scenes. Overall, players report a stable performance with no significant bugs or issues.
- “No performance issues running on: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 3070.”
- “Especially in the last level, there are a lot of animated items, but that didn’t influence the performance in any way.”
- “Having now looked at what this game is about and its performance, now comes the question on if this game is for you.”
- “Performance, bugs, and issues.”
- “Especially in the last level there are a lot of animated items, but that didn’t influence the performance in any way.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, frustrating, and uninspiring, rather than challenging. Many suggest that improvements, such as item location hints, could alleviate the monotony and enhance the overall experience.
- “That's not making it harder or challenging; it makes it tedious, frustrating, and annoying.”
- “Boring, tedious, and uninspiring.”
- “Add a system for item location hints (cryptic ones if you must) to give the player a better, less tedious chance to find that last elusive item in a huge forest.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered moderate, with users noting that while item locations are randomized, leading to some variability, it ultimately offers minimal replay value. Ratings hover around 6/10, indicating that while there are opportunities to replay levels, the experience may not significantly change with each playthrough.
- “This is a plus for replayability.”
- “Levels are replayable, making it easy to revisit them.”
- “You may get some replay value out of the game.”
- “Replay value: 6/10. Item locations are randomized, each item could have 2-4 locations, so the game has minimal replay value.”
- “Levels are replayable, but it's still easy to get through them.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a wholesome and nostalgic experience, evoking feelings of childhood joy through its light and easygoing gameplay, despite its short duration of about two hours. Players appreciate the absence of violence and hyper-realistic graphics, which contribute to its emotional warmth.
- “The game is short (~2 hours), but it's a wholesome experience with no violence or hyper-realistic graphics—just light, easygoing gameplay.”
- “It's short, sweet, and it made me feel like a kid again in a library trying to find every single item off a list.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for the game is straightforward and unobtrusive, appealing to players who appreciate its meditative item-hunting aesthetic without relying on large budgets or aggressive advertising.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users have reported issues with stability, particularly highlighting the presence of graphical glitches that detract from the overall gaming experience.
- “There are frequent graphical glitches that disrupt the gameplay experience.”
- “The game suffers from numerous stability issues, including crashes and freezes.”
- “I encountered several graphical glitches that made it hard to enjoy the game.”