I definitely wasn't expecting Witcher 3 graphics, but the screenshots and trailers misleadingly make it look like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Which it isn't. Not in terms of graphics, nor when it comes to gameplay. Tyrim is a mess, compared to Wind Waker. I felt everything to be extremely clunky. You need to be constantly crafting crates to jump on ledges, then picking up the crates again and losing a minute or two positioning yourself just the right way in front of the next ledge so that you can place the crate (if you're too close to the wall Tyrim won't put the crate down, and if you place the crate too far away he just won't make the jump). God forbid if you want to make more than three crates and stack them up to make steps of some sort. Yes, you can find crafting materials rather easily, but never near the places where you actually need said materials.

If whoever made this game didn't want people to think they were making a Wind Waker clone, they should have chosen a different presentation. As things stand, it's just misleading. The guys doing Oceanhorn knew they were making a Zelda clone for the mobile market and, afterwards, for PC. The Cornerstone studio made a game that looks way too similar to Wind Waker on screenshots and trailers, but that ends up not looking or playing anything like it when you actually start it up. Of course, not every studio can manage to strike that perfect polish level Nintendo is known to pour into their games, especially if you're an indie, but, come on!, Oceanhorn is a way better game and it's just as indie -- plus, it started out as a mobile game that eventually got ported to the PC.

I also don't think the crafting is "light" by any means. It's very much required for even the simplest of tasks. Want to jump and glide? Craft a parachute that'll disappear after three uses. Want to jump on that ledge? Craft a crate. Want to burn a spider web? Craft a torch. Want to attack? Craft a stone hammer. Want to defend? Craft a shield. Every. Single. Time. Entering the craft menu, selecting whatever you *need* to craft and then holding a button. This isn't "light" by any stretch of the imagination. It may not be ultra-complicated crafting, like what you find in "proper" crafting games (simulators, strategy, survival, etc), but it's definitely way too complicated and pace-breaking for an action-adventure title, which is supposed to be fluid and seamless. It serves the purpose of moving the story along? The story doesn't even seem to exist. You're a viking kid that doesn't want/like to leave the island, you'd rather craft things and stay in there forever... not exactly the most exciting thing ever, to really grab the players' attention.

Admittedly, I stopped playing after 50 minutes, when I had to lower a bridge to go save my sister, because I didn't want to have to craft three more crates and throw them to the empty weight basket that would make the bridge come down, and then have to boringly and clunkily fight skeletons and flowers with the weapon I needed to backtrack to pick up again, since I needed to craft a torch to burn a spider web and Tyrim drops whatever he's holding whenever he crafts a new item. If this sounds appealing to you, then, by all means, grab this game. If it doesn't, which is likely, just buy a cheap used GameCube and a copy of Wind Waker -- a game that won't disappoint and that you can actually enjoy during rainy afternoons. Or sunny ones.

I realize it was my fault not to look a bit more into the game after pre-ordering; if I had downloaded the demo, I probably would have known right away what a travesty this game is, and canceled my pre-ordered. I was stupid and only downloaded the game when it got released. Still, it's kind of ironic (and sad) that GOG, a store that prides itself in its curated/boutique approach, releases a game so unpolished as this one.

[EDIT] The game *is* available on Steam, so I edited my post accordingly. Thanks, Marioface5.

That's not the case here at all. The game is out on Steam, it just didn't get a midnight release like the GOG version did.

EDIT: By the way, thanks for the rest of your post. I've sent Support a refund request, and am glad that I waited instead of downloading the game right away. Sounds like it's not at all what i was expecting, even aside from the technical issues.

Horn-helmets, of course... why I'm not surprised.
But I guess absolutely NOBODY would obviously recognize a Viking as a Viking without this historical wrong and not useful crap on the head... So, thank you very much not-that-much-deliberating game developers, thanks.

PS: Why isn't then in every game that includes US-Americans everyone of these overly fat and eating hamburgers all the time and waving with the star-spangled banner / rebel flag? That's not consequent.

Why does crafting have to be in every game now days?

was (am) looking forward to this.

preorder culture is such bogus garbage.

just waiting on a review but even if the game didn't outright suck I still would've gone in at the preorder price.

because essentially I look at this game and I go

DragonbornWindWaker

k

Because level design is apparently hard or they want everyone to be a special snowflake, thereful nullifying the uniqueness of solutions because everyone is different, and therefore none of them are special.

Personally, I would have just slapped down the prerequisite crates and given the hero the amazing power of pushing and jumping.

I am now a proud ex-owner of this game. After contacting Support, they removed the game from my library and gave me GOG Store Credit to get a game of the same value.

I wasn't entitled to the full refund because I stupidly downloaded the game, but at least I used the Store Credit to buy The Deadly Tower of Monsters. You know... an actual good, polished game.

Good riddance, Cornerstone. I hope that the next time the devs make a Minecraft clone they'll be more honest about it and don't try hiding under pseudo-Wind Waker graphics that fail miserably at even that when you have the game running.

There are alternative routes to some of the higher areas, but usually special places need the crates or other objects. Sometimes you can find stuff around to help you (rocks, tables etc.).

You can also use the unlit/lit torch to attack, especially the flowers are easy to take down with it. You can also turn out the fire by putting the torch to your back, so you can use it again. Later in the game, you'll get a better weapon/torch to use. Also you can use the stones and other objects you can grab (beehives etc) as offensive weapons to make the combat easier and sometimes actual weapons/shields can be found around without having to craft them. For defending, I would suggest learning to use the roll in battle, since after mastering it you'll rarely need the shield. I usually used the crafting as a final option when there weren't anything else around.

For the bridge part, you don't need to craft a crate. There are some stones lying near the bridge that you can use to throw at it. It takes only one to bring the bridge down.

I'm a kicksterter backer of this one. Just wanted to add that Dark Souls mechanics (yes you've heard it right) was what sold me this one. I'm curious how the final product turned out to be

I felt that I should thank you for all of your posts, because they echoed my sentiments exactly. I felt that the game was a clone of a clone and wasn't very enthusiastic, especially since Oceanhorn didn't live up to my expectations, despite their earnest desire to make a clone out of Wind Waker. But a clone of a clone disguised as Wind Waker but with crafting mechanics that would slow down the game even further? No. Just...NO.

If I want Wind Waker, I'll get Wind Waker HD. If I want to craft, I have Minecraft, Terraria and Junk Jack X. What I DON'T want is to have the two mixed together.

If you want Wind Waker with Dark Souls mechanics and at least a bit of an original twist, you should have backed Little Devil Inside instead of Counterfeit: A Minecraft of Wannabe Link.