Minecraft, the Swedish sensation, remains a monumental success, admired by developers worldwide. Despite its age and distinctive blocky graphics, it continues to thrive with a massive player base. This enduring popularity naturally leads many developers and publishers to seek their own slice of the “Minecraft pie,” though replicating its formula has proven remarkably challenging.
Everwind represents the latest endeavor in a long line of games attempting to capture the essence of Minecraft’s success. I embarked on this journey myself, curious to see if it would offer a satisfying feast or merely a few spoonfuls before the novelty wore off. My experience landed me somewhere in the middle.
Currently in Early Access, Everwind is not yet a polished 1.0 release, meaning players shouldn’t expect a complete masterpiece (though some Early Access titles like Slay the Spire have achieved this). It’s slated for continuous content additions and updates until its final form. Even in its current state, there’s a surprising amount of content to explore, and the game clearly possesses its own unique concept and identity. However, it still has a significant path ahead to establish a strong presence and attract its dedicated audience.
The game begins with the generation of a unique world, placing the player atop a towering structure. This tower cleverly serves as an integrated tutorial, with each floor meticulously explaining different game mechanics. It’s an intelligent approach that seamlessly weaves the learning process into the adventure, feeling entirely natural. Players quickly grasp combat fundamentals, crafting tools, and cooking food – all essential elements of a survival game.
Exiting the tutorial tower marks the true beginning of the adventure. The primary mission: “Build your airship.” To achieve this, I first had to scan the rusted remains of a crashed airship on my starting island using a peculiar device. Then, I repurposed these scanned components to craft brand-new engines, generators, and balloons for my own vessel. This process, predictably, involved significant resource gathering – felling trees, mining stones, collecting grass, and crucially, finding copper ore to smelt in a foundry.
The task is mildly complicated by the island’s sparse enemy population – mostly tattered skeletons that pose little real threat. Combat, however, is surprisingly engaging and well-designed, featuring parries and additional abilities unlockable through a classic RPG skill tree. The enemy AI, conversely, is unremarkable; it functions but offers no surprises. Skeletons aren’t the only inhabitants; the Everwind developers clearly have a fondness for capybaras, particularly those sporting small hats. Wild boars and pheasants also roam the area, providing opportunities for hunting meat and feathers.
Having vanquished goblins, gathered necessary resources, and completed construction of my airship, I ventured “to sea.” Using a small rowboat, I paddled to a designated ship on the map, mounted my newly built components, and fueled the generator with wood. For functionality, I had to connect everything with pipes to transfer power between the engine’s various parts. Once done, the world was my oyster, and the sky became my playground. It’s an expansive world laid out before me, making me wonder if it has an end – a conclusion I certainly haven’t discovered yet.
Everwind’s world isn’t merely horizontal; it extends vertically into the sky, featuring numerous floating islands. Naturally, I aimed for these first. However, to ascend higher, my airship required significant upgrades. I redirected my vessel towards an island I’d noticed since the beginning, home to a peculiar metal structure resembling a giraffe. This was clearly something demanding closer inspection. After a short flight, I landed the airship on the strange building’s roof, only to quickly realize I wasn’t alone. I was met by venom-spitting spiders and explosive zombies. It became painfully clear that my current level and meager wooden armor and sword were utterly insufficient.
Consequently, I died – multiple times. Initially, panic set in as I struggled to find a way out, but I soon discovered that the scanning device also functioned as a teleportation tool back to my airship and safety. Armed with this knowledge, I bravely (or foolishly) rushed back to my death site to retrieve my belongings. In Everwind, death doesn’t mean losing everything; instead, you drop a portion of your collected items as an “orb” that must be retrieved within ten minutes before it disappears.
Learning from my misadventures, I opted for a less intimidating island next. However, it was here that I began to question my ultimate objective – where exactly was I heading? Was there a final destination? I suspect Enjoy Studio intends for players to forge their own adventure, much like Mojang did with Minecraft. There are no clear directions or explicit quests, just an entire world at your disposal, allowing you to be both director and actor. This open-ended approach is both a strength and a weakness.
Given Everwind’s more distinct RPG elements, I found myself expecting some level of narrative. Why did I suddenly awaken in a tower? What happened to all the airships? Who are these monsters? I felt a strong desire for more explanation and would appreciate greater depth in this area. Until then, my focus will simply be on upgrading my airship and myself. The ship itself can be expanded and customized with all necessary equipment; it may not be elegant, but if it flies, it flies.
Visually, Everwind isn’t particularly striking. Given its block-based construction, similar to Minecraft, high graphical fidelity likely wasn’t the primary goal. However, it does feature slightly more effects than its inspiration, such as water reflections and particle effects, which, unfortunately, contribute to noticeable lag when traveling and generating new islands. As mentioned, this is an Early Access title, so some technical hitches are to be expected and aren’t entirely surprising.
The aesthetic design choices, however, are less defensible. The color palette is predominantly brown, resulting in a visually dull, even unattractive, presentation. My character, for instance, appears to be a hybrid of Minecraft’s Steve and Scooby Doo’s Shaggy, while the enemies roaming Everwind’s worlds manage to be neither frightening nor amusing. While it’s undoubtedly challenging to carve out a distinctive and effective visual style within a block-based world, Everwind hasn’t quite succeeded here.
Everwind is certainly a game worth keeping an eye on to observe its development progress. I’d even say it’s enjoyable in its current state, though the price point feels a bit high right now. However, once Enjoy Studio completes its vision and the game officially launches, it truly has the potential to stand alongside Minecraft, offering a genuinely unique experience.