Windbound

 Switch
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 29
  3. Negative: 5 out of 29

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Thebowtiebandir
    Aug 30, 2020
    7
    A fairly short game with beautiful art but severe bugs and crashes which limit what otherwise could have been a fun if short lived experience. One of the best parts of any survival game is always base building, but windbound’s single campaign direction with limited resources really limits the staying power of the game as you need to keep moving before all the resources are gone. Sailing inA fairly short game with beautiful art but severe bugs and crashes which limit what otherwise could have been a fun if short lived experience. One of the best parts of any survival game is always base building, but windbound’s single campaign direction with limited resources really limits the staying power of the game as you need to keep moving before all the resources are gone. Sailing in this game is both intuitive and rarely punishing, but does take a little thought. Only when you randomly come to a fall stop does it take away from the fun. Procedurally generated islands are varied and interesting and if there was more crafting paths, it could have made for a fun puzzle with ships showing the journey, but instead there are only a few hull choices that are limited by which of the resources you have unlocked by progressing through the chapters.… Expand
  2. Foxstrunk
    Sep 7, 2020
    7
    the game is genuinely fun and I enjoy it. But it has some problems in the switch version that I hope will eventually be patched out. Everytime I die it feels like its random in how much progress I lose. Sometimes I keep the items in my hand and return to the start of the current chapter, other times I go back to chapter one with my held items, and others still I start completely over withthe game is genuinely fun and I enjoy it. But it has some problems in the switch version that I hope will eventually be patched out. Everytime I die it feels like its random in how much progress I lose. Sometimes I keep the items in my hand and return to the start of the current chapter, other times I go back to chapter one with my held items, and others still I start completely over with only my seashards and their abilities. I'm not sure which is the desired function of the game. Also sailing appears to work worse in the switch version of the game. I've seen people on pc sail quite quickly, but for me even going into the wind is painfully slow, no matter how I loosen or tighten my sail. That being said, I'm having an enjoyable time despite these setbacks.… Expand
  3. Exeleron
    Sep 1, 2020
    7
    The game is quite a masterpiece for a indie studio and really close on parts of breath of the wild. The sailing mechanics are really realistic and its fells good to craft on it and run over your boat during the sailing XD Why i don't gave the 10 / 10 one big fact is the really long loading sequences -1 point. Another disappoint fact is that when i choose the story mode which is describedThe game is quite a masterpiece for a indie studio and really close on parts of breath of the wild. The sailing mechanics are really realistic and its fells good to craft on it and run over your boat during the sailing XD Why i don't gave the 10 / 10 one big fact is the really long loading sequences -1 point. Another disappoint fact is that when i choose the story mode which is described is if i died the complete chapter is reset and you don't save any progress maybe that's a point for me personal but sorry guys -1 point for this behaviour. The last and most disappointing fact is that i played the game over four hours and had in this time 5 game crashes sometimes in games they are "OK" but in this game its doubled annoying because when the game is crashed the game behave as when you died so i had to play 5 chapters twice -1 point ... but anyway if they would fix this i think most of them are switch issues the game is definitely worth to buy ;)… Expand
  4. j1mbo15
    Sep 2, 2020
    5
    I wanted this to be more like Zelda and Windwaker, as advertised. Not a bad game, but after the first soul crushing, between chapter crash where you lose all your progress it gets not fun real fast.
  5. JediJen
    Sep 12, 2020
    5
    I love survival games and I had been looking forward to Windbound ever since it was announced for the Switch. The day finally came and I downloaded it as soon as I could.

    It's a beautiful game and the sound design and music are done well. However, the combat is very clunky and trying to stay well-fed and/or not die of hunger occupied most of my time. While waiting for things to cook or    I love survival games and I had been looking forward to Windbound ever since it was announced for the Switch. The day finally came and I downloaded it as soon as I could.

    It's a beautiful game and the sound design and music are done well. However, the combat is very clunky and trying to stay well-fed and/or not die of hunger occupied most of my time. While waiting for things to cook or dry, I would do chores around my own house. When I play a game, I don't want to feel like I could better use my time efficiently by walking away and doing things OUTSIDE of it. I did a lot of waiting and there wasn't enough for me to do in the game itself otherwise.

    Inventory management was awkward (also the controls said to use ZR/ZL to flip between menus but it was actually R and L). I spent a lot of time trying to make more bags and while waiting for more mats to respawn, I would start to go hungry but I couldn't pick up any meat from the kills I made (or I had to drop items) because I had no space.

    I enjoyed the no-hand-holding aspect but the feedback loop was getting a little too repetitive and disheartening. I died a few times in the beginning and the penalty is pretty steep, even in story mode (you get kicked back to the very start of the game) so you have to be very careful otherwise all your progress is for naught, even if you do get to keep your inventory items in story mode - in survival mode, you lose everything).

    It's a decent game and would still recommend it because it could be a really good game with different or better management than me. However, I would wait for the price to drop to about $15-$20. Full price of $30 is not worth it for a game that's 40% about waiting but still only lasts about 6 hours is not really good value for the buck, in my opinion. And I see little to no need for replay.

    TL;DR - An okay game though frustrating at times. So wait until price drops to $15-20 for best value.    … Expand
  6. tamersergany
    Feb 24, 2021
    6
    This review is for the Nintendo switch version of Windbound. I wish I could give this game a higher rating, I really want to but here is why it’s a 6 out of 10. Short version: GLITCHES GLITCHES GLITCHES, and load times. I have it over all positive because visually it’s a beautiful game, music during gameplay during start menu, during sailing and during battle is ON POINT. Relaxing andThis review is for the Nintendo switch version of Windbound. I wish I could give this game a higher rating, I really want to but here is why it’s a 6 out of 10. Short version: GLITCHES GLITCHES GLITCHES, and load times. I have it over all positive because visually it’s a beautiful game, music during gameplay during start menu, during sailing and during battle is ON POINT. Relaxing and calm, yet picks up when things get heated. The sailing is fun enjoyable and challenging when you get your boat up and running but again faces glitches like the boat flipping over way too often than it should. Also the new update with the “mark of” items don’t work too well if at all. I love survival games and this game is a gem if you can stomach all the glitches and repetition it has, which for some it might be too annoying. I force closed the game numerous times either because I died by glitch or bad reach, or because when the game restarted it threw me in the middle of the ocean with my boat stuck dead center in a tree. Glitchy game has so much potential but truly disappointing.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. Gameblog.fr
    Oct 6, 2020
    60
    Windbound is a survival game with rogue lite components. If the game has good ideas and design, the controls lacks of ergonomy, and the game is quite repetitive.
    Read full review
  2. Switch Player
    Sep 8, 2020
    40
    Windbound promises so much with beautiful Zelda-like visuals, but visuals alone do not make for a great game. The survival and rogue-like aspects detract from this game’s personality, and a miserable, repetitive search across each level make the game a bore.
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Life
    Sep 1, 2020
    70
    Windbound is most certainly not the Zelda-lite adventure that you may have expected it to be, but it still manages to pull off an impressively well-made survival experience that’s fun to roam around in for a few hours. The open-ended progression, pleasing art style, and relaxing pace make this one an easy recommendation for fans of the survival genre, though it’s held back from greatness due to issues with repetition. Still, it’s tough to go wrong with what’s on offer here; you might want to give this one a look.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »