Hi! Alexandre Pernot Lopes here for Trebuchet. Our whole team is very excited today to show you more of Winds & Leaves’ unique gameplay built specifically for PS VR. Winds & Leaves will launch on July 27 and while you wait to discover the world of the Gardener yourself, let’s dive in and share some details with you!
You’re surrounded by flower beds as you wander out of the verdant valley where you were brought back to life. You pause for a brief moment and gaze upon the barren and dusty hills in front of you. Will you be able to restore life in this world and stop the upcoming Cataclysm? Only time will tell as you make your forests grow, one tree at a time.
The Gardener’s Bond
As the Gardener, you share a special bond with the trees. You need their life-giving energy to roam the land as much as they need you to thrive in the diverse environments of each region. Each forest you plant becomes a safe haven to serve as starting points for your exploration.
At the edges of the world lie the Outposts, tall ancient structures built by ancient gardeners. Find your way towards them as you earn new fruits allowing you to match the different soils on the road. Awakening the Outposts will uncover ancient knowledge resulting in new abilities.
As you explore, you will stumble across new biomes with ground conditions for which no exact species in your fruit pouch will fit. Take a moment to analyze your options. If two or three different fruits put together would match the surrounding environment, you have the power to combine them and create a new variety.
Weather and forests
In your journey, you will encounter changing weather conditions in some of the regions. A relatively dry hill can be traversed by a raining cloud and the trees on that hill will suffer from a level of humidity that is above their desired nature.
Similar to the Gardener’s bond with the forest as a whole, trees themselves support each other. If a tree is less adapted to the current conditions, a well-adapted one growing nearby will help it survive. You can have a glimpse of the friendly bond between trees if you walk around the forest during nighttime.
Make sure to mix different trees to create enduring forests that will survive a passing storm.
The Garden: a private herbarium
At the heart of the Steppe, you will often traverse the central hub: the Garden. At its center lies the Panemona, the key to the Steppe’s survival. Each time you awaken a new Ark, a corresponding tree will grow in the Garden and the Panemona’s vegetation will progress. The lifegiving nature of the Garden can make any tree species thrive in its soil. You can use this peaceful patch of land as your own private garden, planting any tree there will yield you a constant supply of its kind of fruit.
In the Garden, you will also notice the herbariums, wooden gates highlighting the entrance to each of the Steppe’s regions. The herbariums are bound by the vegetal signature of their corresponding region: you will be able to see what climate conditions you’ll encounter in your travels as well as track your progress in each one of them.
We hope you’re as excited as we are to discover the world of Winds & Leaves when it comes out this summer! Until then, why not take the time to plant a few seeds on your balcony as you wait to incarnate the Gardener on July 27.
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