[3][4] Though it is secondary to its hack and slash gameplay, Castle of the Winds has a plot loosely based on Norse mythology, told with setting changes, unique items, and occasional passages of text.

The game is composed of two parts: A Question of Vengeance, released as shareware, and Lifthransir's Bane, sold commercially.

Castle of the Winds possesses an inventory system that limits a player's load based on weight and bulk, rather than by number of items.

Wherever the player goes before entering the dungeon, there is always a town which offers the basic services of a temple for healing and curing curses, a junk store where anything can be sold for a few copper coins, a sage who can identify items and (from the second town onwards) a bank for storing the total capacity of coins to lighten the player's load.

Other services that differ and vary in what they sell are outfitters, weaponsmiths, armoursmiths, magic shops and general stores.

There the player meets his/her deceased grandfather, who instructs them to venture into the dungeons below, defeat Surtur, and reclaim their birthright.

Venturing deeper, the player encounters monsters run rampant, a desecrated crypt, a necromancer, and the installation of various special rooms for elementals.

Inspired by his love of RPGs and while learning Windows programming in the 80s, Rick Saada designed and completed Castle of the Winds.

By 1998, the game's author, Rick Saada, decided to distribute the entirety of Castle of the Winds free of charge.

[3]All terrain tiles, some landscape features, all monsters and objects, and some spell/effect graphics take the form of Windows 3.1 icons and were done by Paul Canniff.

[1] Multi-tile graphics, such as ball spells and town buildings, are bitmaps included in the executable file.