Winds Of Arcana: Ruination

Gave this a fair shake (4 hours-ish) - but the moment you get to a point where you have 2 more movement abilities (double jump and world switch) the game devolves into absolutely absurd platforming segments that want you to switch abilities mid-air with basically 0 leeway. The overall tank controls don't help one bit.

Horrible time on the steam deck. I couldn't play for more than about 15 mins before I just closed the game. - Menu bugs with options highlighted that aren't what you have selected - Audio cutout on cutscenes - Frozen button inputs. This was a big one. Occasionally you attack, then hit X again for next attack but nothing happens. Hit X a few more times, nothing. Try to move, can't. Completely locked up. Dash works, so I hit dash then character can move and attack again. This happened 4 or 5 times within just the first few minutes. - Jump button not registering. This is a killer in a metroidvania. Just misses your button presses. - Really poor hitboxes on spikes and traps. A jump or dash that is visibly well clear of the spikes still registers as a hit. Very poor modeling and super frustrating. - Long load times between zones. Why? - Bad menu navigation. No quick way to open map, you have to open inventory then pan tabs over several times just to check map. Just an absolute host of frustrating game breaking bugs. This is on steam deck, I didn't try on PC. At this point I have no interest. Thumbs down all around.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ASS

Game is a mess. Hitboxes are awful. Found 1 fast travel after almost 10 hrs meaning you're running back and forth through large interconnected areas throughout the game. Attack and and platforming inputs get eaten. The ability to phase shift platforms involves the jump button, the dumbest idea ever, so using it while platforming and dashing is just awful. You discover the map sections by finding specific things but tons of areas I never found it so the areas weren't unlocked, and were so annoying to get around. Required upgrades are found in random spots throughout the map meaning you can't miss a single room or random area you HAD to know to go to fight a boss, so be ready for walkthroughs. Thats because the quest and map give very poor directions, theres tons of little boxes with icons, and the gold ones seem to be main quest objectives, but it will also include NPCs you've already talked to. Map also doesn't give basic info like blocked walls, etc, bc they want to use this stupid useless screenshot system. The maps also have 20000 ways to go and interconnected paths but 95% of them are switch or ability blocked, meaning you'll get far then have to backtrack but again the map w…

Winds Of Arcana: Ruination is an ambitious action-driven Metroidvania that blends traditional side-scrolling exploration with flexible combat systems and a strong narrative focus. Developed by Brewed Games and published by 1312 Interactive, the game sets out to deliver not just mechanical challenge, but a cohesive fantasy journey shaped by loss, ruin, and arcane power. From the outset, it presents a world that feels lived-in and scarred by past conflicts, encouraging players to engage with both its gameplay systems and its story rather than treating one as secondary to the other. The game follows Aryn, a warrior mage searching for his missing mercenary companions in a land fractured by magical catastrophe. Instead of relying on minimal lore fragments alone, Winds Of Arcana: Ruination places considerable emphasis on storytelling through dialogue and character interaction. Fully voiced scenes give emotional weight to conversations and help distinguish allies, rivals, and antagonists, making the world feel populated by people rather than quest dispensers. While the narrative leans into familiar dark-fantasy themes, it is delivered with enough care and personality to remain engaging, …

Very challenging platform game, needs some work with the bugs, but other than that. I had a lot of fun.