Passing By - A Tailwind Journey

Mac gamers: This game runs on Catalina and above despite the notice on the store page. At its core, it’s a mix of survival, adventure, and light platforming. It's basically a slow survival game in that you aren't stressed out trying to keep your character alive, but you do have to keep the basics in supply. You play as Curly, who’s given a mysterious letter to deliver by travelling continuously east in a balloon ship. That’s basically the gist of the main story. Along the way, you land on all sorts of islands, solve puzzles, help characters with small side quests, and pick up items that help you survive the journey. The story itself is fairly simple, but it works because the world and the little moments you run into along the way are what really carry the experience. Each new character you meet on the larger islands has their own weird and wonderful little story attached. The writing is genuinely charming. There’s a lot of witty and funny dialogue, and the attention to detail is great. The art style is minimal and lovely. The music has a nice, groovy, laid-back feel that fits the game perfectly. You can collect music records by fully exploring the islands, and at some point you…

Passing By was a wonderful surprise. I bought it almost without looking when it was 90% off, expecting something more modest, like a generic platformer, nothing too special. Instead, I got a relaxing, hot air balloon exploration game with a lovely world of floating islands. It has a little bit of everything, in a smooth way: humour, platforming, puzzles, survival, story, and of course, the balloon navigation. All simple, polished, and beautiful. It took me just under 10 hours to reach the end, without exploring all of the content, since I don't have that much time to 100% games. It deserves way much more attention.

Passing By – A Tailwind Journey is a calm and contemplative adventure game developed by Studio Windsocke and published by Dear Villagers. Rather than focusing on intense action or high-stakes drama, the game invites players to experience a slow and reflective journey through a world of floating islands carried endlessly by the wind. It combines exploration, light survival mechanics, puzzle-solving, and narrative encounters into an experience that emphasizes travel itself rather than the destination. At its heart, the game tells the story of a young balloonist named Curly who sets out across the skies to deliver a mysterious letter, embarking on a journey that gradually reveals a colorful world filled with wandering travelers, small communities, and fleeting connections. The setting plays a central role in shaping the entire experience. The world is made up of a long chain of floating islands drifting through an endless sky, all carried by a strong wind that constantly pushes travelers westward. Curly’s balloon serves as both transportation and a small mobile home, allowing the player to navigate the skies while searching for new islands to explore. Because the wind moves in only o…

It's very charming, has some lovely music and looks nice. But... it has floaty controls, it's really annoying to navigate the ballon (climbing up a long ladder in order to change its speed, no thank you), and you need to constantly eat and drink to maintain your thirst/hunger. I hate that. In the end, it's just annoying to play and pretty boring. I'm sure there's some cool stuff to see later in the game, but if I'm not enjoying the journey, it's not going to be worth it. Sorry, but it's not for me.

Beautiful, relaxing game that focusses on exploration and puzzles, I enjoyed playing it a lot. Have just finished two playthroughs, but I guess I will soon start a new journey. The islands seem to spawn randomly, giving the game great replayability.

I've only done my first playthrough (and plan to do more), but I love this game! Super underrated!