Windbound Review: Sailing Shouldn't Be This Enjoyable
Windbound is a game that feels like a Disney adventure, but its core is an in-depth experience that will bring gamers satisfaction. Windbound is both a traditional adventure game and a survival title that requires hunting and gathering from its players, and successfully blends the two together. The two styles run concurrently throughout Windbound, and both are enjoyable on their own. Together, they bring Windbound into a world that is perfectly suited to any survivalist player, or looter shooter gamer that is looking for something different.
When Windbound begins, the main character, Kara, is faced with a storm that crashes her boat and leaves her stranded on an island. Armed with only a knife, Kara collects materials such as rocks, grass, and sticks to create weapons and vessels to traverse the seas. Her goal is to figure out where she landed, get back to her people, and discover the secrets hidden on the islands. The difference between Windbound and other games of this same genre, such as Grounded, is Windbound is a water adventure where players have to navigate from island to island using a craft that they build. At the same time, players are scavenging to find resources to upgrade it to make it into a full-fledged boat capable of going to further islands to unwrap the story.
Windbound has the player visiting multiple islands, and while doing so, Kara learns at each one at a pace that doesn't feel rushed. In the first few islands, Kara learns how to collect materials, craftt different materials, and deal with combat. Kara can locate materials on various locations by the small wind swirls encompassing items. After taking those newly collected items, accessing the crafting menus with a quick button press can be done at any time. Boats and accessories can be crafted in these menus alongside other important items like weapons. Weapons are used to attack various animals who will drop meat to cook along with bones and skin to make higher-grade materials. Getting meat and other foodstuffs are used to keep Kara's health and stamina up to keep her running and sailing.
Kara has to take time out from adventuring to keep her levels up or risk dying, and that can take away from Windbound a little bit at times, but it is a survival game as well and strikes a good balance between its qualities so this isn't an issue often. This initial foray into survival will task the player with collecting some pieces of scrap, crafting their boat, and paddling to the next island. From there, players will get more recipes by collecting other parts, discovering trees and sticks to make hammers, fire, and spears, and more. Meeting up with the different beasts in the first few islands will show players how the combat system works. A sling is a handy long-range weapon, while a spear becomes Kara's bread and butter for close-quarters combat.
Getting to all of the islands requires that players master the art of sailing, and it can be a rough ride at first. After a bit of time learning the ropes, sailing becomes a very calming and soothing experience when it goes smoothly. The islands have the action locked down with gathering and hunting being at the forefront while the contrast of the calm seas creates a welcomed break from time to time. The islands also have all the sounds of the animals, and the water has a beautiful piano that builds an air of adventure without being boring. Sailing is visually entertaining at each step where the graphics are always bright and vibrant and the water feels lifelike.
Windbound feels like its graphics took inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and nowhere is it more noticeable than in its water-based exploration. The sailing itself can be tedious at times, but Windbound was smart enough that players can see the wind to help with decisions on which direction to change the mast to get the most wind in their sails. It can be cumbersome sometimes to get from island to island if the wind isn't going Kara's way, unfortunately, and that can also harpoon an otherwise serene and inspiring experience.
With its wind sailing gameplay and island exploration, Windbound takes a unique method of adventure and makes it into a game that players can sink their teeth into for a long time. The driving force of trying to find out what's beyond the next island is going to be something many gamers enjoy, and the gameplay loop doesn't require much more than that to keep players invested. Windbound is a great game and, while it isn't perfect by any stretch, it's well worth checking out for anyone intrigued by its unique blend of aesthetic and gameplay.
Windbound is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows. Screen Rant was given a PlayStation 4 download code for this review.