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Before the Gust is playable now

· 3 min read

Level 1 of Before the Gust, in Vane's cellar: the Idol still in its crate, a gust from the left, and the green goal box beside it

Vane took the Idol off its tower and locked it in a cellar. The storm the Idol used to hold is loose over Stormwatch. Before the Gust is the puzzle about getting that small stone guardian back up there.

You lay out the room, then you press GO and see if the plan holds.

Before the Gust title art, the Idol, and a level full of pipes and planks
Title art for the game, with a later level open on the right.

How a level works

A scene gives you a green box, some yellow supports, and a short supply of planks. Tap two points to lay a plank. Tap a yellow piece to cut it. Press GO.

The level clears when the Idol lands upright in the green box. Stars go to the tidy solutions, the ones with fewer planks and fewer cuts. You can take as long as you want while you are still planning.

There are 100 scenes in three campaigns. The Offering starts in Vane's vaults and runs out to the harbour. The Long Climb is the inside of Stormwatch, floor after floor of machines that no longer know when to stop. The Wind Idol is the roof, where the Storm Engine is still running. Each chapter opens with a short story card.

The campaigns screen: The Offering, The Long Climb, and The Wind Idol
The Offering, The Long Climb, and The Wind Idol. Thirty levels, then thirty-five, then thirty-five.

What the rooms throw at you

Wind shows up first. Stone fans, swinging fans, whirlwinds and air vents try to shove the Idol off whatever you just built.

Later rooms bring the rest of the tower: magnets, water that floats a light crate, fire that burns through wood, gears, springs, balloons, glass, trapdoors, steam valves, belts, bumpers and portal rings. A late scene will use several of them at once.

A gust pushing across a built bridge toward the green goal
A gust comes in from the left. The Idol still has to finish upright in the green box.
Level 22, Flooded Hold: a pool between the Idol and the green goal, with the Stormglass in the water
Level 22, the flooded hold. The pool sits between the Idol and the goal, and the Stormglass has to land in the green box too.

Hints come in three steps if you get stuck: a nudge, the idea, then the answer. Fourteen practice drills sit off to the side (planks, cuts, levers, valves, bumpers, portals) and they leave your campaign progress alone. There is a daily puzzle with a streak you can share, and 23 achievements.

The game is in English, German, Spanish, Turkish and Simplified Chinese. Reduced motion is in the settings, and turning it on also turns the vibration off.

Where it is now

The browser version is free on the Before the Gust page. No account, no ads, and the progress stays on that device. Mouse, a finger or the keyboard all work. A computer or a tablet is the comfortable size. Phones work too.

Windows has a download on that same page. It plays offline and keeps your progress on the PC. The installer is not code signed yet, so Windows may say "Windows protected your PC". Choose More info, then Run anyway.

Android is in testing. Join the beta group first, then install from Google Play. There is also a direct APK download. The Android build has ads. Sign-in is optional, for when you want the save in the cloud.

Linux, Mac, iOS and the other stores

Linux and Mac downloads are next, and an iOS version after those. The same game is going to more shops as well: itch.io, Game Jolt, the Microsoft Store, Flathub, CrazyGames and Poki. A link goes on the game page when that shop is actually open.

The version you can start today is the one in the browser: Before the Gust.