Windbound (2020)

 PC
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 30
  3. Negative: 12 out of 30

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  1. ClikeX
    Jul 6, 2021
    4
    The premise of this game is intriguing. It offers Wind Waker nostalgia in a sandbox(y) setting. And on paper, I should love this game. Yet, it's interesting mechanics clash so drastically that it ultimately strips them of their enjoyment. This is a game where luck matters more than skill, most of the time.

    Windbound starts you of in an ocean with a few procedurally generated islands.    The premise of this game is intriguing. It offers Wind Waker nostalgia in a sandbox(y) setting. And on paper, I should love this game. Yet, it's interesting mechanics clash so drastically that it ultimately strips them of their enjoyment. This is a game where luck matters more than skill, most of the time.

    Windbound starts you of in an ocean with a few procedurally generated islands. The goal is to activate 3 towers and then go to a large shrine to go to the next chapter. Each chapter increases the ocean's size and available islands. Meanwhile, the player needs to maintain a boat, craft equipment, and feed a hunger meter.

    While the survival aspect does add a certain flair to the isolation of the story. The game regularly fails to generate appropriate resources for the player to use. At times, I've found resources I'd have no use for yet early in the game, while giving me nothing that I could use. Forcing me to leave it behind since I wasn't able to craft any storage yet.

    The most annoying thing is when it fails to generate enough food to satiate the ridiculous hunger meter. Which depletes at such a high rate that it forces you to rush from island to island. Which in effect kills the seemingly calm aesthetic that the game is trying to push.

    This clash in mechanics could've been forgiven somewhat if the controls were smooth enough. Unfortunately, these are just as unpolished.

    Combat feels sluggish, and unimpressive. Combat tactics usually boil down to standing on a boulder and throwing rocks at an enemy, as they are unable to reach you here. I know there's better weapons and skills later on. But the starting combat is so unsatisfying that you'll be likely to turn off the game before getting to that point.

    Meanwhile, the required towers feels like they were just an afterthought. Jumping to a ledge doesn't trigger the climb animation a lot of times. For such an integral piece of the game, this should've been polished a lot more. It's not even that the towers are a challenge to climb, but the annoying ledge mechanic makes them a tedious chore.

    In the end, Windbound feels like a great concept. The procedural generation needs to be balanced to have a better spread of resources, so the game doesn't feel like it's punishing players for bad luck.

    As it stands, this game feels like an Early Access indie title, and not a final release.    … Expand
  2. Antibomb
    Sep 1, 2020
    2
    There are some things that this game does right, like the feeling of heading out on uncharted waters. But when everything around those few good moments is full of clunky movement, bad design choices and bugs, then it's really hard to forgive this game.

    The worst design choice is the difficulty setting this game wants to be played on. Having potentially hours of progress erased everytime    There are some things that this game does right, like the feeling of heading out on uncharted waters. But when everything around those few good moments is full of clunky movement, bad design choices and bugs, then it's really hard to forgive this game.

    The worst design choice is the difficulty setting this game wants to be played on. Having potentially hours of progress erased everytime you die is a really stupid decision in a game where there is so much trial and error. Also, when the overall gameplay is both tedious and unintuitive you get bored really fast if forced to repeat everything over and over again because of something stupid the game did.    … Expand
  3. bladex
    Aug 30, 2020
    0
    i can honestly say it is one of the worst survival games i have ever played if you think it's like windwaker well get ready to be disappointed it's NOTHING like it! the controls are terrible (was using SN30 Pro plus controller). you always run out of food, combat is slow and sluggish and the crafting menu is clunky and bad.

    the game should be $1.99 that's all it's worth. just terrible!    i can honestly say it is one of the worst survival games i have ever played if you think it's like windwaker well get ready to be disappointed it's NOTHING like it! the controls are terrible (was using SN30 Pro plus controller). you always run out of food, combat is slow and sluggish and the crafting menu is clunky and bad.

    the game should be $1.99 that's all it's worth. just terrible! yet another indy dev who don't have a clue what they are doing!    … Expand
  4. MCmetacritic
    Nov 18, 2020
    0
    Although no part of this game is in any way fun or successful, it's an interesting thought experiment. What if Deep Silver developed 30% of a game and stopped there? Would the result be worth $30 dollars? Unfortunately, no. $3 would be a pretty steep price for this deeply unfinished shadow of a game.
  5. Sirsha
    Oct 15, 2020
    0
    I don't know that everyone hates the game, I really liked the game......!!!
  6. Synaxtra
    Apr 4, 2023
    2
    The story has potential but the boat controls like a sinking brick and the gameplay gets extremely repetitive.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. Malditos Nerds
    Sep 9, 2020
    80
    Windbound is a survival game that takes inspiration in both Breath of the Wild and Wind Waker, two iconic games in the Zelda franchise. The work done by 5 Lives Studios results in a rather nice game experience—especially the sea sailing—that, sadly, feels constantly restricted by its own limitations.
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  2. Wccftech
    Sep 5, 2020
    45
    Windbound wants to offer a deep story backed up by rewarding exploration, crafting and survival in a beautiful open world. However, it only really lands the beautiful open world part of this, with it getting close to the line with the rewarding exploration and crafting aspects. The problem is that for all it wants to offer, Windbound is just too shallow and repetitive and offers no real replay value.
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  3. PC Invasion
    Sep 2, 2020
    65
    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.
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