There's a childish glee on display in the trailer for Cult of the Wind, a new multiplayer shooter almost completely devoid of the trappings of most shooters: no guns, bullets, explosions, or equipment. The game is played by a group of people reenacting great airplane battles of old, their arms stretched out behind them, their lips pursed in the sound of imaginary engine rumbles. It's a brilliant spin on the weirder tropes of the genre like enemy respawns, timed rounds, and capture the flag. Turns out, when you make these things obviously part of a game for children, they make a lot more sense.
It's a clever way to spin the phenomenon of Cargo Cults , but told from within a strange society and with an absolutely straight face. "In Cult of the Wind, players compete and cooperate in ritualistic multiplayer human dogfights, complete with imaginary weapons, pretend explosions, and airplane noises made with their mouths,” the site's description reads. “Shower your friends in a hail of imaginary bullets and proclaim, 'I got you! You have to lie down,' to which they respond, 'Nuh-uh, I have a shield.'”
It captures perfectly the feeling of playing with your friends as a kid, a sensation that is just impossible to feel again. No matter how hard you try, the other kids think you're weird because you're “an adult” and “don't go to school here.” You get escorted off the property by security, but it's just as well since you have to go to work to pay the rent.
The final game will include a level editor, character customization, and “weird noises.” Check out Cult of the Wind on Steam Greenlight for more details, as if you need them.
