Arcen Games’, developers of the fantastic A.I. War, next “big thing” hits public beta this morning. I am, of course, talking about the very unique adventure platformer (for lack of a better description) A Valley Without Wind. Those of you who have pre-ordered the game will start access within a matter of hours.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, or have never heard of A Valley Without Wind allow me to blow your mind…

Essentially what Arcen Games has created here is a procedurally generated platformer with a world map to explore. It’s essentially the platformer to end all platformers. Here’s the official description:

Environ has been shattered in the wake of an unknown cataclysm, with only small pockets of humanity left in its wake… What will you do in this strange new world?

The creators of AI War bring you a procedurally-generated 2D side-scrolling adventure of limitless proportions. Survive and explore a vast persistent world filled with dangerous creatures, powerful magic, and ancient technology. Do so while helping other survivors establish settlements, gathering resources to craft, fending off evil invaders, and more.

And feature set!

• Explore the beautiful and dangerous regions of Environ in a sprawling adventure. Travel through lush countryside, ruined towns, deep subterranean caves, and buildings of all shapes and sizes.
• Procedural-generation ensures no two worlds will ever be the same. Your planet unfolds as you discover it, and once you’ve discovered something it becomes part of your Environ for good.
• Take command of survivor settlements. Scout surrounding areas for rare crafting materials and fend off invaders in the turn-based strategic overlay. Improve resident productivity and quality of life through the city-building interface at each settlement.
• Bring to life an infinite amount of characters, settings and stories. You don’t just represent an individual, you represent an entire civilization and its indomitable will to survive in a shattered world.
• Everywhere has treasures to discover, people to help, and evils to confront. Craft a variety of spells, scrolls, and traps to help you on your way.
• During beta, there are new updates nearly every weekday — packed with additional content, improvements, and much more.

As stated the game is still in beta, but interested parties can play it today if they pre-order it for $9.99 (50% off!). Coming from somebody who was playing it quite a bit last night, I can tell you it’s definitely worth the money. I’ve not played a more unique platformer since the original Metroid came out.

The game’s final release isn’t due until Q1 2012. I’ll have an in depth preview later this week.

[Arcen Games]

Trailer