Windy Meadow - A Roadwarden Tale Critic Reviews

A visual novel set in the world of Roadwarden that offers some degree of choice, but whose real charm comes from its straightforward prose and troubled, authentic-seeming characters.

Windy Meadow - A Roadwarden Tale is a short video game designed for players who liked the fictional the main game established. The Ten Cities are only mentioned, and the threats are much smaller but the focus on just three characters allows the game to tell a more emotional story. It has interesting characters and some great moments. But the mechanics are very light and the branching paths for the protagonists are limited. The game manages to create a sense of place and flesh out the village. But, going forward, the franchise needs to take Windy Meadow – A search Roadwarden Tale as a baseline and aim for more ambitious targets, both narratively and in terms of gameplay.

Windy Meadow uses the visual novel format to tell a moving, thoughtful story about growth, decisions and community in a gorgeously realized setting. While not a modern classic on the scale of the original Roadwarden, those who go in with the proper expectations will find it a solid, rewarding narrative adventure.

It’s an accessibly short, easygoing title that newcomers might find challenging to enter because they lack prior knowledge of the ecosystem Roadwarden established, but it’s also perhaps too casual and different in atmosphere for die-hard Roadwarden fans. I enjoyed my time with it because it’s a well-written tale that could have used more meat, but a relaxed jaunt through the woods and farm life is sometimes what we need between adventures to save the world. If Roadwarden fans can compromise their need for a Roadwarden sequel and newcomers can accept they might not get all of the references, Windy Meadow may be the chill, rural escape some of us need.