Windrose Early Access Review

Windrose is a piratical survival crafter that has recently launched into early access, offering an in-depth exploration and swashbuckling experience set in a mythical reimagining of the golden age of piracy. The game begins with a unique premise: surviving Blackbeard's attack only to wake up penniless on an uninhabited island, thanks to mysterious dark magic. Despite being in early access, Windrose already demonstrates significant depth and polish, rivaling many full games, though its story is unfinished and some rough edges exist. Drawing inspiration from games like Valheim, Windrose allows players to survive without needing to eat or sleep. Instead, food provides stat buffs, which are crucial for avoiding being one-shot by wild animals, but players won't starve if they go AFK. The building system is highly flexible, allowing for basic shelters to elaborate Caribbean haciendas. Decorations offer a mechanical reward by extending the duration of the "rested" buff. While there are familiar survival game chores like chopping trees and mining, the game generally respects the player's time, avoiding overly tedious repetition. The game's progression through different biomes offers escalating challenges. Players start in a lush coastal jungle, primarily facing wild boars, with the initial goal of building a ship to venture out to sea. Moving into the mid-level highlands introduces human enemies with sabers and guns, as well as predators like wolves. These areas also feature mini-dungeons with clever and challenging puzzles. The current early access journey culminates in the deadly cursed swamps, where prolonged exposure to certain areas can lead to madness and instant death, hinting at Blackbeard's necromancy. This escalation of mechanical challenges and supernatural elements keeps the gameplay loop engaging, with even more biomes planned for the full release. Ground combat is a highlight of Windrose, described by the developers as "Souls-lite." It is responsive and kinetic, featuring a parrying mechanic that removes shield icons from opponents' health bars, eventually stunning them for powerful follow-up attacks. Pistols are potent but have long reload times, while various melee weapons like sabers, rapiers, and two-handers offer distinct fighting styles and unique special moves. End-chapter bosses are particularly tough, providing a "Souls" like challenge even with fully upgraded gear. However, a notable complaint is the heavy reliance on consumables for stat buffs, which can make dying to bosses repeatedly a tedious grind for resources if players don't want to fight on an "empty stomach." Enemy AI occasionally presents issues, particularly with melee foes tending to mob players into corners. This can usually be mitigated by strategic engagement and using terrain, but some missions, like boarding pirate ships filled with zombies, suffer from poor encounter design, forcing players to resort to "cheesing" tactics due to scripted respawns and close-quarters combat. Naval engagements, in contrast to the strong ground combat, are somewhat unremarkable but have occasional moments of greatness. Cannons require leading targets due to realistic trajectories, offering a high skill ceiling. However, the overall feel is arcadey, lacking mechanics like wind direction or the need to replenish ammunition or crewmates. Co-op partners are more effective on their own ships as there's little for them to do on another player's vessel. Boarding actions are an exception, as crewmates assist, preventing players from being overwhelmed. The wave modeling is dramatic, providing cover from enemy cannons, but storms at sea are underwhelming, with no risk of capsizing even in a rowboat. The game's stylized realism can make the open water seem gloomy, with constant clouds and navy blue seas, which feels a bit off for a game set in the "sparkling sun-drenched Caribbean." However, the music and sound design are excellent, featuring a full chorus performing sea shanties, both familiar and obscure. The immersive sounds of waves and seabirds greatly enhance the world. Character progression in Windrose currently feels stingy, especially regarding talent points, which are not awarded with every level. These points unlock useful playstyle enhancements like faster reloads or increased health recovery from counterattacks. Experience points are exclusively gained from quests, and with a limited number of quests, the current level cap is around 15. This restrictive progression may change with the full release. Despite some rough edges and mission types needing rethinking, Windrose makes a strong first impression with its snappy ground combat, robust building system, exciting hand-crafted points of interest, and excellent sound design. It feels more like a finished game than a beta, offering over 80 hours of content in its current early access state.