Last Updated on Mar 13, 2026 @ 16:21:04 PM.
Before its early access release on March 17th, 2026, I was granted the opportunity to jump into Everwind a little earlier than most and experience the game’s world in all its glory. Although the game is still in development, it is set to release on Steam for early access with more content on the way, but that hasn’t stopped the dev team from filling the game up with content already!
Although I have played the game a fair amount, I have barely touched the surface of what Everwind has to offer, as there are dozens to hundreds of locations to explore, numerous blueprints to find, and so much more that I haven’t even discovered yet, let alone the future content that will be coming at a later date.
During this hands-on preview, I will give you a small insight into my experience within Everwind and what I have been able to see so far, and again, as I have said, due to this game still being in development, this is in no way me providing an overall opinion regarding the game but instead providing you, our readers, information about this upcoming game from my own experiences.
Flying in a Voxel Airship to a Floating Island Has Never Been so Fun
First things first, one of the key features within Everwind is the ability to move around between the game’s different islands, and it is safe to say that this is probably one of the most unique ways to get around a game I have seen in a long time.
The reason this feature is so unique is that you have total control over your airship, both in terms of where it goes and also in regard to what your airship actually looks like and functions like as well. This means that the player is able to completely customize their transport in any way they see fit so that wherever they go, it feels like home.
For obvious reasons, this is a lot of fun, as when the game releases for early access, there will likely be a lot of funny builds being sent out into the world, as players will most likely create incredible vehicles in all shapes and sizes to accommodate their needs. For me personally, I attempted to begin building a small island with a house as a airship, but as this required more space than I could afford due to a lack of upgrades, I sadly made do with a simple airship.
Even though being able to build your airship however you want is already something incredible, it also allows you to reach new heights literally, as you can traverse the world and climb ever higher to stronger enemies, more loot, and even more unique blocks to build your flying fortress with.
This was something I found to be a lot of fun and even pushed me to work towards upgrading my ship, as sadly, you can only go to a certain altitude until you upgrade your vehicle’s core. Although there is no endgame per se within Everwind due to it being a sandbox game, there is a type of endgame, which is reaching the highest of heights in your vehicle; as for now, that is the biggest challenge besides a few bosses.
The Combat is Very In-Depth With Various Weapons and Abilities
Besides flying around in your own customized blimp, there is another major gameplay loop within Everwind, and that is the RPG side of things, as Everwind also boasts plenty of enemies, weapons, spells, and loot to find throughout the game.
Throughout Everwind, the player will come across plenty of enemies that lurk around every corner, waiting to be slain because they are evil or hoarding their own kind of loot. Luckily for the player, they have plenty of weapons at their disposal, and these weapons are each as unique as the last!
Although I haven’t found all the different weapons that are within the game, I do know that there are a lot of different weapons to choose from, whether it be a sword, dual daggers, a magic staff, magic books, a giant axe, or more, with each of these weapons having their own unique animations, damage stats, and durabilities, and this is something that is very fun to have, as it allows for me to try out various different playstyles while also fighting different enemies that also use these different weapon types.
For example, I managed to get to the bottom of a dungeon in which a rather tanky enemy with 250 health was waiting for me in the depths as a boss. Now, I could have run straight at him with my axe that I used throughout the dungeon, but I instead chose to be wise, and I used a bow and arrow to take him apart from a distance, and yes, this does seem a little cheesy, but if I had more health, I could have also used my new dual daggers to take him out with speed up close rather than from afar.
After this battle, I was able to acquire a magic book that I could use to heal myself, and this was something that came in handy quite a lot, as it only had a limited amount of charges, but it was able to save me in a lot of dangerous situations that I had gotten myself stuck in.
Although I didn’t get very far into it, there is also a skill tree within Everwind that is very helpful, as it provides a lot of bonuses that can aid the player in their adventure, whether it be an alchemy skill that helps the player determine what can be crafted into potions, a stealth skill that helps you avoid the enemy’s attention a little bit, or just lots of general skills that can boost your gameplay in various ways.
Sadly, at the moment, there are only a limited number of skills, as some of the skill trees are still being worked on by the devs, but the ones that are there are very effective and have numerous uses and will aid the player throughout their voxel journey.
Finally, let’s talk about the enemies. Although I have only come across a few different factions, there are quite a few different enemy types that you can come across within Everwind, each with its own unique designs. The higher you go on the islands, the more enemy types you will come across, which was a fun way of showing the change in circumstances, as it starts out with simple skeleton-type enemies and slowly progresses to more advanced enemies.
Due to the game’s detailed style, the enemies look phenomenal, with each enemy wearing different armor sets and items of clothing, and even using different weapons and unique attacks to throw the player off. As always, when it comes to a game like Everwind, the enemies mainly win through numbers, as a one-to-one fight isn’t too bad, especially if you have healing items, but the further down a dungeon you go, the more stressful it becomes.
For a single player like me, the combat was a small challenge, as the enemies do hit like a truck, and as I have said, the more enemies there are, the harder it is, but as the game went on and I found new armor and new weapons, I was slowly able to get an upper hand on the enemies and slowly become what they feared rather than the other way around, which was a lot of fun.
The World of Everwind is Ginormous and Full of Exploration Opportunities
As I have said earlier in this hands-on preview, Everwind is a massive game in which the limit is the sky, and that is simply down to the fact that the game world is full of islands, both in the sea and in the sky, for the player to search through, and these islands seem to just keep going.
Now, I wasn’t able to reach the highest islands yet, but there is a limit to how high they go, but what’s on these islands is what makes them important, and within Everwind, each of these islands is full of incredibly fun activities to find and explore.
Whether it be searching through a vast dungeon, going to a small town to sell or buy items, searching under shrines for loot, or so much more, there is plenty to do within Everwind, and with there being what feels like no end, there truly are limitless opportunities for players to enjoy.
Although the islands aren’t overly large, there is a lot of potential opportunity on each island, as they are all random, with some islands having absolutely nothing to find but a few trees and animals, to some islands being a treasure trove full of loot, enemies, and even towers to search, but sometimes just a nice view is all you are looking for, and all of the islands in Everwind provide this, as the game’s graphics and overall view are brilliant to behold.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our review of Solateria, or check out our hands-on preview for Tides of Tomorrow.
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
