Everwind (Early Access)

{Minecraft} - the Swedish phenomenon. The game every developer wishes they had created, and the game which, despite its age and dated graphics (though distinctive style), continues to thrive with hordes upon hordes of players. It goes without saying - in a way that is beyond doubt - that developers and publishers want a slice of the cake that is Minecraft. But it has proved to be a tough nut to crack.

{Everwind} is the latest attempt in a line of games seeking to emulate the recipe for the aforementioned cake, and I've given it a go myself. But did I tuck in bit by bit and walk away satisfied, or were a few spoonfuls enough before I started feeling sick? Well, we end up somewhere in between.

Everwind hasn't been released in version 1.0 yet. It's been released via Early Access, so you can't expect a fully-fledged masterpiece just yet (though it does happen - just look at {Slay the Spire 2}), and it will be fleshed out with content and updates until it reaches its final form. That said, there is actually plenty of content to sink your teeth into, and you can clearly see that this is a game with its own concept and identity - but it still has some way to go if it is to survive and attract its own audience.

The game begins by generating a unique world and dropping you at the top of a tower. The tower serves as a tutorial, with each floor explaining how to use different game mechanics. It's a clever approach that makes the learning process itself feel like part of the adventure. It simply feels natural. In any case, you'll learn how combat works, how to craft your tools and how to cook your food. All perfectly reasonable things in a survival game, of course.

Armed with a sword and shield, I'm ready to take on a few capybaras.

Once out of the tower, the real adventure begins. "Build your airship" is the mission, and to do so I must first scan a wrecked airship that has crashed and rusted away on the island I'm on. Part by part, I scan it using a strange contraption I've been equipped with, and after that I break the parts down so I can craft my own - brand-new - engines, generators and air balloons for my very own ship. This involves quite a bit of resource gathering, and there are no major surprises on that front. Chop down trees, gather stones, scavenge for grass and make sure you find some copper to melt down in a smelter.

This is complicated slightly by the few enemies on the island - ragged skeletons that pose no real threat. The combat is, however, entertaining and well-crafted, featuring both parrying and additional functions locked behind a classic RPG tree packed with various upgrades. The enemy AI, however, isn't anything to write home about - it works but offers no surprises. It's not just skeletons that make up the island's population, though; the Everwind developers seem to have a soft spot for capybaras, especially those wearing little hats. Capybaras, yes - the cute little piggies of the 2020s. Wild boars and pheasants run about, offering the chance to hunt for a bit of meat and feathers as well.

Here's one of the first ships I built; I added a small ramp to it because I didn't know you could teleport back to the ship.

After killing a bunch of goblins, gathering resources and building everything needed to fly amongst the clouds in my very own airship, I set off out to sea. Using a small rowboat, I row out to a ship marked on the map, place what I've built on it and feed wood into the generator. But for it to work, I have to connect everything using pipes that transfer energy between the various engine parts. No sooner said than done - the world awaits and the sky is my playground. And it's a vast world at my disposal, and I wonder if there's an end to it out there... I didn't find it, anyway.

The world of Everwind isn't just horizontal, with several islands to explore. There are also islands up in the sky, and that's where I (naturally) intend to head first. But no such luck. To fly higher, I need to upgrade my ship. So I steer the vessel towards an island I've had my eye on since I started the game. On this island there is a strange building resembling a metal giraffe, and it's obviously something that needs a closer look. After a short flight, I park the ship on the roof of the odd building. I soon realise I'm not alone there; I'm accompanied by spiders that shoot venom and zombies that explode when they get too close. I also realise that my level is far too low and I don't stand much of a chance. Apparently, you don't get very far with armour and a sword made of wood.

So I die - a couple of times. At first I panic because I don't know how to get out of there, but I realise that the device you can scan with can also teleport me back to the ship and to safety. With that in mind, I dash off first - like a madman - and collect my stuff from where I died. When you die in Everwind, you don't lose everything, just some of what you've collected. This takes the form of an 'orb' that you have to pick up within ten minutes so as not to lose potential goodies.

There's no shortage of mishaps and mishaps.

Having learnt a few lessons, I chose a slightly less spectacular island next time round. But this is also where I start to wonder what my goal is - where am I actually heading? Is there a final destination? I suppose Enjoy Studio wants you to shape your own adventure - just as Mojang did with Minecraft. No clear pointers or quests, just a whole world at your disposal where you get to act as both director and actor. That's both good and bad.

Everwind is a more distinct RPG and I expect to be part of a story on some level. Why do I suddenly wake up in a tower? What has happened to all the airships? Who are the monsters? I feel like I'm missing an explanation there and would love to see that part given more depth. Until then, I'll simply have to focus on upgrading both myself and the ship. You can build the ship bigger and cram it full of everything you could possibly need. It doesn't look particularly stylish - but if it flies, it flies.

Everwind isn't particularly attractive, but since it's built in the same way as Minecraft (with square blocks), that probably wasn't the aim anyway. It does, however, offer a few more effects than its source of inspiration, in the form of reflections on the water, particle effects and other things that, on the whole, just contribute to the lag. Because it does lag, quite noticeably even, when you're travelling and new islands are generated. But as I said - it's Early Access, and with that come a few technical hiccups. Nothing unusual.

The great blue offers you your very own adventure. If you're ready to create it.

The design choices made, however, aren't quite so obvious. It's very brown and, aesthetically speaking, both dull and even ugly. My character looks like a cross between Minecraft Steve and Shaggy from Scooby Doo, and the enemies strutting about in Everwind's worlds look neither scary nor funny. I suspect it can be challenging to find a distinctive visual style and a design that works in a world built from blocks - and it doesn't quite work here.

It's definitely worth keeping an eye on and checking how Everwind's development progresses. I'd even say it's fun as it is right now - but the price feels a bit too high at the moment. But once Enjoy Studio has finished building it and the game is released "for real," it could very well become a game that can hold its own against Minecraft, as it actually offers something unique enough.