Passing By - A Tailwind Journey

Amazing ballooning adventure game, loads of nice characters to meet, puzzles to solve, things to collect. I hope to see more in this world, and develop the stories more - maybe a sequel?

[quote] 《信风的风信》是由[url=https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Dear-Villagers]Dear Villagers[/url]发行的一款平台解谜冒险游戏。在游戏中玩家扮演一名邮差，为了完成送达神秘信件的任务，随着永不停息得西风向东前进，在此过程中你会路过无数小岛，遇见无数有趣的NPC，了解他们背后各自的小故事，让你在这单一的漂流送信中留下数段难忘的旅途记忆。 在游戏中你的唯一载具热气球只能随西风而行，所以前进方向只能是向东，而你能控制的只有热气球上下、前进的速度以及停靠岛屿，不过值得注意的是上升还与燃料、重量有关，如果热气球超载，燃料也会随之增高。点开背包右上角就显示你的重量，物品栏也会显示对应物品的重量，如果想要升的更高不妨丢掉一些没有用的东西，比如沙袋等。 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3186055547 在飞行中玩家会遇到各种岛屿大大小小有无人的也有有岛民居住的，虽然无关紧要的岛屿玩家可以一路略过，但是为了生活补给，玩家还是需要去无人岛屿补给，因为角色有饥饿、饥渴的需求。而去无人岛屿还有另一个好处，除了消耗资源以外，有时候运气不错还可以找到装饰你的热气球的装扮等。而与游戏进度挂钩的则是有NPC的大岛屿，在这些岛屿上你会了解到岛屿的故事，并且这些故事背后往往都会让你完成一些有趣的平台解谜玩法。触碰机关到达你不能到达的地方，解开谜题开启你意想不到的隐藏区域。 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3186055701 因为本作机制设定，一些岛屿错过了就回不去了，所以本作不仅需要玩家提前操控好方向和速度，还要实时去望眼镜处观看各个岛屿资源、人员分布情况，在探索每个大型岛屿的同时让自己的状态处于一个不错的水平实属不易。总体来说，本作属于慢节奏探索解谜游戏，如果喜欢卡通画风的慢节奏解谜游戏，不妨跟着卷毛一起穿越云层、踏上前往未知目的地的漫长旅程！ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3186055504 [quote] 游玩百态，将游玩心得用汉语化作玩家的指明灯，(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35402408/]点击这里关注汉化语录~[/url] 如果喜欢这个评测，请点个赞让更多人看见 [/quote] [/quote]

Passing By – A Tailwind Journey is a calm and contemplative adventure game developed by Studio Windsocke and published by Dear Villagers. Rather than focusing on intense action or high-stakes drama, the game invites players to experience a slow and reflective journey through a world of floating islands carried endlessly by the wind. It combines exploration, light survival mechanics, puzzle-solving, and narrative encounters into an experience that emphasizes travel itself rather than the destination. At its heart, the game tells the story of a young balloonist named Curly who sets out across the skies to deliver a mysterious letter, embarking on a journey that gradually reveals a colorful world filled with wandering travelers, small communities, and fleeting connections. The setting plays a central role in shaping the entire experience. The world is made up of a long chain of floating islands drifting through an endless sky, all carried by a strong wind that constantly pushes travelers westward. Curly’s balloon serves as both transportation and a small mobile home, allowing the player to navigate the skies while searching for new islands to explore. Because the wind moves in only one direction, leaving an island means it will eventually disappear behind the player forever. This design choice creates a unique sense of progression and encourages careful exploration. Every island becomes a moment in time that cannot be revisited, reinforcing the idea that the journey is about moving forward and embracing whatever experiences appear along the way. Traveling between islands is an important part of the gameplay. While piloting the balloon, players must manage altitude, wind direction, and limited resources such as fuel and supplies. The sky itself becomes a navigational challenge, requiring players to pay attention to environmental conditions in order to reach distant islands safely. Though the flying mechanics remain accessible and straightforward, they create a gentle sense of responsibility as the player guides Curly across the open sky. The balloon gradually becomes a familiar companion throughout the adventure, representing both freedom and vulnerability during long stretches of travel. Once Curly lands on an island, the focus shifts to exploration on foot. Each island contains its own small environment filled with terrain to climb, hidden areas to discover, and simple puzzles to solve. Some islands feature quiet forests or rocky cliffs, while others include settlements where small groups of people have built homes among the clouds. Exploration is often rewarded with useful resources, story fragments, or encounters with other characters who share their own perspectives on life in this unusual airborne world. The puzzle elements are designed to complement the game’s relaxed pacing rather than create intense challenges. Many puzzles involve interacting with environmental objects, finding hidden paths, or manipulating elements within the landscape in order to access new areas. The solutions usually rely on observation and experimentation rather than complex logic. This approach helps maintain the calm rhythm of the game, allowing players to focus more on discovery and atmosphere than on difficult problem-solving. Survival mechanics add another layer to the journey by requiring players to manage Curly’s basic needs. Hunger, thirst, and health must be maintained by gathering food and water from the islands visited along the way. Some areas may also introduce environmental hazards such as cold climates or thin air that affect Curly’s condition. While these systems encourage careful preparation before continuing the journey, they remain relatively forgiving and are primarily intended to create a sense of responsibility rather than harsh punishment. The narrative unfolds gradually through encounters with other travelers and residents of the floating islands. Many of these characters are explorers, merchants, or wanderers who have chosen to live among the drifting lands. Conversations with them reveal fragments of their personal stories and perspectives on the strange world they inhabit. These interactions often feel brief and transient, mirroring the idea that travelers sometimes cross paths only once before continuing on separate journeys. Through these small moments, the game builds a quiet emotional atmosphere centered on connection, curiosity, and the passing nature of travel. Visually, the game adopts a charming low-poly art style that gives the world a handcrafted appearance. The islands, balloon ships, and characters are built from simple geometric shapes, creating an aesthetic that feels both playful and expressive. Bright skies, stylized clouds, and colorful environments give the world a sense of warmth and openness. Despite the simplicity of the visual design, the landscapes remain varied and visually engaging, making each new island feel like a small but meaningful discovery. The soundtrack further enhances the peaceful mood of the adventure. Soft instrumental music accompanies much of the journey, shifting subtly as the player moves between islands or explores different environments. These gentle melodies emphasize the sense of drifting through an expansive sky and help reinforce the reflective tone of the game. Ambient sounds such as wind currents and distant environmental noises also contribute to the immersion, making the airborne world feel alive and quietly active. Although the overall experience is enjoyable, the game does have some limitations. The survival systems can occasionally disrupt the relaxed pace of exploration if resources become scarce during longer journeys. Additionally, the inability to revisit previously explored islands may frustrate players who realize they missed something important after leaving an area behind. Certain puzzles may also feel slightly unclear at times, especially when environmental clues are subtle. Despite these minor issues, Passing By – A Tailwind Journey succeeds in creating a memorable sense of travel and discovery. The game captures the feeling of drifting through a peaceful world where each stop along the way introduces new scenery, new stories, and small moments of reflection. Instead of pushing players toward constant action, it encourages them to slow down and appreciate the act of exploration itself. Ultimately, Passing By – A Tailwind Journey stands out as a gentle and thoughtful adventure that celebrates movement, curiosity, and the quiet beauty of passing encounters. Its combination of exploration, light survival elements, and atmospheric storytelling creates a relaxing experience that feels both whimsical and reflective. Players who enjoy slower-paced narrative adventures will likely appreciate the sense of calm that comes from guiding Curly’s balloon through a sky full of drifting islands and untold stories. Rating: 8/10

After meeting the delevopers and playing the demo at the GG Bavaria Event in 2024 my friend and I got this game and played together until the end. I think for this purpose - a cozy gaming evening - this game fits really well. This game features a simple story where you can explore different islands. Some of them have the purpose of keeping you alive by offering you food and water, some of them have interesting people on and and some of them contain puzzles that you have to solve and also some lore. I don't play many indie games but this one was definitely a lot of fun. If you like slow paced puzzle games then I can recommend it to you! You can tell that the people behind Passing By put in a lot of effort into it.

What a charming debut. It's a definite recommend, which a couple caveats to help you make an informed decision. If you have a soft spot for love crafted indies that try something fresh and are willing to sacrifice a bit of QoL and polish around the edges for an under the radar gem and support small devs: please give this a shot. And if you're anything like me and are almost put off by the survival hunger management mechanic: it gets easier after the first hour, and especially the big islands have plenty. Controls can be a tiny bit janky, make sure to watch out for hotspots and press up to enter doorways (or ferris wheel cabins, almost drove me mad). Again: absolute labour of love and deserving of your time. If you're reading this chances are you're no stranger to indies, and you should try it

It's very charming, has some lovely music and looks nice. But... it has floaty controls, it's really annoying to navigate the ballon (climbing up a long ladder in order to change its speed, no thank you), and you need to constantly eat and drink to maintain your thirst/hunger. I hate that. In the end, it's just annoying to play and pretty boring. I'm sure there's some cool stuff to see later in the game, but if I'm not enjoying the journey, it's not going to be worth it. Sorry, but it's not for me.

Beautiful, relaxing game that focusses on exploration and puzzles, I enjoyed playing it a lot. Have just finished two playthroughs, but I guess I will soon start a new journey. The islands seem to spawn randomly, giving the game great replayability.

I've only done my first playthrough (and plan to do more), but I love this game! Super underrated!

Pouce bleu instantané pour donner un peu de visibilité à ce jeu trop mignon. Je complèterai mon évaluation quand je l'aurai terminé.

操作彆扭、玩法彆扭、探索彆扭、劇情彆扭 從沒玩過這麼彆扭的遊戲