Posted on: March 11, 2023

odd_customer

Games: 541 Reviews: 5

Ignore old bad reviews

Windbound got a lot of bad reviews for problems that I believe were fixed in Sep 2020. You can still expect to die a few times in the early game, often from starvation, but in adventure mode you'll restart at the beginning of the current map with all your gear and your boat, or you can load a saved game. One gripe in the reviews was that gamepad controls are not remappable; that still holds. This is a survival game featuring sailing, fighting and crafting in a fantasy (magic included) tribal setting. Sailing is implemented better than I have seen in any other game apart from sailing simulators. It is relaxed because your makeshift keelless boat handles insanely well, being weatherly and fast. But it is a sailing vessel, no motorboat: you'll have to beat windward, reef when overpowered (reefing is super easy in the game), manage speed when landing (no brakes!) and weather out storms. Fighting and crafting are more mediocre. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. The campaign has five maps consisting of partly random islands. The overall structure is always the same: hidden among the islands are three towers with a switch on top that you have to activate, then head to the exit for a boss fight (except on the first map) followed by "the crossing", a high speed race to the next map. The details vary though; the maps generally get harder as you proceed, e.g., rough seas becoming more common, and there are more different towers that you'll find in a single playthrough, providing replay value. In the Sep 2020 update they also renamed "storyteller mode" to "adventure mode". Good move, as there isn't that much story. But you are here for the sailing, not for the writing, yes? In that case, grab this.

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Posted on: March 3, 2022

Lelax

Games: 308 Reviews: 2

I really want to love this game...

...but it's not more than 3/5. -No keybind, default keybind not convenient -Overloaded controls - I cannot even imagine how to play this game without a controller. Every button has two or three uses. -Fighting is just abysmal. The camera rotates wildly due to "combat focus" and sometimes it is buried in the soil. Monsters move with the speed of light... -Once you figured it out, fights are way too easy. Just stand on a rock and rain down arrows on your foes that are obviously not able to climb... Or use one of the special attacks. I killed the final boss in some ten seconds, a very disappointing experience. -Repetitive - basically, you do the same stuff on the same islands five times. The monsters get stronger, so do you. The few riddles are a glimpse at what the game could have become. -Inventory is way too small in the early chapters, so you constantly litter the ground with items to reorganise the bag slots. There are also very positive aspects - the game is different from what the majority of games provides and very refreshing: -Sailing is very relaxed and immersive. -The music (even though it is the very same tracks over and over again). -I like the art style, matter of taste. -The survival aspects. Some games do this better, of course, but it's well done. -Exploring feels very rewarding in the early chapters (later, it is the same again and again...). -The story is compelling even though it fits on a beermat.

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Posted on: July 26, 2023

Uber_Gamer

Verified owner

Games: 549 Reviews: 41

Fun for awhile

I liked this game for the first few hours, but having to start again every time and then go through the same levels again gets old. Some games pull it off, but this isn't action-packed enough to warrant that. You don't get stronger every time, you just figure out a bit better how to get further in, and that's disappointing. There's simply not enough novelty in the game to keep my attention. BUT - the sailing is SO well done. Very realistic. And, if you don't mind a bit of repetition as you learn how to play and overcome obstacles, you'll probably love this game. The combat isn't bad at all, and there's more to it than just 'run around and survive'. You've got to be clever to win it, and that's never a bad thing.

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Posted on: December 23, 2023

stylez9

Verified owner

Games: 452 Reviews: 6

Adventure mode

Killed 2 gorebeasts. Sliver of life remaining. I start to collect the meat to cook it and heal... Out of nowhere, a beast respawns behind me and kills me off with no warning or chance to dodge. Start over and have to retread the same islands on this slowass canoe... no thanks. I wouldn't play this again even if you paid me to.

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Posted on: November 23, 2022

cmba2

Games: 697 Reviews: 6

Great Idea Poorly Executed

For what would have been a beautiful game is hampered in every aspect by lack of care and detail. After watching the trailer I was excited to play this because an open world island jumping and crafting survival sandbox game looked really cool. I would have given it more stars but if I'm being honest here the developers showed no interest in creating a finished product. I'm not sure what it becomes later on in the story, but it starts as a linear experience. It has permadeath that makes you restart at the very beginning and lose hours of progress after a few mistakes or usually the broken battle mechanics. The only thing good about this game is the crafting. But getting the required ingredients for recipes and objectives is a huge pain. Most of the time the creature(s) you are required to fight is impossible with what is currently at your disposal. Overcoming a difficult enemy would normally be fun if it didn't require you to cheese most battles by standing on a rock out of reach as you wack them and step back to safety. You don't have a choice because the dodge mechanic is useless and most beasts can kill you in a few hits. The biggest letdown of this game is how bad the fighting controls are. Most of the time my attacks would miss or go through the enemy doing no damage and give the enemy an attack of opportunity. It will happen multiple times in a row. After dying this way enough times I uninstalled. Most attacks cannot be made without locking in the target, like ranged attacks. Ranged attacks are very rng because the animals will jump out of the way and waste your ammo. They require way too many crafting supplies and don't do enough damage to be effective. When you are locked in battle stance you cannot run. Most beasts will run away as you try to hit them, forcing you to get out of battle stance and chase after them across the island. Making the fight a waste of time and energy.

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Windbound

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