Aesir Interactive has announced the remaster of Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship in Unreal Engine 5. Featuring brand new graphics, animations, collectibles and photo mode, the game will release on the 20th of June on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. There is currently no indication of a Nintendo Switch release.
BACK TO KALTENBACH
Developed by Aesir Interactive and published by Mindscape in 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship follows Mika, a young girl who discovers to be a gifted horse whisperer when she befriends the black stallion Windstorm. Together, the pair embarks on many adventures around their home grounds of Gut Kaltenbach.
Set after the events of the first movie, the game is mostly focused on exploring the world on horseback, solving quests and, of course, caring for Windstorm. As Mika, players can test their own riding abilities by completing races in the countryside, explore the land to discover the many landmarks from the movies faithfully recreated in Unreal Engine and complete tasks for the people of Kaltenbach. Released together with the third movie of the series, Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship is only loosely tied to previous instalments, opting for a slice-of-life approach to plot and storytelling.
The Remastered edition will feature the following:
- Upgraded scenery, graphics, animations, lighting and weather effects
- New collectibles and achievements
- Brand new photomode, complete with editing tools
- 30 FPS support and 4K Upsampling
- Full Controller Support
Kaltenbach and its surroundings look more alive than ever in the stunning Unreal Engine 5.
Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship © Aesir Interactive
Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship was on my radars for a while now, although I haven’t got the chance to play it just yet. Following Alice Ruppert’s review on The Mane Quest, I knew I would have to make peace with its bare-bone narrative structure and some… peculiar design choices, especially concerning the titular Windstorm. With that being said, the overall production value was definitely on the higher side, indicating that the brand could wield significant funding, leading Aesir to publish a sequel in 2019 titled Windstorm: Ari’s Arrival (available on Steam as Windstorm: An Unexpected Arrival). That would be far from their last foray into the equestrian world, however: in 2022 the studio released Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch, a brand-new IP aiming to inject some much-needed passion into the genre. Ruppert’s position as Creative Producer also allowed for vital feedback to reach the coding floor, hopefully serving as a stepping stone for future projects. Furthermore, Ruppert herself teased something brewing at Aesir regarding the Windstorm franchise: while nothing is set in stone just yet, there’s plenty to be excited about for a possible new trip to Kaltenbach.
Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship – Remastered is available be wishlisted on Steam. A review of the first Windstorm movie is already in the works and will be coming out in the next few days.
