It is a great game to look at, and I was reminded of Breath of the Wild. You must come to terms with the fact you will die because Kara is painfully greedy. Berries can be collected, meat harvested and jerky created, but it’s never enough. Food is scarce, and when you have gathered it, it spoils in record time. Starvation is an annoyance that never goes away. You explore and the hunger meter falls, jump in your boat, and you see it dropping like a rock. This leads me nicely into the next major concern, Kara is constantly hungry. Hunt for meat and cook it on the campfire, it’s not a bad way to survive. We all know that death is a certainty in life, but I never guessed I’d be killed by a baby wild boar repeatedly.
You hope that the battle is smooth and quick, but what you discover is a slow and arduous affair that is painful to get through. Dodging is pointless, and your attack strength is pitiful. You craft a spear or sling and go to town on some gigantic beast that roams the islands.
Surviving is as much about gathering resources as it is hunting big game. You cannot mindlessly float to each island, you need to understand the best way to get there, and that requires planning. The wind will whip across your bows, and you must tighten or loosen your sail accordingly. You start out with nothing more than a grass lined canoe, yet this soon evolves to a well designed sea faring vessel that can take on any weather front. Luckily 5 Lives Studios got this element spot on. When every chapter is a procedurally generated archipelago, you’ll find that a boat is the only way to get around. It was a well thought out concept from the developers, even if I cursed them when I couldn’t make an axe or other items in the early stages. This restriction of what items can be made was frustrating, but it keeps the gameplay balanced, ensuring the player can’t get to the end game too quickly. You soon realise you don’t have the resources, so more exploration and hunting is required (so near, yet so far). A tutorial pop-up kindly advises you of your new discovery, and you will search through your list hoping to build your new tool. Gathering new resources will automatically unlock a blueprint for new equipment. The game’s rich level of crafting is an absolute delight to experience. The hardcore mode is a kick in the balls and makes you consider your options. Survivalist will restart all your action back to the first chapter, and it will wipe all your goods, with the exception of a select few. You’ll note that death is only a slight inconvenience. Storyteller allows you to start the chapter you are on with all the equipment you have gathered. The latter allows for unlimited sailing, with the freedom to explore with no pressure. 3 game modes are at your disposal storyteller, survivalist and endless. Planning, preparation, and knowing when to run is key to being successful. With a fantastic crafting menu, and a deadly rogue-like theme running through it, this is not a game to take lightly. The sea is in your blood, and it helps to forge a pathway home. The story is almost nonexistent, and little guidance is offered to the player about where to go, and what to do. If you are happy to go with the flow, and try to survive while searching for each beacon of hope, then this could well be the game for you. If you are looking for a title that will give you clear direction, and a fulfilling story, Windbound will not be your first port of call. A game that is light on story, but heavy on mechanics. Once each of the 3 triggers is struck, a gateway opens and you can progress to the next episode. The game is broken down across 5 chapters where you must search for beacons hidden in looming towers. Upon waking, she is left with nothing but a knife, her wits, and a mystical necklace that will help her find her tribe. A sea monster rises from the deep and annihilates her vessel. The game follows the story of Kara, a seafaring girl who has lost her tribe during a terrible storm. A mere 6 months after release I’ve dipped my toe into the waters of this seafaring survivalist title, to see what all the fuss is about. One title I failed to get hold of at launch was Windbound by developers 5 Lives Studios and publisher Deep Silver. I have lost track of how many games I own in this category, but I’m happy to return to each and everyone when I get the itch. I have always enjoyed the survival genre, its challenging nature and brutal difficulty bring out the caveman within.
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