Having been stuck in my house for the better part of a year, games that feature open-world exploration are far more appealing than they have ever been. Spending my days on the ocean in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Summer in Mara, living out my life of crime in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Grand Theft Auto Online, and even exploring the pixelated world of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Minecraft have allowed me to escape the confines of my home, if only virtually. As such, Windbound, from developer 5 Lives Studios, had great appeal to me as both an open-world game that centered around sailing, as well as its survival-based gameplay. However, while Windbou𒁃nd’s grand ideas sound intriguing, the actual execution isn’t quite as impressive.
The Sea Is Calling
Windbound puts you in the role of Kara, a warrior who gets separated from her tribe during a fierce storm on the ocean while a massive sea monster adds to the chaos. Kara eventually fꦜinds herself stranded within the Forbidden Islands, which are as beautiful as they are mysterious and full of dangers. It’s up to Kara to fend for herself while exploring the scattered islands through self-made sailboats, using the wind to guide her back to her people.
There is a lot that Wi🦩ndbound gets right. First and foremost is that although this is an open-world survival type of game, a surprisingly focused story is told as you explore the islands. However, rather than using exposition and dialogue, the narrative is told through visual cues and refreshingly short cutscenes. The indirectness of the story is also well-executed, given that you’ll essentially be exploring the Forbidden Islands on your own terms. Having a story thrown at 🧸you would have felt unnatural with the open-world survival element of the game.
The vastness of the world in Windbound is also appreciated. Seeing far off islands in the distance is a fun and alluring way to determine what your next move will be and how to make it happen. This is especially true as you progress through the game and more crafting options become available to you. As with most survival games, you’ll start with the bare minimum amount of resources, both in terms of weapons and boa𒁏ts. As you progress, you’ll uncover more recipes that allow you to more effectively farm and craft weapons, such as bows and arrows, as well as upgrading your watercraft into a sailboat. The crafting and survival system overall will feel familiar for veterans of the genre, with resource gathering, eꩲxploration, and staying alive all being par for the course for this type of game.
Unfortunately, as much promise as Windb𓆉ound has on paper, it just doesn’t quite live up to w🃏hat I feel like it could be.
Sinking Feeling
Sailing is at the heart of Windbound’s gameplay. After all, how else would you get to all of the scattered islands in the ocean? The early game will see you crafting makeshift rafts and rowboats, but as you learn more recipes and gain access to additional resources, you’ll be able to craft some pretty elaborate sailboats, using the wind in your sails to jump from island to island. As fun as it is to sail throughout the beautifully crafted world, sailing can often become a pretty frustrating experience - such as when the wind is blowing you back towards the island while you’re trying to leave it. The only way I found to combat this was to… wait it out. From an immersive survival simulation standpoint, I get it. Just because you want to do something at a specific in-game time doesn’t mean you should or can actually do it. This is no different thanꦰ in realꦡ life, but forcing me to wait out a wind change doesn’t add anything to the experience, and actually, kind of takes away from my enjoyment of the game.
While I appreciated the survival element in Windbound, it definitely didn’t feel as tight as it could have. Rather, it was almost too demanding. Eating and retaining stamina dominated a large majority of gameplay, which extended the game’s length substantially. This made dying all the more unfortunate, given that you’d basically start from squꦿare one. Obviously, this is to be expected of a survival game, but a less demanding vitals system would have made the experience a lot more manageable.
Windbound’s controls provided a final layer of frustration, and were easily the biggest component to bring down the overall experience. Combat, specifically, was especially brutal. There seemed to be a weird delay in responsive♈ness, especially when meleeing a creature up close. Awkward camera angles added to the issue, making it hard to maintain a locked-on focus on the damage-dealing creatures that I was trying to slay for food. As with most games with these sorts of control issues, I was eventually able to figure out how to overcompensate to make combat work, but that&rsq🎃uo;s not exactly an ideal situation.
If The Wind In My Sail On The Sea Stays Behind Me...
From the gorgeously animated visuals to the expansive open world filled with mystery, there really is a lot to love about Windbound. Although bogged down by some rather technical gaffes, there’s a satisfaction that comes from exploring each area, scavenging for resources, and building an awesome sailboat to take you between islands. A little tightening up would take Windbound into the realm oꦛf open-world survivaꦿl games that it’s trying to be a part of, but as it stands, it’s doing its best to stay afloat.
A PlayStation 4 copy of Windbound was provided to TheGamer for this review. Windbound is a🌟vailable now for Nintendo Switch, P🍰layStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and PC.
In Windbound, you play young warrior Kara, who finds herself shipwrecked and stranded on an undiscovered island. You must explore your surroundings, gathering resources to craft tools and sustain yourself, while uncovering theꦰ mystery of the Forbidden Islands.