WindRyder is a short, lighthearted romance game "masquerading" as an RPG, and an admirable first effort by developer TESTOSTERONE. While there are some typical issues that come with being a newbie developer (poor battle balancing, mechanics added without much rhyme or reason, etc.), they do not add up to be a substantial enough detriment when the game is running on all cylinders.
Before going any further, it's important to note that, as of this writing, this is NOT a complete game. Rather, this is just the first part of a longer story. Nothing about this game's advertisement suggests this. In fact, there is even a screenshot of all three romanceable girls in the same party on the store page, a situation that never happens in game. I know this is free, but I didn't appreciate being led to believe that this was a completed game only to be suddenly thrown into a cliffhanger ending with "See you in part 2". This is particularly aggravating because one of the girls does not have a dedicated dungeon where the player gets to know her like they do the other two. Considering there is instead an optional dungeon starring a guest character from a different game, the omission of this heroine feels all the more deliberate, and that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
As stated in the first paragraph, when the game is at its best, it's a good time. The (parallaxed) environments are beautifully rendered, and the characters are expressive and full of life. Their characterization is prominent not just in the impressive portrait art, but in their voice acting and in game animations. The couple’s ball near the end, in particular, has more love put into the presentation than the entirety of other games made in the engine. The fact that the scenes flows differently depending on which girl you pick, with different moments accented with unique CGs, shows a dedication to making each route feel unique and not a copy/paste job that should be commended.
When the writing allows for it, there are legitimate laugh out loud moments and loving jabs at overused RPG tropes. The titular himbo Ryder, in particular, shares some witty banter with the two girls that have a real presence in the game. From Arwen's teasing to Prim's groan-inducing onslaught of puns, there are enough playful moments that ensure a lighthearted time from opening scene to credits. These moments are best experienced for yourself rather than reading about in reviews, but suffice to say that these moments alone make the game worth playing, regardless of any criticism I might have of other parts.
Because, unfortunately, there are a lot of criticisms.
As dedicated as the game is to maintaining a lighthearted tone, there is a difference between lighthearted and shallow, and the writing steps over that line a bit too often. The game isn't afraid to take jabs at overused RPG tropes, it also fully embraces those same tropes without even a hint of irony (it's true that memory loss is very cliche, but then the MC stays an amnesiac for the entire run of the game and it's rarely brought up again). While there is plenty of banter between the cast, there are far too few "genuine" moments to really sell the fact that these characters TRULY care for one another. Nearly every time the game has a chance for a character to show concern over another's wellbeing, it's often brushed aside in favor of more sexual jokes and innuendos. It all comes together to convey the idea that the romance in this romance game is less chemistry and more hormones. I don't believe that was the intention, but that's how it all comes off.
In addition, the combat itself is, frankly, boring at its very peak. While it becomes clear later in the adventure that combat is not the game’s focus, the extra effort it took to add new mechanics like the threat system and timed button presses suggests the opposite idea at first glance. It’s classic new dev syndrome where the design process started and ended with the addition of plugins: enough to make for a good looking screenshot and very little else. With no thought put into how these mechanics would be explored or built upon, it makes me wonder why the developer even bothered to add those systems if they were going to be forgotten about as soon as the tutorial for them ends? This wouldn’t be so bad if dungeon maps didn’t have several enemies placed in choke points that all but required you to fight them. That, combined with the battle mechanic plugins give the impression that making an interesting RPG was at least SOMEWHERE on the priority list at some point in development, but it was quickly forgotten in favor of writing. An understandable shift in direction, but still sad to see. Luckily, the lack of balance is skewed towards easy rather than difficult, ensuring that players won’t ever be stuck at any point in the game.
While I realize that this review has been far more critical of this game than praising. I’d like to reiterate that, flaws and false advertising aside, the banter, character moments, and heartfelt presentation is good enough to be worth a recommendation. WindRyder wears its heart on its sleeve. It’s just flawed in execution. And flaws in execution can be ironed out as the dev grows in experience.
Overall, I would equate this game to a piece of candy. Delicious, but fleeting.
