Windjammers is the best flying power disc game ever made, ever, and now is even better than ever made, ever, with new stages and players, surprising and amazing new power moves. The coming sequel also promises enhanced gameplay mechanics for today’s ultimate disc throwers.

An evolution of the original arcade classic, Windjammers 2’s radical power disc-flinging showdowns pair approachable mechanics with subtle depth, offering up an accessible competitive sport that’s perfect for casual rounds as well as high-stakes tournaments.

Windjammers 2 also features enhanced online multiplayer gameplay modes, providing rewarding competition for those looking for the ultimate challenge at home via their PC, on the beach with their Switch, or anytime and anyplace they feel the need to jam. Robust single-player modes are included for those who like to jam solo or hone their disc-craft offline in full neon spandex cosplay.

Competitors can incorporate all-new jumps, smashes, and slapshots while giving their all on the court, making Windjammers 2 a true elevation of the series’ style of action so revered it’s found a home among the fighting game esports community. You heard that right, Windjammers is totally on the pro esports circuit, dude.

The release date’s announcement trailer joins Windjammers 2’s returning superstars and champions in the making for bouts of the game’s energizing head-to-head battles. Catch Windjammers 2’s roster of 10 playable athletes in action, a glimpse of the 10 varied courts they’ll be battling to score on, and more in the new video.

Dotemu shared insight in how the team managed to keep Windjammers 2’s overall feel true to the original Windjammers before introducing their own ideas to the bodacious sport. From frame-by-frame analyses of the 1994 release to fully disassembling its code, the developers committed themselves to fully understanding the beloved debut’s magic to ensure Windjammers 2 is everything fans have been waiting for.

A sequel from the ground up

When working several years ago on the port of the first Windjammers game, we used our own emulation technology to provide an authentic experience for new players. This was not without challenges though, as it was our very first online game.

Porting the game gave us a glimpse of how the gameplay was built. It was always our intention to work on a sequel after the port, so we pushed our investigations even further. First, we tried to analyze the game frame-by-frame in order to recreate the movements of the characters and the disc, and most importantly the game feel. But our development team felt that they were missing some subtleties that were impossible to recreate this way. The solution then was to disassemble the original code and try to understand how it worked, in order to find answers – or as my colleagues called it, ‘archaeologist work’. Deciphering code from 1994 was key to capturing the essence of Windjammers! We also got help from the French Windjammers community, who tested our different builds to confirm that we were heading in the right direction for capturing the fun and authenticity of the original game.

Creating new content

Initially we considered working with our engine on a ‘carbon copy’ of the first game and then adding further content and mechanics. But we ended up working on both things simultaneously in order to have everything implemented the right way and with the right balance. For example, it was quite tempting to add a lot of visual effects to the players’ shots, but we knew that visibility at all times was an absolute necessity.

The first thing our production team did was develop new characters. We started with a French player (obviously!) called Sophie and then tweaked the existing roster’s stats to create new and interesting characters with their own abilities. Afterwards, new moves were added for every character: for example, in Windjammers 2 you can now jump to catch a disc while it is in air, or do slapshots and dropshots to catch your opponent off guard. With deeper gameplay than ever, no two matches are the same.

We took a similar approach to the courts. Going from 4:3 to widescreen allowed us to create even bigger courts – it was then up to us to mix up all of the different court features to create the best-possible levels. A personal favorite of mine is one of the new levels, the casino. Before each kick-off, the casino randomly selects the disc’s value: from one point up to… eight! This changes the course of the game quite dramatically, and timing your special attack here is critically important.

Over the years, we’ve postponed Windjammers 2’s release multiple times to ensure it’s the ultimate sequel that the original game deserves. We are so thankful to our community for their continued support and we’re looking forward to seeing all of you on the court in a few weeks.

Physical editions of the game will be available with Limited Run Games for the U.S. and Pix’n’Love for Europe (more information to come soon).

Key Features

• Gorgeous hand-drawn 2D animations
• 10 playable characters, including returning champions and new faces
• 10 courts with different shapes and features
• New power moves
• An epic arcade mode with bonus games and challenging matches
• Online modes: play casually with friends or climb the leaderboard in the ranked league

Windjammers 2 will fly onto Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S (Game Pass) and PC on January 20, 2022.