Windscape

Windscape is an incredibly ambitious game and developer Dennis Witte deserves a lot of praise for pulling it off as well as he has. While there are certainly areas, such as combat, where things have been kept simple, the vast majority of Windscape represents a thrilling adventure that is simply oozing with charm.

Windscape has its rough edges, but the scope, ambition and heart of this one-man passion project help it to punch above its weight class. If you want a Zelda or Skyrim-style game that’s great for relaxing after a long day, Windscape fits the bill nicely.

There are a number of ways in which the compromises of its premise and origin are most definitely felt, but they ultimately serve more as minor distractions. Once you move beyond these flaws, you encounter a pleasantly charming experience that feels simultaneously familiar and surprisingly fresh. Everything you’ll see and experience has been done before, but rarely has it been done simultaneously or in such a way as in Windscape. In other words, while new ground isn’t necessarily broken here, you at least get to see old ideas from a new perspective.

Windscape is a delightful and charming experience. It’s like playing an Elder Scrolls game that is designed to be friendly and fun, however, for everything I found about it to be enjoyable there was something else slightly off-putting that made me think it could use just a little more time in development. While nothing was game breaking, these problems will hopefully be addressed in future patches as they feel like such minor bugs that could be stamped out early after release. It’s an enjoyable adventure for first-timers to the open world formula or those looking for a relaxing experience they don’t need to take too seriously.

Unfortunately, the game's uninspired characters and repetitive combat prevent it from capitalizing on its strengths. Throw in some other rough edges, from wonky UI design to dialogue quibbles, and Windscape solidifies itself not necessarily as a bad game, but as an average one, through and through. Die-hard Elder Scrolls fans may have some simple fun scouring Windscape's world for quests and bosses, but it's tough to imagine many others wishing to dive into Ida's unremarkable world.