Wings of Endless Review

Wings of Endless is an action-packed role-playing game developed by Isoca Games — which only has one other title in its catalogue — and published by JanduSoft, a company I know from two other titles I checked out recently: Kemono Heroes and Basureroes Invasion. This retro-inspired game looks to be full of 2D platforming and RPG character building, so I can’t wait to jump in and try it out for myself!

We begin our journey playing as a blue-haired, self-proclaimed BEST bounty hunter, Hariku. He has just arrived at the Abandoned Ruins he was directed to locate; hidden inside is a special treasure that needs to be retrieved and delivered to the Tower of Mages. Right away, you get to take control of Hariku. I am playing the game using an Xbox controller. We learn essential moves, like how the bottom face button (A) is used to jump, and it gives you a nice high jump! To attack, the left face button is used to swing your large hammer. To roll and dodge, you use the right face button.

As you travel, Hariku will meet other characters who will join your party. You can change who you’re playing as by hitting one of the triggers on your controller. Diana has skills and abilities very different from Hariku’s. She can brew potions — like one to recover health, an antidote for poison, and one to heal burns — using items you find and pick up from defeating enemies. This skill will save you a lot of gold, as you won’t have to buy everything from the merchant in the area. Makoto is a mage in training, so he is able to use powerful magic to take down foes. If one of the characters falls in battle, a surviving member can resurrect them by holding down on the D-pad long enough for the circle to fill. Reviving a comrade takes a few seconds to complete, so you’ll need to be patient.

Each character has a weapon, armour, and two accessories. On the right of the screen, you can see the Max Health, Attack, Magic Attack, Defence, Magic Defence, Dominance, and Recovery. Once another member joins your team, you will be able to share armour and accessories. It was a refreshing change not to need to buy special equipment for the other characters — you can actually reuse items instead of selling them for a loss. The only thing that can’t be shared between the three is the weapon they attack with. Hariku uses large hammers, Makoto empowers his spells with a magic gem, and Diana carries an assortment of throwing knives.

The first foe you strike down with your hammer is a rat. The enemies can not only move on the platform they are standing on, but they can also sprint toward you. As you defeat foes, a meter in the top right of the screen fills as you collect the floating, glowing pieces they leave behind. This bar shows the amount of XP you have collected. You can also find these glowing orbs in chests, along with consumables like healing potions, or by breaking the numerous pots that give you coins and white glowing orbs. I love being able to smash pottery in games! Once the bar is full, you will gain a level and a skill point to spend on learning new moves in the skill tree. In the beginning, it’s very easy to fill the bar, but as you get stronger and progress, more XP is required to reach the next level.

As you explore the ruins, you find a birdcage with a spot to place your crystal. Once you do, the room lights up, and inside you see an owl. You set it free, and it starts talking to you. Our protagonist Hariku thinks that this bird must be the special item he is supposed to retrieve and return to the Tower of Mages, which is located in the Frostlands. Hariku isn’t the brightest character around — it seems weird that he never bothered to find out exactly what he was supposed to be looking for in these ruins — so hopefully, this owl is what he needed to locate.

Owly is a grumpy bird, but once he realises that you can't get out of this place with your current abilities, he grants you a great power: wings. This power gives you the ability to double jump, which is very useful for navigating different areas and avoiding enemy attacks. Additionally, the power-up can be to dash over gaps using the right shoulder button. Now that you have Owly accompanying you, you can ask for advice on what to do next when you reach Save Points. Plus, you can find different costumes on your travels to dress him up. These outfits are called Guisowls. A disguise for your owl, I guess, though I’m not too sure why the bird needs to be incognito.

Your journey in Wings of Endless takes you through various places, from thorn-covered woods and rocky grasslands to deserts full of cactuses and scorpions and frozen snowlands complete with falling icicles and icy platforms. There is always somewhere new to explore. The pixel sprites and backgrounds look great and vibrant, making it fun to check out all these different worlds and to see where we’d be headed next. We are also treated to new music for each zone that fits the theme, never felt repetitive, and kept the game fresh.

Along with the change of scenery, you’ll also encounter enemies unique to each area — like foes who disguise themselves as roses and hide in the thorns, deadly scorpions in the desert, or penguins in the far north equipped with snowball cannons. It was always fun to travel to each location and see what kinds of foes were waiting for me. Fortunately, you won’t have to travel to each area on foot — it would take forever if you had to go through every zone just to reach the next! Instead, you can use the Blue Balloon, a hot air balloon service. This method of travel isn’t totally free; you’ll need to purchase a membership card and have it stamped at each location where there is a stop. If you don’t purchase it, you won’t be allowed to use the service, so it’s definitely worth the cost because of how much time it saves.

Wings of Endless is an addictive, action-packed role-playing game that gamers who enjoy 2D platforming titles should definitely check out. It’s not a cakewalk to get through — there are times, like during boss battles, when you will feel frustrated. However, it was never bad enough to make me want to quit the game; it was addictive and enticed me to try just one more time, many times over. With entertaining characters that you can swap between at the hit of a button and an owl that follows you everywhere you go, you will never feel lonely. Plus, dressing Owly up is always a fun time.