Cock of War
Even though Krafton presents it today as an official announcement, the development of Project Windless actually started in 2021. The project was then introduced as a video game based on the universe of The Bird That Drinks Tears, a bestselling Korean fantasy novel written by Yeong-do Lee. From now on, the title is revealed in the form of a vast open world, living and freely explorable. According to information relayed on the PlayStation Blog, the Krafton Montreal studio highlights a varied universe, designed to encourage discovery and organic exploration.
The game will not be a faithful adaptation of the novel, but rather a sort of prequel set several hundred years before the events of the original work. As the territory is fragmented and tensions intensify, we embody a mythical figure destined to play a crucial role in the destiny of the nation. What particularly attracted attention, however, concerns the nature of the hero embodied. The protagonist belongs to the Rekons, a nomadic race of bird-like humanoid warriors renowned for their imposing size and colossal physical strength.
The studio explains that this choice was a natural choice due to its compatibility with a combat philosophy focused on pitting one hero against a multitude of enemies. The solitary nature of the Rekons also reinforced this decision. Driven by strong personal convictions and endowed with vulnerabilities, they embody powerful but not invincible heroes, which makes them more credible in the eyes of the developers. This approach should also be felt in the gameplay, almost giving the impression of a derivative of Musou in the style of Dynasty Warriors.
We also challenged ourselves to design a combat experience different from what we usually see in action RPGs: something larger, wilder, driven by the raw chaos of battle. As a Rekon warrior, you often face dozens or even hundreds of enemies simultaneously. And to be clear, these crowds are not just decoration. They come to life thanks to innovative mass technology. They move, circle, circle and react to your actions, transforming each encounter into a living and unpredictable spectacle.
If we put aside the sometimes burlesque character of the hero which recalls the manga “Coq de baston” or the nemesis of Peter Griffin, Project Windless seems promising enough to merit close monitoring. For now, no release period or additional platform has been mentioned outside of the PS5.