Windbound Reviews

Windbound is a beautiful artistic accomplishment in terms of presentation, but fails to make good on its promise of bringing together an open-world single-player game and typical crafting-survival elements. Despite attempts to make it approachable for all, it is an ultimately frustrating affair that squanders its potential with the same rigid survival mechanics that we've seen in a lot of other games and that's a real shame.

The more I played the less the goings-on of the narrative bothered me, and the more I relished the wavelike rhythm of the action: the roll and crash of sailing and breaking to alight for supplies.

More enticing systemically than it is narratively, Windbound nevertheless succeeds as a sojourner's adventure of striving for survival and greater understanding.

Windbound is a pleasant oceanic indie. It does a very fine job of balancing itself between being a calming experience in a deserted island world and a title that is genuinely tense thanks to its survival and permadeath nature. The inventory management is extremely frustrating early on, but eventually, the crafting nature of the game clicks and it becomes enjoyable to create helpful tools and a resourceful boat to explore the world. The objective of the game, unfortunately, becomes repetitive just as the other aspects of the title come into their own. But simply traversing the islands, discovering new materials and recipes, and surviving in the charming world of Windbound is fun enough to outweigh some of the game's shortcomings.

Have you ever been to the Caribbean or seen pictures of the Caribbean Sea? The clear as glass water, the beautiful coral reefs all lit perfectly by the overhanging ball of fire. It's impossible not to immediately be gripped by it, the prospect of that beauty surrounding you while you take in everything the area has to offer. Windbound is that picture.

Windbound is most certainly not the Zelda-lite adventure that you may have expected it to be, but it still manages to pull off an impressively well-made survival experience that’s fun to roam around in for a few hours. The open-ended progression, pleasing art style, and relaxing pace make this one an easy recommendation for fans of the survival genre, though it’s held back from greatness due to issues with repetition. Still, it’s tough to go wrong with what’s on offer here; you might want to give this one a look.

From a distance, Windbound is a gorgeous oceanic adventure with a fun sailing system that isn’t afraid to push back, but up close, the cracks start to show. The game makes a great first impression that ultimately wears thin by the time you’ve mastered its repetitive resource-gathering roguelike loop.

Exploring the areas is worth it, you will find plenty of things to make your life just a little bit easier, and that is almost part of its roguelike element. Each chapter is randomly generated, so you will find different biomes, different treasures, and different challenges after death. Luckily, that includes permanent upgrades, as well as a currency that lets you purchase different blessings that you can select in between chapters to improve your character. There are plenty of moments as you explore this world and ride the waves, where you stop and take it all in around you.  Lots of very pretty eye candy met with a standout soundtrack, making going between islands enjoyable, but playing it certainly made me wish for the ease of Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker’s ability to control the wind direction.  I hated having to fuss with deconstructing my sail if I wasn’t going in a direction that was made easier with a sale, and just rowing, while fine for shorter distances, really started to drag on going from one half of the map to another.

I feel like Windbound would have been more effective if it wasn’t level based; if your world didn’t change around you. It needs a more active narrative to help push you forward from one goal to the next, rather than repeating the same task again and again. It’s an absolutely gorgeous-looking game; the shimmering, crystal blue waters and the varied islands, beautifully animated and begging to be explored, will keep you coming back. But eventually, even they wear thin. The repetition, the frustration of aimlessly sailing the sea, fighting against the wind, finding yourself stuck with no way to satiate your hunger; it all gets too much, and ultimately, it doesn’t make for a fun experience.

Windbound drops you in a world of wilderness and open water but fails to make exploration compelling.

Windbound can be made to sound excellent in an elevator pitch, but the actual game is plagued by conflicting ideas, inconsistent design, and unrealized potential.

When I set eyes on the artwork for 5 Lives Studios’ survival title, the first thing that came to mind was Disney’s Moana. It was the near-identical font and the prominence of the ocean. There are more passing similarities in Windbound, the most obvious of these being the charm worn around protagonist Kara’s neck. To call this “Moana: The Game” would be inaccurate, though. While the charm does play an important part in the story, your most pressing task is just to survive.

Windbound is full of inspired ideas, especially when it comes to the potentially open world sea exportation. Those aspirations fall considerably short, though, as a lack of depth and creativity in its world gameplay sap the wind from its sails, leaving it adrift amidst a sea of better survival games.

The barriers that Windbound puts up makes it a tough game to enjoy, at least initially. It will take time to appreciate what it brings to the survival genre with its clever boat-building and authored open world action, though these smart nuances often go hand-in-hand with tedious, sometimes frustrating stretches of playtime.

Setting sail across the glistening seas in a picturesque and intriguing world. Windbound is certainly a game that captured imaginations in the months leading up to release. This independent, Australian developed game was being compared to The Legend of Zelda as soon as people started laying eyes on it. Whilst the comparisons certainly aren’t completely unjustified, Windbound also manages to find its own identity too. But is the game able to sail off triumphantly into the sunset? Or does the...

Windbound throws a wide net of ideas in the hopes of catching something magical but a lack of depth leaves it high and dry

Windbound loses its potential in getting bogged down by unbalanced survival mechanics that distract from it's best features.

Windbound has lovely visuals and some solid ideas. But it's held back by how old the game's loop gets. Plus, the sailing is so slow and janky that it really . . . takes the wind out of the game's sails. Okay, I'm sorry about that one.

When I first saw the announcement for Windbound, it immediately reminded me of a mix of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Windwaker. Being a massive fan of the Zelda games, I was really intrigued by what I saw. Fortunately, Windbound is not a carbon copy of either of these games even though there are similarities. It brings its own gameplay mechanics and ideas that really grabbed me. Let’s set sail and dive into this mysterious survival action adventure.

Windbound's visual appeal is sure to lure in players expecting an entirely different experience. That said, I grew to love a game that I initially couldn't stand. It's beautiful, charming, captivating, and completely brutal without apology. One of my favorite games of the year so far.

Windbound is a brief but enjoyable journey that merges Legend Of Zelda-style adventure with survival crafting.

Despite its genuinely breathtaking scenery and interesting castaway premise, Windbound is ultimately a let down. Neither compelling as a survival simulation nor captivating as a story-based experience, Windbound is fundamentally all at sea and should be given a wide berth.