Game: Paper Dawn: Slumbering Wind
Genre: Casual, Simulation, Exploration
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: pixscrib
Controller Support: Yes
Price: US $4.99 | UK £4.29 | EU € 4,99
Release Date: November 27th 2025
Review code used, with many thanks to pixscrib.
Paper Dawn: Slumbering Wind allows players to take flight as a little paper plane and explore several different worlds at their leisure, with no worry about winning or losing.
Eight Distinct Worlds
Upon release, this game includes eight different maps that you can fly around, including Japanese mountain-scapes, quaint European countrylands, and even a futuristic steampunk city. As there is no progression system, none of the maps are locked, so players can immediately select their favorite world to fly in. I felt quite relaxed exploring all of the worlds (with the exception of the steampunk city, which felt a little out of place compared to the other seven). The developer also mentioned plans to release more worlds to explore in future updates!
The scenery in each map is beautiful from afar, but some environmental objects begin took look a bit off-putting as you fly closer. For example, I noticed a beautiful Asian tower in the mountain map, but as I approached, I could see that the walls had strange patterning that just looked out of place. I had a similar experience with one of the windmills in the countryside map.
Simple Soundscapes
Paper Dawn: Slumbering Wind plays a soft, relaxing piano track and rustling wind sounds as you pilot your little plane through the skies. It would have been nice to hear other sound effects based on the environment as well to add to the player’s immersion. I encountered some dragons during one of my flights, for instance, and had expected some sort of noise to come from these large beasts.
Flying Mishaps
I found my first flight to be quite jarring as a simple tap of the keyboard would send my plane veering off to the side. For a cozy game, I had expected the controls to be much more gentle. In general, the camera is follows behind the paper plane, but whenever I approached any structures, such as buildings or mountains, the controls for movement affected not just my plane trajectory but also the camera angle to an extreme degree.
Out of curiosity, I also attempted to fly into walls to see how collision is handled in this simulation. Instead of stopping and displaying an indication of a crash, my paper plane would continually attempt to fly forward and stutter against the wall as it struggles to free itself. One time, I was unable to dislodge myself from the collided object and simply had to restart the level.
One Plane Doesn’t Really Fit All
Unfortunately, this game doesn’t allow you to adjust any settings, so if you aren’t enjoying the default flying experience, there’s not much you can do to change it. It would be nice if, in a future update, players could change the game from full screen to windowed mode, adjust the music and sound levels, and tinker with the sensitivity of the controls to better suit their preferences.
Conclusion
Overall, Paper Dawn: Slumbering Wind delivers a charming concept that still feels a bit bare bones upon release. I love the premise of flying as a little paper plane, but the experience would be greatly improved if future updates could add adjustable settings and smooth out the movement mechanics.
Final Verdict: I’m Not Sure
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