Blowfish is excited to announce a release date for the mech combat action game, Blackwind. After much anticipation, Blackwind is arriving on all consoles, as well as Steam, GOG, and the Mac App Store on Thursday, January 20th, 2022. In addition to a digital release, a physical retail edition will be available thanks to Perp Games. sometime in 2022.
The news comes directly from Blowfish interactive representing Perp Games and Drakkar Dev. Blackwind is the follow-up War Tech Fighters, a third-person action mech-based space combat game that launched in 2019. Blackwind takes place on the edge of space, at the human mining colony of Medusa-42. This peaceful settlement is rocked by a ruthless alien force, the Raknos, whose sole purpose is to destroy any and all that stand in their way. A young teen, James Hawkins, narrowly escapes the onslaught in his father’s experimental Battle Frame and advanced exo-suit was an extremely sophisticated A.I, codenamed Blackwind. Cut off and isolated, James and Blackwind bond in companionship, learn about each other. With the advanced evolutionary traits of Blackwind and the Battle Frame, only James and Blackwind stand a chance at ending the threat and saving the planet.
How It Differs
Blackwind is a different take from its predecessor. Where War Tech Fighters was more of a space shooter with mechs, Blackwind is an isometric hack and slash, with a combination of melee and ranged weapons. Energy blades, blasters, missiles, and many more weapons are at the disposal of players. Players traverse massive science facilities and large swaths of alien terrain. Deserts, mountains, and forests are only a fraction of the places players will see. Players use a combination of sharp blades and devastating weapons to slay the opposition, including brutal execution moves to show the enemy that the Raknos messed with the wrong species. On their mission to end the Raknos threat, players explore the planet for secrets using their built-in drone and solve puzzles leading to the planet’s secrets.
Developer Quotes
While Blackwind was slated for launch in Q4 of2021, the excitement continues to build for the team at Drakkar Dev and Perp Games. “Blackwind’s beautiful terrain is nearly ready to purge of the vicious alien threat,” said Manlio Greco, Designer, Drakkar Dev. “We hope everyone will take on the challenge of classic fast-paced sci-fi action and meticulously search for all the secrets we’ve hidden within.” Rob Edwards of Perp Games even had much to celebrate, as Blackwind is poised to be the first big indie release of 2022.
“Blackwind is all about fast, brutal action and we love it,” said Rob Edwards, Managing Director at Perp Games. “We are very proud to be working with Blowfish and Drakkar Dev, to bring you the physical boxed version of this frenetic mech shooter.”
Personal Thoughts
I personally really enjoyed War Tech Fighters on the PlayStation 4, as the game had a very unique concept and satisfying gameplay, despite flaws in its technical performance. Part of that charm lies in the fact that surprisingly, and regrettably, there hasn’t been much in regards to mech-based combat games. Having said that, it’s once again enthralling to see another mech-based game, like Blackwind. Having played its predecessor, players should expect a good, lean, solid action experience, and based upon the developer diaries, the team has greatly learned and expanded, taking their skills and refining them to greater levels. We need more action games these days, especially in regards to science fiction and mechs. I am personally very much looking forward to Blackwind in January, and so should you.
Blackwind lands digitally on January 20th, 2021, for all consoles, Steam, and GoG for the price of USD 24.99, AUD 29.99, GBP 19.99, EUR 24.99. A physical copy is set to release in Europe on January 21st, with a physical release in North America sometime in 2022.
