Windbound Reviews
Windbound almost feels like a mixing pot of some of this decade’s most visually striking and compelling games, and for the most part, the end result is surprisingly effective. It could do with more depth, but its focus on exploration and fantastic ship-building mechanics make for a pretty liberating survival experience.
A Rogue-Like Survival games that put the player in the role of a shipwrecked girl looking for the remains of her tribe. While it’s falling into common trappings for the genre with annoying inventory management and a ridiculously hungry protagonist, the overall charming atmosphere and surprising late-game depth make this indie game worth checking out!
Review in German | Read full review
Don't think that Windbound is another The Legend of Zelda's tribute, maybe its graphic style reminds Breath of the Wild a little bit but the game concept is so different. Prepare yourself to craft and survive as the same way as Conan Exiles or The Forest and be aware that death is closer than you think. This is a big experience full of mistery.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The overall result is a game that doesn't quite achieve what it wants to be. The story isn't given as much airtime as it needs. Exploration is thwarted by the survival elements, and although the latter are the most satisfying of them all, clunky combat, the driving need to find food, and constant resource management means that there are better and more balanced survival titles out there.
The start of Windbound feels very promising - the world looks beautiful, the sailing wonderful, and the development of the crafting system well done. However, after the first few hours, things start to fall apart. The repetitive nature and lack of growth of the core mechanics really hold it back from what it could have been. There's still an enjoyable experience here, but it is obvious it could be so much more, and ultimately feels a little unfinished. This is only the second game to come from indie developer 5 Lives Studios, and it's exciting to see what the team comes up with next.
Windbound is a game that presents a great approach, but fails to execute. However, despite its mistakes, it manages to stand out thanks to its artistic design, its own identity and a solidity in its survival system.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Some problems collaborate to not show all the potential that Windbound has. Navigation and creation system are excellent and fun. However, the narrative development could be less repetitive and clearly lacking a free game mode where gameplay would be better used. Still, the title from 5 Lives Studios is a rewarding experience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Windbound blends gorgeous visuals, an effective soundtrack, and survival mechanics together to create a fun, mostly relaxing experience.
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.
In its early moments, Windbound had my attention, and I was completely ready to discover more about this world. However, after the first chapter, I was left mostly disappointed with the lack of execution the game provides through the systems it introduces. A rather tedious travel system enhanced this feeling. Through its colorful scenery and a heartwarming soundtrack, are some decent experiences to be found, with the help of some fine-tuning.
Windbound is an intriguing game full of mystery and wonder, and does a lot right. I’m not the biggest fan of survival and crafting games, but these systems are well implimented and balanced properly. They also add a lot to the feeling of being lost, but pushing forward in order to uncover this mystery.
It presents a wonderful world, sadly the gameplay isn't at the same level due to some big errors that have more weight than the good things it has, finally getting a boring game fruit of a great idea.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If the gods of random generation line everything up in your favour, Windbound could be a truly captivating adventure. It’s unlikely to happen that way though, and sadly its many frustrations outweigh the beautiful game it could have been.
Windbound may look like a Zelda knock-off, but it has a lot more going for it. The core gameplay is solid as a rock, and aside from some niggles with combat and the pressure to survive, it’s a really fun game.
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.
If you like survival games with a good atmosphere, you might want to give Windbound a try. Just be sure to temper your expectations. Anyone going into it thinking this will be a Breath of the Wild level survival title will be immensely disappointed.
undefined.Windbound succeeds in how it balances so many different elements. Sometimes it can get precarious - sailing definitely had some moments of exasperation - but more often than not, the world of the game was in harmony, with exploration feeding into crafting, combat leading to rewarding resources, and sailing providing the calm middle. Every aspect works together to provide a winning, endearing experience that makes Windbound a special game on the Switch, especially if you're looking for a survival game with a little bit of Zelda.
Windbound drops you in a world of wilderness and open water but fails to make exploration compelling.
On the tin, Windbound offers a fulfilling and exciting survival/adventure endeavor but when delved into, I was left with an empty and exhausting experience.
Windbound was most definitely inspired by Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but with a much heavier focus on survival and crafting. If you enjoy survival games and want something to scratch that Zelda itch, you should check this game out.