Bura: The Way the Wind Blows is an indie game developed by Tiny Meow Studio, based upon exploration and generally feels like a relaxing game to just chil to. The overall feel of the demo is quite vibrant, yet calming due to the nature of the game itself. Moreover, from their Kickstarter, the team uses their Croatian background in developing the world for the player to enjoy. This allows players to engage in a meaningful way with another culture and be enamored by it completely, possibly even inspiring them to learn more about it. As for the design of the game it takes some inspirations from the critically acclaimed Studio Ghibli which is such a nice choice for a relaxing game. Overall, the demo feels great to play and while having some bugs is still a demo so the final product might change.
The game is relaxing through and with a focus on playing at your own pace. This is reinforced from their kickstarter with a focus on the term pomalo in Croatian meaning, “a little bit.” As to what it means for the game is that it wants players to relax and slow down from their busy lives and just focus on living. Furthermore, this is the kind of game that would be helpful in allowing players to just relax and focus on themselves which is such a nice theme for the game to have. As there not too many games that focus on relaxing the player to keep them actively participating. The only relaxing games that come to mind are those based around on providing a comfortable atmosphere for the player to engage in such as Stardew Valley, Minecraft, and TCG Card Shop Simulator to name a few. As for how the game accomplishes this relaxing atmosphere is through the music, art style, and gameplay that the developers have chosen for Bura: The Way the Wind Blows.
These elements for the demo provide a good basis for the player and investor for what kind of game it can become. As for the gameplay, it is a third-person exploration game with some platforming elements with a minigame added in for more variety. While they have a solid foundation and smooth controls the music for the game is perfect for the game. However, the most important element the game has from the demo is the art style the developers have chosen for the game. By utilizing the style synonymous with Studio Ghibli various themes come to mind such as calming, wholesome, and colorful due to the various animated movies the studio has produced during its time. This allow for a large group of fans of the studio to be invested in the game and draw attention. Aside from the design the developers added in a bit of their own culture into the game allowing players to experience a bit of Croatia. By allowing some of the developer’s culture to bleed into the game allows others to experience a bit of the culture in such an engaging medium with a solid foundation for the narrative. This allows the game to have a personality due to Croatian culture being implemented into the game itself.
Bura: The Way the Wind Blows is going to be a phenomenal game due to its use of culture, music, and art style. Tiny Meow Studio should be proud of the game they are developing as it takes a lot of passion and dedication to make one. This also a demonstration of how far the indie game community has become as it feels like they are actively competing against triple AAA studios. This is a game that should make a splash in the gaming sphere due to its unique outlook on how the developers want the player to feel when playing the game.
The Demo for Bura The Way The WInds Blow
The Kickstarter for Bura The Way The Winds Blow
You can wishlist Bura: The Way the Wind Blows right now for PC via Steam.
Related: Reviews by Kyle Manila
I would describe myself when interacting with games as a strategist with a pension for stealth and loud explosions.
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