iGR Insight - A Valley Without Wind Review

When A Valley Without Wind released in April 2012 I heard mixed reviews from friends, some even saying not to purchase it. What I didn’t know is that they hadn’t even played the game. I was glad to find out it wasn’t what it was made out to be.

In A Valley Without Wind you play as a glyphbearer, chosen by the Ilari, to traverse the dangerous landscape that now surrounds your small settlement after reality has been shattered.

After reality shatters you must help pick up the pieces, but it’s no easy task. Not with an evil overlord that has come to conquer the land. The elements also find it necessary to create even more hardships on your quest.

But with the help of the mysterious Ilari Spellgems you are able to battle your way around the continent and destroy the evil lord and his minions. A challenge may be issued to the Overlord at any time, but it’s not recommended as he’s a much higher level than you are. However, defeating the Overlord’s Lieutenants weakens him.

In your settlement there guardian stones act as shops where you can buy items. Consciousness shards obtained from dead monsters act as currency, and other equipment is available to aid you in your quest. You are able to craft new spellgems with raw materials you find on your expeditions. You will also be able to interact with, and send settlers out on missions to secure materials, or help you attack the Overlord’s keep.

The world map is set up on a grid and each square is open to exploration. Each square has a specific landscape and enemies tied to it.

The thing I really liked and disliked about this game is the amount of exploration. At first I would go into every house and underground cavern looking for loot, but after awhile it gets a little trying and tedious. It’s an example of too much freedom being given .

The UI for Spell Mapping was also a bit confusing. Your spells are mapped out to number keys one through zero. It was a bit hard to execute spells correctly while in combat. Other than those few missteps I liked A Valley Without Wind, and will be checking out A Valley Without Wind 2 in the future. So keep an eye out for it.

+/- Exportability

- Spell mapping

+ Spell and equipment customization

+Great Platforming

Review Score: 6/10