Windrose
Preview
Yo Ho & Up She Rises
EA SCOUT the last line of defense for buying on Steam's Early Access
by Quinn Levandoski
previewed on PC
A Pirate's Life for Me
It's shocking that there aren't more good pirate games out there. Popular in pop culture? Check. Inclusive of gorgeous and unique environments? Check. Lend themselves to visual customization and a mix of melee and ranged combat? Check and check again. Yet, outside of a few titles, pirate games are both lacking in number and, often, in quality. Enter Windrose. Coming hot on the heels of a well-received demo, this pirate-themed open-world survival crafting game has taken a step toward release with the launch of a sprawling Early Access build. Does Windrose feel like uncovering hidden pirate gold, or is it destined to walk the plank into obscurity?
Let's tackle the elephant in the room up front. Yes, survival crafting games in which you beat on trees and rocks to gather resources, then craft supplies to slowly build up your base, are borderline oversaturating the market. There are certainly some gems, but there's also a lot of filler that kind of just... exists. So, does Windrose offer something new, or is it just the same game we've already played dressed up with an eye patch and a peg leg? Well, a little bit of both, but Windrose does streamline a few of the systems I usually find frustrating with these games and wraps the whole experience up in a nice setting and theme package that's been woefully underserved in modern gaming.
Gameplay Conveniences
The first mechanical decision Windrose makes that automatically earns it brownie points with me is that equipment doesn't degrade. Once you craft that tool, weapon, piece of clothing, etc., it's yours! I've never really played a game with item degradation that I've enjoyed, and Windrose instead prompts continued creation by "gating" resources and goods behind tool quality. Want to mine some rock? Yeah, your basic stone pickaxe will take care of that. Want to mine higher quality metals? You’ll need to build the right crafting spaces to make those tools, uncover the guide to make that specific item, and get the proper resources to make that better pickaxe. In my mind, it's a great mix of continuous progress without the (un-fun, in my opinion) of having to continuously make the same thing because it breaks for no good reason.
The other is food and hunger. I'll admit that I'm generally not one for spending much time cooking in games, but I understand that finding sustenance is a pretty central part of most survival games. In Windrose, you don't really have to eat if you don't want to. There's a hunger meter, but you don't start dying or anything if you ignore it. Instead, food can increase the size of your health bar, and it can also bestow temporary perks/stat increases. So while you'll certainly want to eat, it's more something that you want to be topped up on before combat than a need that needs constant tending to just to exist.
Building A Home
But what about base building and crafting beyond that? Windrose wisely leaves it up to the player how fancy they'd like to get with their home base. There are, of course, basic amenities you'll need to make, like crafting tables, cooking fires, etc, and you'll need some basic structure as certain crafting spots require cover. Beyond that, decorations and other non-essential additions raise the comfort level of your rest area to bestow a stronger "rested" perk - but it's not something I really ever felt the need to take advantage of. I did eventually take some time working on my base, and I do eventually plan to hunker down and try to make something visually interesting, but the game doesn't put a roadblock down and force you to do much basebuilding when you'd rather go explore.
Mechanically, I'm not quite as thrilled. I'm okay admitting that games that lock base-building to the character perspective just aren't my preference, and I would much, much rather a zoomed-out/alternate view. I occasionally found the snapping mechanics frustrating, and it took me a while to get my walls, roof, and beams to line up. I eventually got the hang of it a little, but it still feels janky to me, and that's one of the reasons I haven't spent more time than I have base building. Ideally, we'll get some future updates to smooth this process out.
A Classic Tale of Swashbuckling
Narratively, Windrose opens with your titular captain aboard their ship as it's being attacked by the iconic Blackbeard and his crew. After being shot, the player character is seemingly brought back to life by a mysterious, mystical artifact, after which they must start anew on a tropical island. From there, it's standard pirate affair for the most part, but that's not a bad thing. It's not long before you'll be able to craft a ship and man it with crew, taking off and exploring other islands, making friends and foes with other factions, and exploring the pirate haven of Tortuga. If you're wondering, Windrose feels extremely content-full in this Early Access build. I've played for 15 hours as of the time of this writing, and I haven't hit any narrative walls yet. For the most part, if feels like I'm playing a full game, which is awesome for Early Access.
As you explore, another big draw here is naval combat, and it feels pretty solid. Ship controls are pretty basic - you can set your acceleration and then steer left/right, and cannons are handled with a simple hold button to aim/click to shoot system - but things feel expensively weighty, and maneuvering to get the proper angles on enemy ships is key. Moreover, there's something simply fun about sailing around at sunset, listening to sea shanties, wondering what might be just a little bit further out in the unexplored parts of the game map.
Overall, Windrose is one of the best ways to get your pirate fix at the moment. The actual survival elements aren't particularly novel, but they're all extremely serviceable, so how into the game you ultimately are will likely come down to how much the theme does for you. And in that way, the whole thing already feels like a success. For those interested, Windrose is an easy game to recommend in its current Early Access state, which is content-rich and well-polished.
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Recommend
There are no guarantees - but we'd bet our own money on this one. If you're going to take a chance with yours, odds are good this one will deliver.
