Game Announcement: Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori – An Open World Horse Riding Game set in Historical Mongolia
Disclaimer: I work as a freelance consultant for Aesir Interactive.
Aesir Interactive and Mindscape announce a horse game of unprecedented caliber today: Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori is an open world adventure game set in the Mongolian wilderness.
Watch the reveal trailer right here:
From the official press release:
In Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori, players will embark on an epic adventure set in 13th century Mongolia, stepping into the role of a young courier rider. Horses will be essential to survival and safety as players breed horses, tame new ones and train them to aid them in their charting of the sprawling Mongolian landscape. As they immerse themselves into the game’s expansive open world full of wonders and intriguing tales, players will need to strategically plan their routes through different biomes of beautiful, yet harsh terrain, and master the challenges of the wilderness to complete their missions.
Realistic portrayal of horses is a key design principle for this entire project.
A first look at the players camp, featuring a paddock for horses and traditional mongolian ger (tents).
The game is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, allowing for the gorgeously detailed landscapes you can see in the teaser. Unlike Aesir’s previous horse games, Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori will launch in Early Access very soon in its development cycle, which will give fans and players the opportunity to shape the further development of the game.
I’m incredibly excited to announce this project: I spent most of 2023 working on its inception and concept, and laying the foundation for a game that does the faithful portrayal of horses and justice. With Windstorm: The Legend of Khimoori, Aesir Interactive and Mindscape are committed to doing what I’ve always wanted more devs and publishers to do: taking equestrian gamers seriously as an audience and creating a game that offers the depth and authenticity we want form our horse games, while (hopefully) captivating a large enough audience of open world and nonviolent adventure players to have a tangible impact and reach.
In taking the Windstorm franchise out of modern day Germany and into the vast steppes of historical Mongolia, this game brings much-needed fresh wind into the horse game genre and its usual tropes and trappings. Make sure to follow along on social media for more info to be revealed on what that means for the game’s story and mechanics: Instagram, Threads, Twitter/X, TikTok, YouTube and Discord.
I cannot wait for you all to see more of this game, and I’m incredibly thrilled to be part of its development and marketing through my ongoing efforts at Aesir.
Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori will be released in Early Access on Steam in September 2024. Wishlist the game now!