Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines
Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines
Game
Game2025
Windswept
Developer WeatherFell
🦆 Marbles and 🐢 Checkers need your help finding their way home after being swept away in a storm. In this 90s buddy-platformer there's a ton of stuff to do and even more to collect! From the Steam store page
334 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 17, 2026 · last updated Oct 17, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
90
LovedLoved
219 positive · 25 negative
95% range 85–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 219 | 25 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 24 | 5 | 54 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
378 of 405 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
90% recommend · 221 yes, 25 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 246 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (522 of 563 positive).
Players praise Windswept as a love letter to 90s platformers, especially Donkey Kong Country. [1][2][3] Many find the game challenging but rewarding, with smooth movement and deep mechanics. [4][5][6] Some reviewers note rough edges like difficulty spikes and hitbox issues. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [19]
Overpriced, unfun slop. If you want "achievements" just use the provided cheats and be done with it. Developer is rude and delusional.
- [12]
Windswept asks the bold question of: "What if Donkey Kong Country 2 was also Celeste?" It's a well rounded game and a lot of fun so far but I appreciate most how while it plays like Donkey Kong Country, it's significantly faster, more precise and with more mechanical depth. Definitely worth it methinks
- [8]
I won't give this game a negative review because I'm willing to believe I'm not the target audience for this game, but I don't like this game. The core of this game is great. I just really don't like the level design and how annoyingly punishing it is. The final level of world two really sored me on the whole game. It was more annoying than fun and it feels like the level is filled with beginner's traps. Good luck …
- [13]
Been looking forward to this one for a long time, does an incredible job at capturing the spirit of DKC2 in all the right ways. But what blew me away even more was the postgame, not just in length but how much it expands on the core movement mechanics in some really deep and technical ways. The endgame stages are blisteringly difficult in all the right ways for a big kaizo fan like me, just know this game is NOT …
- [3]
Windswept is the perfect successor to 2D platformers of the 90s that I and many other grew up with. The action and movement is buttery smooth- anyone who has played a Donkey Kong Country game will feel incredibly at home. The presentation is wholesome and charming, from the background to the character models to the catchy music. I will write a full review when I complete this game, but i feel compelled to post a …
Summarised from 34 of the 320 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Windswept talk about beautiful pixel art and charming presentation; those who didn't talk about some levels have unfair traps and blind jumps. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 334 · most liked firstbuilt in cheats and you still get all the achievments if you use them
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overpriced, unfun slop. If you want "achievements" just use the provided cheats and be done with it. Developer is rude and delusional.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I actually had this game in my wishlist. But as annoying as some users are, you don't go and say "L Take thanks for your money, tho" and expose your unfortunate response on Twitter for likes. If a review is annoying or even trolling, just ignore it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Try being less annoying
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just hope WINDSWEPT gets popular enough to see speedrunners go absolutely crazy with the game
neutral · AI labelView post →L game, thanks for nothing though
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am philosophically opposed to handing out achievements like candy under the guise of "accessibility" and I think he should at least issue a formal apology to the person he said "L take, thanks for the money though" even if he doesn't change his tune about it, because his lack of decorum when faced with valid criticism has only more and more made me want to issue a refund I don't want to support a creator that acts like that and I do not want to support a creator that desires to erode the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🦆🐢 Artist of the game here! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, good or bad, reading them is amazing and I love to hear all of your feedback! It makes me tear up reading how much you love the art, thank you so so much. Anyway- back to the review, funnily enough- I made so much of the assets but never played the game as I wanted a fresh perpective for the full release and honestly, I suck at this game. I do struggle with the movement (because I am an mmo player, not a platformer.) but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Windswept is here! a mod that vastly expands colder regions of the game by adding new biomes such as tundras, pine barrens, chestnut forests & lavender fields, along with new flowers, blocksets, enemies and much more! as for now it's available for forge, 1.20.1 (link in replies)
neutral · AI labelView post →Today's discourse is: Do achievements enhance the gaming experience? IMO: Doing something you'd do anyway (clearing the tutorial, beating the game, etc), adds nothing. Achievements should be for dumb extra stuff you wouldn't otherwise do. Anyway Windswept has both! Nobody wins!
neutral · AI labelView post →I feel bad about this one. There is so much to love about Windswept, but it has too many issues for me to recommend. To start, I think the game is adorable. The art style and main characters are so charming and cute. Since this is a DKC homage, I would've liked it if it tried to emulate that game's look, as well. But still, it looks great. The core controls are solid, but the act of swapping the characters and throwing them just felt off. I know this is almost exactly how the old DKC games…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Developer seems to have the emotional maturity of a child. I don't think they deserve much support.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely derivative and overpriced. I thought it was a $1.99 game and felt ripped off. $19.99!?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →FRIENDS!!! I NEED YOUR HELP WINDSWEPT GOT SHORTLISTED FOR A GAMEY AWARD!! With your vote, you can help Windswept go from Top 15 to the Top 1 most anticipated Game Maker game. LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN 🌟 Vote Here: opr.as/GMA24-Vote
neutral · AI labelView post →Windswept was a cool game
positive · AI labelView post →Today is Nugget's 4th birthday! You'll soon be able to play with him in our game :D Please show some love for our precious lil' guy and consider wishlisting Windswept to brighten all of our futures ❤️
neutral · AI labelView post →two hours into this game and i beat five levels Level 1 - 3 minutes Level 2 - 5 minutes Level 3 - 5 minutes Challenge Level 1 - 1 hour and 40 minutes Level 4 - 7 minutes having a lot of fun!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On Remap Radio, we unpack the banning of the avant-garde indie horror game Horses from major distribution platforms and what that says about the new cultural lines at various online gatekeepers. Plus, Constance! Dispatch! Windswept! Routine! PAX Unplugged! More! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...
neutral · AI labelView post →Windswept driech dismal dons away game no many win up ther Thats why we are champions
neutral · AI labelView post →I wish I there was a way to just give my thoughts and have a neutral review, to be honest I wouldn't have left a negative one if I didn't know that Windswept could take it and remain positive on the steam page. It pains me to do so because this game is so thoroughly charming, but I can't actually recommend this game. The platforming feels borderline unfair at times in some of the special stages (especially the world 4 one which just has no checkpoint for some reason) and once you've gotten…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game (Even though people have been giving it bad reviews for completely unrelated reasons). I just bought it and have a lot of fun with my friend!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a letdown of a game. World 1 was all good, and if the entire game kept the quality, then I'd recommend it easily. Worlds 2 and 3 however had a noticeable dropoff. Another reviewer mentioned the slow underwater level with the crab in world 3. That level stunk, was slow, tedious, and didn't make use of the good platforming mechanics developed. The duck (marbles) is less fun in all situations than the turtle (checkers). Less movement options in all ways, and less capable of dealing with…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Windswept asks the bold question of: "What if Donkey Kong Country 2 was also Celeste?" It's a well rounded game and a lot of fun so far but I appreciate most how while it plays like Donkey Kong Country, it's significantly faster, more precise and with more mechanical depth. Definitely worth it methinks
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When I started playing this game, I wrote a positive review, praising it for its gorgeous aesthetics, tight controls and great level design. And this all felt very true! But I've never seen a platformer level design quality decay as much as it does in this one, rendering it unplayable. World one was amazing. World two was okay, some hit, some miss, but I was already starting to notice a problem I'll dive into later. And then, world three's three first levels where the most obnoxious levels I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to say great game, I was really enjoying it... Until I wasn't. Difficulty is insane once you get to a certain point and some levels are borderline impossible if the wrong character dies off bc they each have specialties that are specifically designed to get past challenges. I LOVE 2d platformers and I got it on sale so no regrets, enjoyed it til I couldn't. Wish they offered an easy mode or something, and many will say just get over it, if that's you then go for it. But for me I wish I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finally playing battletech again today, here's Saevi Attwater in her shadow cat I, Windswept And a little car to transport civilians
neutral · AI labelView post →If you combine Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES) and Wario Land (Game Boy), you get the beautiful but challenging Windswept! It is a wonderful love letter to my youth. Windswept is an excellent love letter to the platformers of the 90s. Gladly, it has no “life” system that you also had to farm lives before starting a challenging level, but all the other keynotes of the 90’s platformers are there! You start the game with all moves already available. And they make sense if you have played DKC3 back…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →power trippin dev
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Windswept is a charming game that absolutely nails the presentation and overall feel but completely drops the ball when it comes to level design, opting for levels (post world 1) that are frustratingly difficult and precise instead of utilising its interesting mechanics and gimmicks to create a fun experience.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Summary Windswept is both an homage and a remix to much of legacy left behind by Rareware, weaving in a solid platformer base and tying it all together with gimmicks and movement tech that could easily fit right in with other indies like Celeste and so on. There are minor gripes with certain enemy/buddy hitboxes as well as camera work in certain stages offering less desirable positioning that creates moments of "cheap hits", but the game is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. (Estimate…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Once you've got the hang of the insane movement tech of both Checkers and Marbles, the game becomes somewhat satisfying. It definitely takes some warming up to. The game's difficulty and cramped play area overall feels pretty unreasonable but it's the charm, music, and the secrets that make you want to keep playing. Personally the post game content including the Laamp's Shade levels feels excessive and too much to endure to still call the game "fun". I find nothing fun about kaizo bs…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boreal Brush is a late game area that leads to Snow Fort West, The Town of Zellia, The Frozen Cavern, an Windswept Dunes. #jrpg #rpgmaker #gamedev #indiegame #indiedev
neutral · AI labelView post →W dev. Thanks for the game though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#OtterAwards25 #1: Windswept by @weatherfell.bsky.social DKC fans, the promised game is here. This brings every mechanic I loved as a child, and even takes it up a notch. It's got bonus stages, throws, coyote jumps, ropes, animal buddies, collectibles, gimmicks, barrels, and more.
positive · AI labelView post →Here's my third #NintendoSwitch #indiegame highlight of 2025 for this week! 🎮👍🏼 Game - Windswept Developer - @weatherfell.bsky.social Publisher - @tophatstudios.bsky.social Release date - November 11, 2025
neutral · AI labelView post →I can’t wait to jump back into Windswept developed by @weatherfell.bsky.social the cutest game I’ve played in a while 🥹💜 Not me dying at the first level 💀
positive · AI labelView post →The Trails remake is my last big game of 2025, so after that, I'll be focusing on indies for the rest of the year (and in January). Here's an updated list of what I'll be playing: Windswept Possessor(s) Ender Lilies Ender Magnolia Gigasword Hades II Marvel Cosmic Invasion Terminator 2D: No Fate
neutral · AI labelView post →First impressions are putting this into a Celeste-tier platformer for me (Celeste is top 3 of all time for me) so I think it’s pretty good. There seems to be a lot of tech to learn and the difficulty is present in the challenge levels. I can tell the game will push to the depths of its mechanics later on.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I won't give this game a negative review because I'm willing to believe I'm not the target audience for this game, but I don't like this game. The core of this game is great. I just really don't like the level design and how annoyingly punishing it is. The final level of world two really sored me on the whole game. It was more annoying than fun and it feels like the level is filled with beginner's traps. Good luck to Weatherfell in future games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →EDIT: After 100% completing this game, it's clear to me the developers took heavy inspiration from Donkey Kong Country in the worst way possible. The problem here is they saw the two-character dynamic and difficulty of the trilogy and ran with it despite not understanding WHY the trilogy is so beloved. The difficulty is not one of the reasons - it's a major drawback for people who want to replay the games now. NES/SNES games are notoriously lambasted for having frankly ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ design. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey everyone! For the past few years we’ve been working on Windswept by @weatherfell.bsky.social. Here’s a peek at one of the mini game tracks, feat. some groovy bass lines and vapor synths. Hope you enjoy ✨
neutral · AI labelView post →Windswept! For 2D platformer fans especially the Donkey Kong Country series, GET THIS GAME ASAP and support the incredibly talented team who made it! I haven't finished the game yet, but so far this is just so wonderfully cute and charming! It is a very polished and fun game with responsive controls, lovely pixel visuals and animations, and a lighthearted and occasionally atmospheric soundtrack, and all of these elements of the game combined are obviously hugely inspired by the Donkey Kong…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The turtle puts on shades and breakdances when you get the top of the flagpole. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Windswept on Steam. 🦆 Marbles and 🐢 Checkers need your help finding their way home after being swept away in a storm. In this 90s buddy-platformer there's a ton of stuff to do and even more to collect!
neutral · AI labelView post →As not to bury the lead too much, I'll start with the most important thing before going into the review proper: Windswept absolutely nails its level design. You don't see platformers popping up so much, partly because they were done to death several decades ago, but also because designing levels in them is actually kind of difficult when compared to similar gametypes - Metroidvanias for instance can get away with lots of lacklustre level design as long as the combat is fun and you just shove a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Windswept – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch. - **Description**: Marbles and Checkers need your help getting home after a mega-storm blows everyone away. This 90s buddy-platformer has over 40 stages, 5 unique worlds, loads of friendly animal companions, mini-games and unlockables, and even more to collect! - **Price**: $19.99 ($16.99 till December 2nd) - **Link**: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/windswept-switch/ Visuals are different, but some of the levels and gameplay reminds me…
neutral · AI labelView post →Once again, I find myself begging for an "It's Okay" option for a review. What you think about Windswept is likely to be heavily biased by what you're looking for from it in the first place. If you're looking for a DKC-style experience (as the marketing suggests), then the game is...not bad, but I can't really call it better than "mediocre" in a lot of ways. The level design ranges from "okay" to "that was kinda neat" and it makes a lot of weird decisions I don't really understand. Like,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very technically impressive mix of Donkey Kong Country/Celeste + Mario Odyssey movement but on a 2d environment. I really love how the game doesn't actually tell you how the more advanced movement stuff works/when to use it, it just feels super smooth to finally reach that weird out of reach spot with pure skill, without having a tutorial prompt telling you exactly what to do. There is a very steep difficulty spike on the 4th level, the tornado one, which did make me call the little duck and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Still early on, but this is a 10/10 recommend for those who love difficult platforming. Very interesting mechanics that are easy to pick up but clearly have great depth and high skill ceilings. My favorite games are Celeste, Nine Sols, and the Hollow Knight series, and I can easily see this being up there by the time I’m finished.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →4 games that defined my 2025! Borderlands 4 Windswept Marvel Cosmic Invasion Digimon Story: Time Stranger I did not game a lot this year, but I hope to rectify that in the coming year.
neutral · AI labelView post →Windswept is difficult but in the wrong way. It's supposed to be difficult in the sense that it challenges the player. Instead, it's difficult to play because of the disjointed level design and lack of leniency. The levels after the first few have a disjointed flow. Unlike Celeste, which has a better gameplay flow due to its frequent checkpoints with levels divided into rooms that help the player grow better equipped for the next room, easing the player into the game. However, in Windswept, I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's release day for a couple of indies I've been looking forward to! Yay! I helped back Windswept on Kickstarter a couple of years ago and just got my game code, but unfortunately, I won't be playing it until after the Trails remake. Then after that, I'll get to Possessor(s)! LOTSA GAMES! 💜
neutral · AI labelView post →Been looking forward to this one for a long time, does an incredible job at capturing the spirit of DKC2 in all the right ways. But what blew me away even more was the postgame, not just in length but how much it expands on the core movement mechanics in some really deep and technical ways. The endgame stages are blisteringly difficult in all the right ways for a big kaizo fan like me, just know this game is NOT easy! So happy with the final product, for the true DKC-heads out there!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got all achievements in Windswept too but I can't show you those!!! They look cool though ~ anyway wishlist my game pls: store.steampowered.com/app/1660960/...
positive · AI labelView post →TODAY let's ramble about what Windswept is... What is MY vision? Why should you get my game instead of just playing Donkey Kong or other platformers? Let's begin! 🧵
neutral · AI labelView post →Awesome game. Does a decent job at living up to the Donkey Kong Country games. In fact as someone who has played them all, this one is honestly the hardest. I experienced some technical problems a few times but they did subside and the game is too good for me to care anymore now that I got to play it. More people need to play Windswept!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →in this iteration of megalo's unwanted videogame opinion update, the turtle duck game (Windswept) is good and I'm consistently running into parts I get stuck on for like 25 minutes before finally scraping my way to the finish line
positive · AI labelView post →✰ Schedule Nov 10 - 16 ! ✰ Indie game week ! On friday we'll play Carter's Quest, a game I've been interested in for a long time. Saturday is Windswept that just freshly released and made me fall in love w the demo & Demon Turf sunday's very rad too ‣ twitch.tv/batatvideoga...
neutral · AI labelView post →Grassy Hub is the first place the game really opens up. Depending on which Relics you have (and what you know about how to use them)you can make your way to: -Briarbat Estate Ruins -Gullant Village -Mountain Pass -Prosperous Plains -Waterfall Cavern -Blightbog Swamp -Windswept Dunes #jrpg #gamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →If you don't go for 100%, it's a nice and fun platformer - even if it's still a difficult one. 100% must be brutal (I haven't even tried, as I'm not that good). It's kinda of like Crash Bandicoot 4 - play it normally without caring of collecting everything and you'll get a mostly nice time with a handful of stressful sections; play it with intention of doing 100%... oh poor you!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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