Windbound appeared to be one other a type of PS4 gems, a title that will sweep gamers away in a single character’s very solemn however nonetheless compelling journey by an expansive and at occasions beautiful world, and at occasions it’s. Unfortunately, that may be a considerably fleeting feeling, as more often than not you end up a bit bored, wishing there was extra on this world to not solely work together with but in addition to witness and study from. The love and keenness the groups at 5 Lives Studios and Deep Silver put into the game is clear from the numerous developer breakdowns of the game, however most of that simply would not translate into the precise game, and that is really a disgrace.
Windbound is part of the survival style, tasking gamers with gathering sources, constructing instruments and tools, and trying to find meals as they give the impression of being to unravel the thriller of this world and survive to see it by. Your first job is to discover the island you wash ashore on and study the lay of the land, gathering tall grass, palm fronds, rocks, and extra, all so you’ll be able to construct a grass boat to start out crusing the beautiful sea searching for the following vacation spot.
Before you allow you may discover a glowing pillar with a bit of magic that can be a part of up with the necklace you put on round your neck, and that stone of blue magic will unlock doorways and activate objects all through the game and is the important thing to transferring ahead within the story. You’ll then sail in the direction of one other island, activating one other construction that illuminates the sky with a blue mild, and as soon as you have unlocked all three you’ll be able to then progress into the following space. By the best way, navigating the waters in your boat because the solar units and clouds transfer throughout the sky is sort of peaceable and serene, and the wonderful soundtrack kicks in once you’ve departed an island, furthering that sense of journey and making it really feel as in case you’re actually in an altogether totally different place.
That sounds superior to date proper? Sure it does, and you will nonetheless be offered as you enter the moderately cinematic in between chapters sequence that takes you alongside the rolling rapids in the direction of a construction that permits you to use shards you have collected to bestow a blessing, and that will get you much more excited for what comes subsequent.
Now, think about feeling that pleasure after which studying that you just’re again the place you began. Don’t get me unsuitable, as you could have all of your objects and the shards, however you end up on one other island, washed ashore by the waves, and three icons seem but once more on the high of the display. You’ll discover barely totally different islands, however you suppose, properly, perhaps that is just the start half and the loopy stuff is additional in, however that by no means manifests.
Instead, it is one other discover the map, activate three buildings, and undergo the portal as soon as extra. Then it is the very same speedy water sequence, adopted by one more portal, adopted by…you guessed it, being placed on one other island.
There is enjoyable available there certain, however after the game’s first degree you have actually seen all the game, and sadly, the opposite fascinating points of the game cannot carry the load of the expertise alone. The game presents a cool character so that you can play as, however we do not study something about her, with the one actual story right here being offered in obscure narration and textual content at key factors. Murals current themselves after you full every chapter, however the game would not correctly set the stage in any method, so turning into invested is troublesome.
What the game does properly although it does extraordinarily properly. There’s a pleasure to making an attempt to determine the place to get objects and components it’s essential to create tools, and the game would not actually inform you the place to search out something. If you wish to chop that tree, you may want an axe, however one of many components is an animal, and there is not any bestiary or something telling you the place to search out it. That means you may simply want to go looking and maintain going till you discover a totally different type of creature, and fingers crossed it is the one you want. The first second after I discovered begin a fireplace that would cook dinner meat and switch pores and skin into leather-based I genuinely smiled, feeling like I had achieved one thing, and taking down the larger creatures additionally provides you that very same sense of satisfaction.
Most of your crafting will probably be devoted to your boat, which is able to go from a easy grass or bamboo canoe into a powerful mixture of separate hulls, decks, and masts, permitting it to seize the wind and switch your slow-moving canoe right into a fast-moving ship atop the water. You may add compartments to your boat to carry additional objects and you’ll actually have a fireplace going in your ship to cook dinner meals and maintain issues transferring if a landmass is not close by and your stamina is low.
Building a powerful ship is barely worthwhile although when you’ve got one thing compelling to sail in the direction of, the islands themselves aren’t totally different sufficient to get excited over, and on high of that, there’s nothing actually to search out there other than one other construction to activate and extra sources. Being capable of lastly wield a bow and arrow and sail the seas in a quick-moving ship are nice, however they simply imply you might be doing the identical factor extra effectively, and with no compelling story construction or the main points wanted to get invested within the lead character, none of that basically issues.
It’s form of boggling once you take a look at the official Windbound web site too, because the builders have posted prolonged breakdowns of murals that reveal some actually fascinating backstory to this land and its folks, in addition to Kara’s place in it, however in case you requested me to call Kara after a couple of hours of this game I might have had bother recalling it. None of that historical past and lore is basically conveyed within the game, and whereas I admire the fabric, it wanted to be higher offered within the precise gameplay to succeed in its full potential. Arise: A Simple Story did not characteristic a lot in the best way of voice performing or cinematics both, nevertheless it nonetheless conveyed an excellent and emotional story by small scenes and revolutionary platforming gameplay, and Windbound would not meet that admittedly excessive bar.
The platforming is not the place it must be both, and whereas the game will routinely cling to the platform in entrance of you, there are occasions the place it’s essential to leap, and the mechanic simply would not really feel prefer it ought to. Combat is okay, however that would’ve used a bit extra touching up as properly general to make it stand out.
As it stands, Windbound has moments that present immense promise, however the lack of issues to work together with on the earth mixed with the repetition of duties and gameplay maintain it again from that potential, making what ought to have been one thing particular into one thing you won’t bear in mind in a couple of months.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Windbound is obtainable on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
