Visual Novel / Winds of Change

From left to right: Ulric, Valessa, Pro, Sovy, and Damek

Winds of Change is a Visual Novel game published by Tall Tail Studios and once again developed by furry community member Klace, AKA Kyle Lambert. Considered something of a Spiritual Successor to his 2016 game Major\Minor, also a Visual Novel. The game takes place on the fantasy world of Alestia, which is a World of Funny Animals supposedly created, and ruled, by the Triumvirate, a religious-like organization trying to keep the people of Alestia under their control. Unfortunately for them, their actions have led to the creation of The Rebellion, an organization of various soldiers and civilians from various Alestian nations that are bent on taking down the Triumvirate.

The player takes the role of The Seer of Valinorth, who is to be soon officially inducted as the nation's Seer. In this world, Seers draw power from The Spirits, which bestow The Seer with visions of the future. The game proper opens with The Seer seeing a horrifying vision of Valinorth being attacked by The Triumvirate; not only that, but the vision implicates the current Elder of the village, Mylus, as being involved with The Rebellion. The Seer, and their scribe Valessa and friend Fortaime, soon learn that this is all true, and are tasked by Mylus with taking The Blade of Exodus, a magical sword The Triumvirate was using to enforce their will, and The Seer to meet with The Rebellion, and to use their power plus the power of The Blade of Exodus to help The Rebellion strike down The Triumvirate and free the world of Alestia.

Winds of Change seeks to improve on Major\Minor in numerous ways, for one including more than two choices whenever The Seer needs to make a decision, as opposed to Major\Minor which only ever offered two choices. The writing is also a lot more fast-paced and intense, and not so weighed down with the overwriting that seemed to affect the other game. The game also tries to expand upon the Affinity System, this time around allowing for special "Heart-To-Heart" moments with team members where you get some alone time with them to deepen your bond as allies and friends...and perhaps even start a Romantic Arc with a teammate...or more, if they so desire. There are also "Party Banter" scenes, where two characters in your area will talk to each other in regards to current events, the ability to talk to one or more party member when visiting an area, and "Parallel Chronicles" that show what other characters elsewhere are up to.

The Seer is also allowed limited roaming from area-to-area, though certain plot events might cause areas to be locked off for good or certain periods of time. When entering an area, the game goes into a sort of first-person point and click mode where they can interact with various parts of the background and get either their own thoughts or their teammates might jump in and say something.

Winds of Change also incorporates a Karma Meter, dubbed "Purity and Corruption". What makes this system intriguing is that you won't be told what choice is linked to which side until after you make that choice; character interactions and the characters' interactions with each other can be affected by your choices as well. There's also Troop Morale to keep an eye on.

The game started in Steam Early Access after a successful Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight campaign, and officially released August 21, 2019.

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Winds of Change provides examples of:

• Action Girl:
  • Nada, a respected and feared pirate captain. If The Seer chooses to align with her she gets to prove her worth as one during Act 3.
  • In the Finale, Valessa. She'll take on some Honor Guard soldiers to allow The Seer/Monarch and friends to escape to Balteus' castle. Whether or not she's an effective Action Girl depends on your choices.
  • There's also Nyx, one of the Monarch Vessels. But it's only implied as we never get to see her in full action.
• Aerith and Bob: We've got some fantastic fantasy names like Ulric, Sovy, Fortaime, Valessa and...Shane. The player can also play either side of this as they get to name The Seer. The game actually makes a joke out of the more unusual names at one point.
• All According to Plan: The Triumvirs wanted the rebels to get ahold of the Blade of Exodus. They needed the rebellion to have hope so that it would perpetuate the cycle of death necessary to make the blade strong enough to destroy the final idol. More specifically, they needed it to fall into the player's hands, so that they could be the one with the power to destroy it.
• Ambiguously Bi: Your primary party consists of 1 female and 4 romanceable males (Howl is more a Fire-Forged Friends situation). The protagonist is whatever gender you make them, but both male and female protagonists pursuing a romance arc make the same notes about how handsome Ulric is, flirt with Pro with almost the same lines, and equally confide in Valessa about their parents and the future of Valinorth. All the romanceable options fall in this way, as well, since their responses are basically the same no matter which gender of protagonist you're playing as.
• Anachronic Order: The Opening Prologue does this, as The Seer's vision is frequently interrupted by showing other scenes that are happening in the present day.
• And I Must Scream: Halin might have been created by the Triumvirate, but if you let him survive in the final battle, this is how he describes his control. It takes a while for everyone else to get over it and realize he's not under their influence anymore.
• Anti-Frustration Features:
  • While the game won't tell you what choices lean towards Purity or Corruption it at least has the courtesy to hint at when The Seer is faced with such a choice by saying "This choice will affect the future of Alestia."
  • Applies to Heart-to-Heart conversations, as the game will inform you that you can potentially launch the Romance Arc with that character by informing, "This choice will permanently affect your relationship with ______"
  • At one point you can make a choice that will either shatter or maintain your bond with an ally. The game has the courtesy to let you know this before you make your choice.
• Artifact of Doom: The Blade of Exodus, which the Triumvirate was using to oppress the world until the Rebellion stole it from them. At least, that's what the Rebellion thought had happened...
  • The Dark Idol, which apparently contains the essence of Nagi from Major\Minor. It's the source of Balteus' dying state.
• Authority Equals Asskicking: Grand Inquisitor Sovy, for the most part, beats down whoever tries to fight him.

• Ax-Crazy: Sovy in the opening vision, who killed and/or assimilated every Valinorth citizen even though he wasn't required to. To him, it was only for fun and sport.
• Batman Gambit: The Triumvirate are experts of this in the beginning. They use their power to manipulate Spirit-given visions to lead The Seer, The Blade of Exodus, and The Rebellion right where they want them. Damek tries to do this, but ends up getting Out-Gambitted.
• Bare-Fisted Monk:
  • Sovy doesn't need to hide behind a sword, unlike other characters, managing to best even skilled fighters like Ulric while being unarmed.
  • Howl in the final battle in Balteus never uses a sword. The effectiveness is played with, as the Honor Guard go down easily to his hits, but his knuckles are bleeding since he's still punching steel.
• Battle Cry: "May the Triumvirate reign eternal!"

• BFS: Ulric's huge, heavy broadsword, which impresses Fortaime when he gets a close look at it. Apparently, Ulric gets compliments on it all the time.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • In Act 3 Sovy is about to kill Ulric...when Pro, who earlier disappeared from the fighting, reappears with the Pirate Captain the Seer and Damek sided with in Act 2, who brings along their pirate army to turn the tide of battle.
  • In the Finale, there's a few moments of this. The Monarch will use their blade to kill a legion of Honor Guard blocking the bridge to Balteus castle. And if you spared Shane, he'll show up and save Damek just has he's about to be killed.
• Born of Magic: Howl arrives in Act 3, and is a legion of Spirits that inhabits the body of Salus, the former leader of The Rebellion. The combined power and energy of these spirits reanimated Salus' body and keeps it in a stable state for them to use.
• The Charmer:
  • Pro likes to fancy himself as this. Potentially Played Straight, if The Seer chooses to hook up with him.
  • Pursuing their romantic arcs, you are this for Ulric who is really thousands of years old, and rediscovers true love because you were the first in a long time who invested time in your relationship.
• Chekhov's Skill: You are asked if you are left or right-handed towards the start. Either Sovy or Ulric, depending on your choices, will use a ruse where they amputate the opposite hand to lure the Triumvirs into a false sense of security.

• The Chosen Many: The Seers could be considered this, as the Spirits choose them at birth and bestow them with their powers. Though The Seer in the game's events is essentially The Chosen One as Valinorth's Spirits gave them the remainder of their power into them.
• Church Militant: The Triumvirate seems to be this - they even have a Grand Inquisitor and a church in Mazeo.
• The Corruption:
  • Somewhat literal, as there is a stat on the Karma Meter called Corruption. Spirits actually are this, at least to the Triumvirate, as they influence Alestians to turn against them, thus corrupting Alestians from their original purpose.
  • But then it's learned that the energy from the Dark Idol literally corrupts everything around it.
  • Some items with potentially good consequences or meanings behind them are labelled as Corruption. Most commonly, an increase in Corruption marks a deviation in terms of how things are run; some choices that increase Corruption despite having fair standing are choosing Fortaime over Valessa as the Elder of Valinorth, and choosing to side with Vivien over Draycu during the Alarinthia arc. IF you do other things right, these end up having good consequences in the Epilogue despite being labelled Corruption (Fortaime is considered a good Elder and dies of old age at peace with himself after basically resurrecting Valinorth, Vivien has some initial turmoil getting Alarinthia to agree with his policies but otherwise goes down as a fair and generous ruler).
• Crystal Dragon Jesus / Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory: Getting some of the better endings requires you, at the finale, to sacrifice yourself to get rid of the Blade of Exodus, after killing two Triumvirs amidst a burning room that has a ton of hellish-looking imagery already, powered by the urging on of your friends who aren't even there with you. Doing so resurrects you in a timeline where the Triumvirate never oppressed anyone, including keeping your chopped-off arm from the previous timeline.
• Darkest Hour:
  • The opening vision ends like this, with pretty much everyone in Valinorth (except Valessa) assimilated by The Blade of Exodus, being wielded by Sovy.
  • The first half of Act 3 is this. Things go to hell. Fast.
  • The finale can end up like this as well, as most of your comrades can die. And many, like Howl and Damek, end up in their own personal Darkest Hours.
• Dramatic Irony: Tends to happen, such as in Act 2 during a Parallel Chronicle when Sovy and his gang spot The Seer's party, with said party being totally unaware they've been found by their arch-nemesis.
• Driven to Suicide: If you let Sovy join The Rebellion but kill Halin he'll jump to his death after killing a Triumvir. Apparently the grief from everything becomes too much for him to deal with.
• Defiant to the End: Before Sovy kills The Seer in the opening vision they're given a couple of dialogue options to taunt him with that are effectively this.
• Déjà Vu: If you got the good ending and sacrificed yourself at the Idol, the protagonist wakes up back in their house in Valinorth just like they did at the end of the prologue. Even the initial dialogue after waking up is exactly the same, which begins to weird out the protagonist when Fortaime's intro is exactly the same. It doesn't shift until the protagonist notices their arm is still cut off, as well as a few particular name drops that indicate a different timeline altogether: one where the Triumvirate never existed.
• Gender-Concealing Writing: Vivien. His aide explains the name is actually very useful because assassins are always looking for a woman. Vivien himself actually uses it for fun to talk to people and talk as if Vivien is a different person.
• For Great Justice: A lot of the Rebellion's motivation for wanting to take down the Triumvirate is this. Given that the Triumvirate is tyrannical, and killed a lot of parents of Rebellion soldiers, it makes sense. Of course, this becomes a lot muddier once the Triumvirs get a chance to explain their actions...
• Good All Along:
  • The Triumvirate. They explain that this has all been a plan to destroy the final Idol and the Blade of Exodus, to rid the universe of the constant conflict and death they bring. Not that it's immediately obvious even at The Reveal, considering they still have a rather low opinion of Alestia's residents beyond pawns to feed the blade for that purpose.
  • Sovy. While your first meeting with him in a vision seems to indicate he's a shameless mass murderer, it's revealed he's just dutifully loyal to the rightful rulers of the world; when that is revealed to be you, he quickly moves to change sides. Even if you reject his help, the epilogue implies he dedicated his life to protecting the monarchy you put in place.
• Good Is Not Nice:
  • Most of the time, your party is quite amicable to you. But Howl and Ulric are brusque and more to-the-point and focused on the job rather than the people towards their entry areas, warming up and being less demanding and more openly concerned about the protagonist later on. Howl still repeatedly lays the importance of the Seer's gifts and is stern if it looks like you're about to abuse them, and Ulric is not afraid to break your nose if you side with him and Vivien in Alarinthia so his plan with Pro will work.
  • Should you allow him to join your party in Act 4, Sovy is quite firmly on your side since you're the rightful ruler of Alestia, but is to a certain extent as smarmy and self-important as you saw in the Parallel Chronicles.
• Greater-Scope Villain: The Spirit Idols and the Blade of Exodus. The Triumvirate reveals in the finale that they have attempted to destroy the idol multiple times, but it always reappears in another world and begins to ruin it. To make matters worse, the power of the Blade of Exodus, which grows stronger with every death, always creates conflict. The Triumvirs came up with a solution: trap a single world in a time loop (the Blade retains its power from prior timelines) until the Blade was strong enough to destroy the idol for good, as well as the Blade itself. ...at the cost of the wielder's life. While the Triumvirs are known for being manipulative bastards, the fact two of them are indifferent to being killed makes this more plausible.
• Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Characters will refer to The Seer as whatever name the player gives them - at least in the text boxes. The actual voiced lines will still call them Seer/Seeress and later, Monarch.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: The Triumvirate let the Rebellion steal the Blade of Exodus as part of their plan. Despite their attempts to justify their actions, all three of them are killed with it by you and Sovy/Ulric (depending on choices).
• Incredibly Lame Pun: "Good thing there's a fireplace here to warm things up."
• Near-Villain Victory: The first half of Act 3.
• Off with His Head!: The way the last Triumvir dies.
• Out-Gambitted: Despite all of Damek's expert planning, he falls victim to this in Act 3, as he was the one being led into a trap, rather than he leading the Triumvirate into a trap. However, this ends up happening to the Triumvirate later on in Act 3, due in part to Sovy fleeing and Pro being resourceful and getting friendly pirates to assist in the battle.
• Railroading: Even if you choose to forgive Pro for his treachery that got people killed, forgive Ulric for being a Grand Inquisitor, allow Sovy to join your side, forgive Shane, and free Halin from his mind control, your character will brutally kill the two last Triumvirs even after they've explained themselves. It could be argued that everyone else was a tool of the Triumvirate so can be forgiven on that basis, but the Triumvir's utilitarian explanation of everything they had done makes this choice seem forced.
• Really 700 Years Old: The Triumvirate gives eternal life to anyone who serves as Grand Inquisitor or their Apprentice/potential successor. This means Ulric and Sovy are thousands of years old. And in some endings, if you comply with Ulric's request and free him from living eternally, Sovy (who might not have received that chance) outlives him and spends his eternity ensuring the true Monarchy remain in power.
• Romance Arc: One with a bit of a twist. Depending on a choice you make at the very end, everyone you can romance survives but you, the primary love interest, and thus you don't actually get with anyone at the end. The closest you can get to being with any character in particular are implications of a night together in the final Heart-to-Heart scene in the Balteus Grand Library. Depending on how close you were, they have different ways of honoring your name and memory at the end.
• Sacrificial Lamb:
  • Valinorth is viewed as this by The Rebellion, as Damek saw a vision where The Rebellion won...but Valinorth was destroyed in the process, and Damek intends to stick to that vision. Subverted in Act 3, as he and the rest of The Rebellion learn that was a false vision.
  • Early on, Valinorth is this again, as the fading of the Spirit Idol in Sauleburg is a sign that Valinorth might die and get taken over by the cold of Eastcrown, combined with the portent of the Blood Leaves as you leave the area. Half of Valessa and Fortaime's early motivation for going with you is to save Valinorth from succumbing to this, given visions stated that the Triumvirate might be trying to destroy said Spirit Idol and they both want it back. Again subverted when it's revealed the Idol wasn't keeping Valinorth safe from Eastcrown, those are just two areas that exist in the world.
• Sadistic Choice:
  • The game hints that these choices will eventually befall The Seer, and boy does the first of these not fail to disappoint. In the aftermath of the surprise attack on Rebel HQ, The Seer can either bestow some remaining Rebellion soldiers with their spiritual powers of visions, at the cost of said soldiers becoming vegetables when the power is used up, or resurrecting dead Rebellion soldiers and giving them the spiritual powers...at the cost of them being stuck in a form that dies hard and in addition they will be in eternal constant pain. Even Valessa and Fortaime, whom The Seer was normally able to consult up to this point, have nothing to say as to what they think The Seer should do.
  • At the end of the game, you are presented with the option to destroy the final Spirit Idol, though it will come at the cost of your life. Considering you likely made lots of promises to comrades by this point that you would come back, the fact you have to choose between going back to live with the people you love or killing yourself for the good of everyone is not easy. Of course, the revelation that agreeing to sacrifice yourself warps you into a new world with your memories intact but where the Triumvirate never oppressed anybody makes it easier...
• Spanner in the Works: Considering the Triumvirate seems to have tabs on everything, it's hard to see where one comes into place. But whether or not your comrades survive the final battle depends on you putting some in place via Heart-to-Heart sequences or simply by your actions. The most prominent examples: keeping Gryz alive in act 3, an act that saves both Gryz and Pro by getting him on the scouting mission in the castle on Balteus in the final hours of the game; and saving Shane during the naval battle, which allows him to save Damek from being killed by the Honor Guard.
• Stealth Sequel: While the Blade of Exodus looks like a normal blade to someone going into Winds of Change blind, others will quickly notice how it resembles the weapon used by the Nagi and Nemi in Major/Minor, complete with having the same powers and otherworldly gear. The real evidence of this being a sequel, however, is when ghosts (Word of God says they're memories) of Acheron and Reiyo appear as The Triumvirate explain themselves.
• Turned Against Their Masters: Turns out that Alestians were originally created to blindly serve the Triumvirate, however, the spirits from the conquered monarchy began influencing Alestians to the point they had free will and began to turn against the Triumvirate... ultimately culminating in the current Rebellion.
• Two Lines, No Waiting: The Parallel Chronicles. While the protagonist serves as the main POV, Parallel Chronicles allow a look into other characters' actions and dialogue if they're separate. What prevents this from being a Four Lines, All Waiting is that the Parallel Chronicles eventually do link up and provide context for the main POV, making certain events - like Shane's temporary Face–Heel Turn - have more dramatic heft when they arrive rather than simply appearing out of nowhere. Most of Sovy's and Halin's portions of the story are told this way, and the game uses this to describe most of the influential characters' roles prior to their meeting up in Mazeo.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: A good half the cast either isn't wearing a shirt or the upper covering is so minimal it's barely there. Particularly standing out here are Ulric, Sovy, Vivien, and Gryz, who may have a strap or two but are all very well built. The early stages of Ulric's romance arc hang a ton of lampshades on this, considering the protagonist can't keep their eyes off him. Downplayed with Howl, where we can assume Salus was relatively fit but scars cover his body and are more prominent than muscle or tone.
• Wandering the Earth: If Sovy and Shane are kept alive in the final battle, this trope comes into effect, one as a downer and one as a unique case of Hero of Another Story: Shane disappears altogether even if he was alive to help Damek, and Sovy is never explicitly seen but implied to wander around keeping peace for the reign of the true Monarchy.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: The only reason the Triumvirate engages in atrocities is they're trying to build up the power of the Blade of Exodus so it will be powerful enough to destroy the final idol as well as itself. They see the horrors they're inflicting on one world as a small price to pay to save countless others. It makes much more sense considering Acheron and Reiyo were perfectly fine with using deception and allowing some death for the sake of the greater good in Major\Minor.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: Due to the Triumvirate's influence, Sovy and Ulric have been living for upwards of a thousand years. While Sovy decides to make the best use of his immortality in the epilogue, Ulric definitely has this attitude, with part of his romance arc in the end asking you to use the Blade of Exodus to remove it, and becoming increasingly moody if you don't consent.
• Xanatos Speed Chess: The situation seems to change to this following Act 3. The Blade of Exodus remains in the hands of The Seer, and in addition, there are rebellion soldiers who are being trained to see visions, and Howl, a construct of monarchy spirits that can see into the future as well, thus robbing the Triumvirate of their ability to corrupt visions. However, the heads of the Triumvirate are still clever schemers, and they still have Sovy who himself is a clever schemer and skilled fighter.