We've had the pleasure of covering A Valley Without Wind under various conditions and if you haven't had the chance to check it out, or maybe know nothing of it, then perhaps now is the time to take a look.

With an enormous update en route and talks of its first paid expansion surfacing, there's a lot to be excited for regardless of your player status.

A Valley Without Wind interview

Arcen Games has always taken community feedback seriously and AVWW certainly doesn't forgo this trend. The game has already seen restructuring based on the feedback Arcen has received and there are no signs of it slowing down. Barely two months old, it's rather impressive to see this much change in any kind of title. Just take a quick glance at the Wiki. I dare you.

1.1 is AVWW's first free major update which will include a ridiculous amount of new content. We're talking 160 new interior room maps, 50+ new monsters, 8 new mini-bosses and one new secret mini-boss that everyone's completely silent on. Perhaps it'll resemble the creative monster of Asheron's Call entitled, the lag beast. Remember that thing? Regardless, this amount of content in this update is quite extensive and has me wondering how much an actual expansion would put in.

If there's one thing I can say that defines AVWW it's the design behind it. Erik Johnson said this in regards to continually supporting a game well after it releases:

"We think that it should be completely possible to continue making the game until its potential has really fully been tapped."

That's a bold statement as most games that release are only supported through DLC that requires some form of payment. AVWW has gone through well over 40+ updates that all have added something akin to new monsters, spells, missions, etc and every single one has been free. It just goes to show how passionate some developers are about their games and how invaluable input from their fans are.

He ain't afraid of no ghosts... just Ice Pirates.

While it hasn't officially been announced, AVWW eventually will explore paid expansion content which Erik Johnson speaks about in our interview. Following that perpetual design cycle, it only makes sense for something like a paid expansion to come out. After all, it helps studios like Arcen to stay afloat and besides, I hear that developers need to eat too. Whether it releases in time for our six-month re-review is still in question, but you can bet I'm excited to see exactly how much has changed when that day hits.

If you want to make an impact on a game and its first expansion, you can pick up AVWW on Steam for $14.99 right now.