The Stillness of the Wind Critic Reviews

Memory of God has created a poignant experience featuring a character type that is rarely explored in the medium. The game’s esoteric story and tedious mechanics might look bad on the surface, but they contribute effectively to the game’s unique tone – and the ending is sure to be something you’ll remember for a long time.

Ultimately, the vestiges of Talma’s farm aren’t tragic. Rather, they’re totems that affirm her inner journey, her desire to live a life in isolation as sincerely as possible.

The Stillness of the Wind is tough to recommend. While struggling to survive on the farm does effectively portray Talma’s circumstances, it doesn’t make for a fun experience. And the story of its world, while unique in concept, is too obtuse and disengaging in how it’s told. While there’s artistic merit in what’s been accomplished here, you should probably stick to a more traditional farming sim.

The Stillness of the Wind is not the easiest game to recommend, really being more of a curiosity piece than anything else, but if you are prepared to look beyond its limitations, there is a melancholic story here to be discovered.

It tells an interesting, emotionally arresting story from the unique perspective of a protagonist that is rarely seen in video games. Unfortunately, the gameplay isn’t quite as impressive as the narrative or the setting and instead feels as laborious as the chores you’re instructing Talma to perform. Yet despite the boring gameplay, the gripping story and fantastic visuals were enough to keep me wholly interested in the three-hour ordeal, and for that I can easily recommend The Stillness of the Wind to anyone looking for a unique, plodding gameplay experience.

For someone else, The Stillness of the Wind might be a lovely parable about the challenges of living out your final days after everyone else has moved on. Too few mediums highlight the experiences of the elderly, so this game deserves praise for going where few others go. Unfortunately, I found it to be a plodding and meandering affair due to its excessively slow pacing and frustratingly vague instructions, among a struggling frame rate on Switch.

Old lady Talma's melancholic tale of utter loneliness and inevitable end does provide some tasty breadcrumbs every now and then, but as a whole, this farm sim/narrative-driven title overstays its welcome, doesn't manage to be enjoyable, and ends up being a chore that just happens to include some pretty, and mildly coloured vistas, as well as a nice calm-and-then-ominous aura.