Sail Forth
- December 20, 2022
- David Evans
- 31h median play time
Sail Forth isn't without a few issues, but exploring the seas and upgrading your ship is satisfying from start to finish.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Sail Forth" is a high seas adventure game where you sail and battle across a procedurally generated ocean. Customize your ship, complete quests, and discover mysterious islands. Engage in ship-to-ship combat and upgrade your vessel for ultimate domination on the water.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Epic Games
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The sailing mechanics are intuitive and enjoyable, providing a relaxing experience while exploring the beautifully designed world.
- Customization options for ships and crew add depth to gameplay, allowing players to experiment with different builds and strategies.
- The game's charming art style and humorous dialogue create a lighthearted atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- The game can feel repetitive over time, with limited variety in quests and activities leading to a sense of monotony.
- There are significant bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with quest progression and AI behavior during combat.
- The lack of a seamless open world and reliance on fast travel between small areas can detract from the sense of exploration and adventure.
- gameplay50 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by intuitive and enjoyable sailing mechanics, offering a relaxing experience with a charming atmosphere and engaging exploration. However, it suffers from repetitiveness, some frustrating mechanics, and a lack of depth in certain areas, such as combat and dialogue. Overall, while the core gameplay loop is fun and rewarding, it is occasionally marred by unpolished elements and tedious tasks.
“The mechanics are easy to learn and feel second nature.”
“Quite fun, seems like a cute little game, but it has a lot of enjoyable depth, and the gameplay is spectacular.”
“The sailing mechanics are in-depth enough without being unintuitive.”
“Gameplay is very repetitive.”
“That's not even counting the multiple times my ship would just get stuck in weird places, ally ships would sometimes make fights more difficult, because they would just bump into me and get me stuck, and the wind mechanic seemed like it was prepared to go against my sailing direction every time.”
“But a lot of the annoyances are still there, such as overly long and tryhard cutesy dialogue, quips that cut into your HUD so it's hard to see aiming/sailing, and generally repetitive gameplay.”
- graphics31 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and vibrant art style, which effectively complements the gameplay and theme. Players appreciate the colorful visuals and the relaxing aesthetic, often comparing it to beloved titles like "Wind Waker" and "Animal Crossing." While some minor graphical glitches were noted, the overall presentation is considered a standout feature that enhances the gaming experience.
“Has a pleasing art style that really shines in its color presentation.”
“The best feature of this game is definitely the graphics.”
“Graphics are fantastic, the waves, clouds, weather, and smoke from cannons look great.”
“The art style and UI design is way too childish for my taste, although I recognize some people like it and it's just a question of taste.”
“Played on Steam Deck, some occasional graphical glitches and frame drops but overall a great experience.”
“It's not perfect but there haven't been any bugs or stupid/annoying things in the game yet.”
- humor21 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its lighthearted and quirky dialogue, with many players enjoying the charming and funny interactions between characters and NPCs. The writing is filled with puns and amusing scenarios, creating a cozy atmosphere that enhances the overall gameplay experience. While some players find it difficult to remember specific characters or story details, the humor consistently elicits laughter and adds to the game's appeal.
“Cozy, fun, and humorous!”
“Npc are hilarious and the tone is lighthearted.”
“Great relaxing gameplay, and funny writing to boot, the sheer amount of puns is astounding.”
- story17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as lacking engagement and clarity, with players often struggling to remember characters and quests due to confusing dialogue and a lack of direction. While the atmosphere and humor are appreciated, many feel the narrative is disjointed and requires better tutorial prompts to guide players. However, some reviewers express excitement about the story's potential, particularly in the later chapters, suggesting that it may improve as the game progresses.
“This is a game that lets the player tell their own story.”
“Super excited to see where the story goes!”
“I really thoroughly enjoyed the story and it really amped up around the final chapters making for a very unique pirate game.”
“Following along quests largely involves remembering what the last guy told you, and the game really doesn't go out of its way to make sure you're on the right path.”
“It's hard to really feel engaged with the story and the world.”
“The dialogue is funny and the atmosphere is fun, but I couldn't name more than two characters off the top of my head and barely remember most of the story.”
- music14 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, seamlessly integrating with the visuals and gameplay to enhance the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke a serene atmosphere, making it a standout feature that complements the game's themes of exploration and adventure. Despite some minor issues with sound loops, the music remains a significant draw, contributing to the game's charm and appeal.
“I love this game, great soundtrack and nice visuals that kept me coming back till I finished the game.”
“The music, the visuals, the gameplay, and the game progression all feel seamlessly and effortlessly integrated; working in harmony to provide you with a relaxing game about controlling a roving band of greedy pirates.”
“The music feels natural and perfectly captures the serene gameplay.”
“Past a certain point, my game will not stop playing the main menu music and sound loop, and then it stopped recognizing when fights ended.”
“The music is mellow and inoffensive, providing a great backdrop.”
“The soundtrack, while fairly repetitive, never gets old.”
- stability9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many players report a generally enjoyable experience with occasional graphical glitches and frame drops, specific issues like freezing when firing cannons on the Steam Deck have been noted. Some users experienced bugs that could impact progression, but many also highlighted that when the game functions properly, it is well worth playing.
“A beautiful and relaxing sailing game, with a cute design, enjoyable gameplay, and seems to be bug-free.”
“Runs great on my Steam Deck too!”
“Been playing on Steam Deck, runs excellent (devs add that it runs great on Steam Deck).”
“It seems there is a bug on the Steam Deck that freezes the game whenever a cannon is fired.”
“The game does have some bugs and glitches that can affect your progression in adventure saves.”
“There were also a few glitches that I ran into.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for being fun, relaxing, and immersive, with many players noting its ability to evoke a thrilling sailing experience reminiscent of "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag." The combination of engaging dialogue, soothing music, and a variety of activities contributes to a charming and enjoyable ambiance that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
“Great game, very atmospheric and relaxing.”
“It's a very atmospheric and relaxing game.”
“Lovely relaxing atmosphere.”
“Well, that was a black flag, but this game is one of the very few over the years that successfully creates that same thrilling sailing atmosphere that Black Flag did.”
“Very chill atmosphere.”
“I think it deserves a lot of credit, and I would personally nominate it for some indie awards just off the music, atmosphere, and variety of things to do in such a bite-sized formula!”
- grinding5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" are mixed; some players find it tedious and lacking clear instructions, making gameplay frustrating, while others appreciate the absence of grinding mechanics, allowing for a more enjoyable single-player experience. However, issues with clunky controls and the ineffectiveness of additional ships contribute to a sense of tedium in certain naval games. Overall, the experience varies significantly depending on the game and player expectations.
“It's not tedious in any way; it's balanced perfectly between being challenging and accessible.”
“The grinding feels rewarding, as each effort brings noticeable progress.”
“I appreciate how the game makes grinding enjoyable rather than a chore.”
“Tedious, stupid, and without any instructions or tutorials, almost impossible to play.”
“Also shooting stuff with cannons feels really clunky and tedious, which isn't great, and having extra ships in your fleet feels pointless when they will never keep pace with you.”
“I have even bought Sea of Thieves hoping it would be like the naval portion of Black Flag, but I found the way that ships are handled to be tedious in Sea of Thieves, especially if you are a single player.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its cute and wholesome art direction and writing, which create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Players appreciate the engaging sailing mechanics that enhance the overall experience, reminiscent of a more indie take on adventure themes.
“The art direction and writing are cute and wholesome, and the sailing mechanics are fantastic.”
“Imagine 'Black Flag' but indie and wholesome!”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users highlight that the element of randomness enhances the game's replayability, providing a fresh experience with each playthrough.
“On the plus side, this enables replayability with the element of randomness.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making it feel repetitive after the first playthrough.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to return for a second playthrough.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report excellent optimization, with many experiencing no performance issues at all.
“I basically had zero performance issues.”
“The game runs smoothly on my system, even at high settings.”
“I was impressed by how well the game optimized for different hardware configurations.”
