Motion Twin surprised Windblown players on December 16, 2025, with their seventh content update since launching into Early Access 14 months ago. The Fungal Bloom update completely overhauls the Fungal Swamp biome with fresh visuals and atmosphere, introduces Cuprik’s Hammer as a transforming weapon that shifts between fast agile strikes and frost-infused power attacks, and adds multiple quality-of-life improvements the community requested. This update serves as Motion Twin’s holiday thank you to players who’ve supported the lightning-fast co-op roguelike through its development cycle, and it demonstrates why the Dead Cells studio remains one of the best in the business at iterating on early access games.
- The Fungal Swamp Gets a Complete Makeover
- Cuprik’s Hammer Changes Forms Mid-Combat
- New Trinkets and Equipment Options
- Character Portraits and Story Expansion
- Quality of Life Improvements
- How Windblown Compares to Dead Cells
- The Early Access Journey
- Player Reception and Momentum
- What’s Next for Windblown
- FAQs
- Conclusion
The Fungal Swamp Gets a Complete Makeover
The centerpiece of this update is a total visual and atmospheric overhaul of the Fungal Swamp biome, one of the original environments that shipped when Windblown hit Early Access in October 2024. Motion Twin always planned to return to this location and bring it up to the visual standards established by later biomes like Sanctuary and the areas added in October’s Lost and Altered update. The refreshed Fungal Swamp features improved lighting, enhanced environmental details, more dynamic particle effects, and an overall aesthetic that matches the polish players expect from the studio behind Dead Cells.
This commitment to revisiting and improving existing content demonstrates Motion Twin’s philosophy toward Early Access development. Rather than just piling on new biomes without looking back, they’re ensuring the foundation remains solid and every area meets their quality bar. The Fungal Swamp was functional before, but now it blooms into something truly awesome that takes full advantage of the game’s gorgeous cartoon art style and technical capabilities.
Cuprik’s Hammer Changes Forms Mid-Combat
Every Windblown update brings new weapons to destroy enemies with, and Fungal Bloom delivers Cuprik’s Hammer, one of the most interesting additions yet. This weapon functions in two distinct modes depending on how you use it. In its base form, Cuprik’s Hammer is fast and agile, perfect for dealing quick bursts of damage and priming an Alterattack, the game’s unique system where activating special moves with one weapon while wielding another creates powerful combo effects.
However, if you activate Cuprik’s Hammer’s Alterattack with another weapon equipped, it transforms into something entirely different. The hammer becomes frost-infused and substantially more powerful, trading speed for devastating impact. Every attack in this transformed state shatters the earth with ice crystals that damage nearby enemies and sometimes apply freeze status effects. This dual-mode design creates interesting build possibilities where you can switch between aggressive fast-paced play and slower calculated strikes depending on the situation.
The addition of Cuprik’s Hammer expands Windblown’s already impressive arsenal. The game features dozens of weapons with unique critical hit conditions and attack patterns. One weapon only deals crits via backstabs, forcing positioning-focused gameplay. Another, a crossbow, incorporates rhythm game timing where you fire when a circle lights up for bonus damage. Cuprik’s Hammer joins this diverse collection with a mechanic that rewards understanding the Alterattack system.
New Trinkets and Equipment Options
Three new trinkets join the Fungal Bloom update, providing additional tactical options during runs. Fury puts you into overdrive mode, dramatically increasing attack speed and damage output for a limited duration. The tradeoff is you take significantly more damage yourself while enraged, creating a high-risk high-reward power spike perfect for burning down tough elites or finishing bosses quickly when you’re confident in your dodging skills.
Wind Gust expels a powerful burst of wind around your character, knocking enemies back while simultaneously destroying incoming projectiles. This defensive tool addresses one of Windblown’s most annoying enemy types, the gun dogs that pepper you with ranged attacks from safety, plus the rocket-launching enemies in Sanctuary biome. The knockback effect also provides breathing room when surrounded, letting you reset positioning without burning your dodge cooldown.
Cuprik’s Forge replaces the Equipment Box in the hub area and received a small upgrade in functionality. Instead of crafting items one at a time before heading out on runs, you can now craft several items simultaneously, making it much easier to spend accumulated resources rather than hoarding materials because the crafting interface was tedious. This quality-of-life change removes friction from the preparation phase without fundamentally altering the economy.
Character Portraits and Story Expansion
Motion Twin added character portraits to NPC dialogues, a seemingly small change that significantly improves interactions. These portraits showcase emotion and intent through expressive facial animations and body language, helping players better understand NPC personalities beyond just reading text. The portraits bring life to characters like Cuprik and Sigourney, two NPCs who received new story quests in this update.
The story content fleshes out these characters’ backstories and explains their presence in the Ark, the hub area where players prepare between runs. Motion Twin has been steadily building Windblown’s narrative through recent updates, recognizing that story and lore matter to significant portions of the community. While the roguelike gameplay loop can stand alone, the additional context makes repeated runs more meaningful when you’re invested in the characters and world.
Memory Crystals provide a new way to visualize progression. These crystals appear on new islands in the Ark, and dashing through them displays things like weapons you’ve unlocked, key items you’ve collected, and milestone progress. This system gives players a clearer sense of accomplishment and shows how far they’ve come rather than just checking abstract numbers in menus. It’s environmental storytelling applied to meta-progression, making the hub feel more alive and reactive to your achievements.
Quality of Life Improvements
Multiple Memory Decks let you save build presets at the Memory Deck station, solving a major convenience problem. Previously, if you wanted to experiment with different playstyles or optimize for specific biomes, you’d need to manually reconfigure your entire loadout before each run. Now you can create several preset builds and instantly switch between them while in the Ark, encouraging experimentation without the tedious setup process.
Biome rewards received an important change. Each biome now offers multiple extra rewards instead of just one, meaning you can choose your preferred route through the Vortex without missing out on benefits. This addresses feedback that optimal pathing felt too rigid, where skipping certain biomes meant losing valuable progression resources. The new system provides flexibility in how you tackle runs while maintaining roughly equivalent reward pacing.
The Resource Converter lets you finally spend those Cogs you’ve been stockpiling. One consistent piece of feedback throughout Early Access has been resource imbalance, where players accumulate massive quantities of one material while desperately needing others. The converter solves this by letting you trade excess resources for what you actually need, eliminating the frustration of being resource-blocked on upgrades despite having thousands of useless currency sitting in storage.
How Windblown Compares to Dead Cells
Windblown represents Motion Twin’s evolution beyond Dead Cells while maintaining what made that game special. Where Dead Cells was a pixel-art 2D sidescrolling Metroidvania roguelike, Windblown moves to isometric 3D perspective with cel-shaded cartoon visuals. Dead Cells was strictly single-player; Windblown supports up to three players in online co-op, though solo play works perfectly fine. The atmosphere shifts from grimdark horror to something more vibrant and adventurous, though the challenge remains brutal.
Combat in Windblown is arguably even faster than Dead Cells. The dodge mechanic has virtually no cooldown, so it doubles as your primary movement method. You’re constantly zipping across floating islands at lightning speed, creating a flow state where skilled players feel untouchable. Where Dead Cells emphasized careful positioning and measured attacks, Windblown rewards aggressive play and perfect dodging through sheer reflex and pattern recognition.
The Alterattack system adds depth beyond Dead Cells’ weapon combinations. Instead of just equipping two weapons and switching between them, Windblown makes specific weapon pairings create unique combo effects when you activate special moves. This creates a metagame around discovering which weapon combinations synergize best, with some pairings enabling strategies that wouldn’t work otherwise. Cuprik’s Hammer’s transformation mechanic exemplifies this design philosophy.
Boss encounters test everything you’ve learned. Early impressions compared Windblown’s difficulty to Dead Cells on steroids. When you start with 100 max health and the first real boss hits for 72 damage on normal attacks, mistakes are catastrophic. A comfortable run can collapse in seconds if you mistimed dodges during a boss phase. However, the punishment never feels unfair because enemy attacks are clearly telegraphed and consistent, rewarding memorization and execution just like FromSoftware’s Souls games.
The Early Access Journey
Windblown launched into Steam Early Access on October 24, 2024, after being announced at The Game Awards 2023. Motion Twin estimated it would remain in Early Access for at least a year, suggesting a full 1.0 release sometime in 2026. The studio explicitly stated they learned from Dead Cells’ lengthy Early Access period and wanted to build Windblown alongside community feedback, iterating on systems and adding content based on player response.
Seven major content updates in 14 months demonstrates impressive development velocity. The Revenge Update in December 2024 reworked the controversial Sudden Death mechanic in co-op after community backlash. The Sanctuary Update in April 2025 added the first new biome post-launch. The Gift Update in June brought more weapons and quality-of-life improvements. The Lost and Altered Update in October 2025 celebrated the one-year anniversary with two massive new biomes, 12 new weapons, two new bosses, and expanded story content.
Each update addresses community feedback while expanding content. Motion Twin maintains active presence on Discord and monitors Reddit discussions, implementing changes requested by players when they align with the design vision. The willingness to completely overhaul core mechanics like Sudden Death or revisit existing biomes like Fungal Swamp shows a studio committed to delivering the best possible experience rather than stubbornly defending initial decisions.
Player Reception and Momentum
Windblown currently sits at Very Positive reviews on Steam with thousands of ratings. Players consistently praise the lightning-fast combat, gorgeous art style, satisfying weapon variety, and smooth co-op implementation. The most common criticisms involve content variety in the Early Access state and some balance issues with specific weapons or trinkets, both of which Motion Twin addresses through regular updates.
The game launched with over 36,000 concurrent players during its first weekend, impressive numbers for an indie Early Access title. While concurrent players naturally declined after launch hype faded, the regular content updates create spikes as players return to experience new biomes, weapons, and systems. This pattern mirrors Dead Cells’ successful Early Access period, where consistent updates maintained engagement over time.
Comparisons to other isometric action roguelikes like Hades are inevitable but somewhat misplaced. Windblown is faster-paced than Supergiant’s masterpiece, emphasizing reflex-based dodging and aggressive play over Hades’ more measured tactical combat. The visual style differs dramatically, with Windblown’s bright cartoon aesthetic contrasting against Hades’ classical Greek-inspired artwork. Both are excellent games serving slightly different audiences within the roguelike space.
What’s Next for Windblown
Motion Twin’s roadmap indicates substantial plans for 2025 and the eventual 1.0 launch in 2026. Teaser images suggest New Game Plus modes, additional character skins, more weapons and gifts, and possibly affixes or modifiers that change run parameters. References to new bosses are underlined, suggesting Motion Twin has big plans for expanding the roster of challenging encounters beyond what’s currently available.
The studio’s philosophy of taking time to get things right rather than rushing to 1.0 mirrors their approach with Dead Cells. When asked about launch timing, designer Thomas Vasseur said they’ll feel when the game is ready rather than hitting arbitrary deadlines. The story currently in development will define how many biomes, bosses, and encounters are needed to create a satisfying complete experience, and Motion Twin won’t compromise that vision just to meet external pressure.
Potential DLC discussions have happened internally, but Motion Twin wants to ensure 1.0 stands as a complete, polished, honest product before considering expansions. They don’t want players feeling like the base game is lacking or a reduced version of what it should be. Only after delivering something genuinely great will they explore additional content, and even then it depends on whether the game finds commercial success justifying continued development.
FAQs
When did the Windblown Fungal Bloom update release?
The Fungal Bloom update for Windblown released on December 16, 2025. This is the seventh major content update since the game launched into Steam Early Access on October 24, 2024.
What is Cuprik’s Hammer in Windblown?
Cuprik’s Hammer is a new weapon that operates in two modes. Normally it’s fast and agile for quick damage bursts. When you activate its Alterattack with another weapon equipped, it transforms into a slower, more powerful frost-infused form that shatters the ground with ice crystals and can freeze enemies.
Is Windblown like Dead Cells?
Windblown is from the same studio as Dead Cells and shares roguelike DNA, but plays very differently. Dead Cells is a 2D pixel-art sidescroller while Windblown is isometric 3D with cartoon visuals. Windblown supports up to 3-player online co-op, whereas Dead Cells is single-player only. Combat is even faster in Windblown with emphasis on constant dodging.
How many players can play Windblown co-op?
Windblown supports online co-op for up to three players simultaneously. You can tackle runs solo if you prefer, as the game is designed to work perfectly in both single-player and multiplayer modes.
When does Windblown leave Early Access?
Motion Twin estimates Windblown will remain in Early Access until sometime in 2026. They’ve stated they’ll launch 1.0 when the game feels truly ready rather than hitting arbitrary deadlines, following the same philosophy that made Dead Cells successful.
What platforms is Windblown available on?
Windblown is currently available on PC via Steam during Early Access. Console versions for PlayStation and Xbox are likely planned for the full 1.0 release in 2026, similar to how Dead Cells eventually came to all platforms.
Is Windblown easier or harder than Dead Cells?
Windblown is arguably more punishing than Dead Cells. Bosses hit extremely hard relative to your starting health pool, and a comfortable run can fall apart in seconds if you mistimed dodges. However, the game is designed to be more accessible for players new to roguelikes through faster movement and clearer attack telegraphing.
How much does Windblown cost?
Windblown is available on Steam Early Access at a price that will increase when it reaches 1.0 launch in 2026. Motion Twin may also apply price increases during Early Access if they feel they’ve added significant content and value to the experience.
Conclusion
The Fungal Bloom update demonstrates why Motion Twin remains one of the most respected indie studios in the roguelike space. Seven substantial content updates in 14 months shows impressive development velocity without sacrificing quality. Each update addresses community feedback while expanding content in meaningful ways, whether that’s completely overhauling existing biomes, adding transforming weapons like Cuprik’s Hammer, or implementing quality-of-life improvements like multiple Memory Deck presets and the Resource Converter. What makes Motion Twin special is their willingness to revisit and improve existing content rather than just piling on new features. The Fungal Swamp overhaul could have been skipped in favor of adding another entirely new biome, but they recognized that maintaining consistent quality across all areas matters more than raw content quantity. That philosophy permeates everything they do, from reworking controversial mechanics like Sudden Death to adding character portraits that bring NPCs to life. Windblown might operate in Dead Cells’ shadow, but it’s rapidly establishing its own identity. The lightning-fast combat rewards aggressive play and perfect dodging in ways the 2D sidescroller never could. The Alterattack system creates depth through weapon synergies that encourage experimentation. The vibrant cartoon aesthetic trades grimdark horror for adventurous energy without sacrificing challenge. And the co-op implementation lets you share the experience with friends, creating moments of chaos and triumph that single-player roguelikes can’t replicate. For players who bounced off Dead Cells because of the Metroidvania structure or pixel art aesthetic, Windblown offers an alternative entry point to Motion Twin’s design philosophy. For Dead Cells veterans looking for the next challenge, Windblown delivers even more punishing encounters while maintaining the core loop that made the original special. And for anyone who just wants a fast, challenging, endlessly replayable action roguelike to sink dozens of hours into, Windblown is already there despite still being in Early Access. The Fungal Bloom update arriving just before the holidays gives players fresh content to experience during time off, and it’s completely free to everyone who owns the game. Motion Twin could have saved this for a January update to drive sales during the post-holiday period, but instead chose to thank the community immediately. That gesture, combined with the consistent quality and frequency of updates, explains why players trust this studio to deliver an exceptional 1.0 release whenever they feel it’s ready. Windblown is already great. By the time it hits 1.0 in 2026, it might be extraordinary.