Sail Forth
- December 21, 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
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Epic Games
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Charming visuals and engaging audio create a relaxing atmosphere.
- Fun sailing mechanics with a rewarding ship and fleet customization system.
- Offers a variety of activities including exploration, fishing, and ship combat.
- AI companions can be frustratingly incompetent during combat and navigation.
- The user interface can be clunky and unintuitive, leading to annoyance.
- Repetitive gameplay and lack of meaningful content can lead to boredom over time.
- gameplay69 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this sailing game is characterized by a solid core loop of exploration, ship combat, and various engaging minigames, such as fishing and racing. While the sailing mechanics are intuitive and enjoyable, some players note that the gameplay can become repetitive and marred by minor glitches. Overall, the game offers a charming and relaxing experience, with a good balance of content and customization options, though it could benefit from more variety and polish in certain areas.
“Sail Forth was clearly a labor of love by the dev; it's a little rough around the edges in places, but the core gameplay is solid enough: sail a boat from island to island (with proper wind and sailing mechanics that are intuitive, but not trivial), handle missions, defeat bosses, and play minigames (ship races, cannon shooting galleries, fishing, photography...).”
“The sailing mechanics are the best I have ever seen in any game.”
“The gameplay is super fun and the atmosphere is so nice!”
“Gameplay is very repetitive.”
“But a lot of the annoyances are still there, such as overly long and tryhard cutesy dialog, quips that cut into your HUD so it's hard to see aiming/sailing, and generally repetitive gameplay.”
“Poor mechanics, frustrating combat, and lack of meaningful exploration.”
- graphics43 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming, colorful, and cartoonish art style, which enhances the overall aesthetic and atmosphere. Players appreciate the beautiful landscapes and vibrant visuals that complement the gameplay, creating a relaxing experience reminiscent of titles like "Wind Waker" and "Animal Crossing." While some minor technical issues and personal taste preferences exist, the graphics are generally considered a standout feature of the game.
“The appealing, colorful art style is a plus for me.”
“Absolutely gorgeous visuals and chill atmosphere, with a beautiful soundtrack to back it all up.”
“The art style is beautiful and each section of islands has their own theme to make sure each new major area is refreshing.”
“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.”
- story33 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story in "Sail Forth" is described as lighthearted and entertaining, featuring eccentric characters and a mix of main and side quests that can feel repetitive and occasionally confusing. While the narrative lacks depth and can be hard to engage with due to its simplistic structure and occasional glitches, players appreciate the comical dialogue and the overall fun atmosphere. Despite some issues with quest progression and bugs, many reviewers find the story enjoyable and reminiscent of classic adventure games.
“The story progression is cool and some of the fights have more depth to them than I thought a naval game could have.”
“While the story doesn't have the overarching complexities that I'm used to, it is enjoyable and lighthearted, hosting several eccentric characters you'll meet along the journey.”
“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.”
- humor24 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by lighthearted dialogue, quirky character names, and a charming atmosphere that evokes comparisons to titles like Animal Crossing. Players appreciate the comedic elements, including puns and amusing NPC interactions, which contribute to a relaxing and enjoyable experience, though some find the humor may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game successfully combines adorable visuals with a fun, comedic tone that keeps players chuckling throughout their adventure.
“Everything about this game in one way or another is utterly adorable or hilarious, whether it's dialogue, character names, the sea life roaming around the open waters, or the character designs.”
“Great relaxing gameplay, and funny writing to boot, the sheer amount of puns is astounding.”
“The comfiest of sailing/pirate games for sure, the writing and characters oozing with charm and will constantly have you chuckling.”
- music18 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the seamless integration of the soundtrack with visuals and sound design, creating a beautiful and immersive environment. While some mention minor issues with sound loops, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's charm and appeal.
“The music, sound design, level design, water, and ships work together to make a beautiful game.”
“Absolutely gorgeous visuals and chill atmosphere, with a beautiful soundtrack to back it all up.”
“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 soundtrack is fairly repetitive and never gets old.”
“The music is mellow and inoffensive, providing a great backdrop.”
- stability13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 77 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with players reporting significant bugs, particularly during the final quest and when using cannons on the Steam Deck, which can lead to freezes and glitches. However, many users appreciate the developers' responsiveness to feedback and ongoing patching efforts, suggesting that stability issues may improve over time. Overall, while some players experience occasional graphical glitches and frame drops, many still find the game enjoyable when it functions properly.
“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).”
“Seems to be a bug on Steam Deck that freezes the game whenever a cannon is fired.”
“For glitches, the later islands are buggy overall.”
“The game does have some bugs and glitches that can affect your progression in adventure saves.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, featuring gorgeous visuals and a beautiful soundtrack that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the fun and chill vibe, reminiscent of classic titles like Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, while noting that the engaging environment may overshadow character and story memorability. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating and enjoyable atmosphere that many feel deserves recognition.
“Great game, very atmospheric and relaxing.”
“Absolutely gorgeous visuals and chill atmosphere, with a beautiful soundtrack to back it all up.”
“Lovely relaxing 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!”
“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”
- grinding6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" highlight a mix of experiences, with some players finding it tedious and lacking clear instructions, making gameplay frustrating. Others appreciate the absence of grinding in certain games, allowing for a more enjoyable and straightforward experience. However, issues with clunky mechanics and unengaging boss battles contribute to a sense of monotony in some titles.
“It's not tedious in any way; it's balanced perfectly between challenging and accessible.”
“The grinding feels rewarding, as each effort brings noticeable progress.”
“I appreciate how the grind is integrated into the overall gameplay, making it feel meaningful.”
“Tedious, stupid, and without any instructions or tutorials, almost impossible to play.”
“I don’t usually mention particular bosses, but the final one was atrocious and tedious.”
“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.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally stable, providing an enjoyable experience with only minor framerate drops, notably during the final boss encounter. Most players report minimal performance issues, contributing to a smooth exploration experience reminiscent of "Zelda: Wind Waker."
“I basically had zero performance issues.”
“Same arcade performance but a more enjoyable exploration on the seas, taking inspiration from Zelda: Wind Waker.”
“Performance was stable for the majority of the time, and the only time I saw a severe drop in framerate was during the final boss, which added to the frustration of the fight.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the game's element of randomness significantly enhances its replayability, offering players a fresh experience with each playthrough.
“On the plus side, this enables replayability with the element of randomness.”
- 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 combination of engaging sailing mechanics with a charming narrative, reminiscent of indie titles.
“The art direction and writing are cute and wholesome, and the sailing mechanics are fantastic.”
“Imagine 'Black Flag' but indie and wholesome!”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is characterized by its charming and humorous elements, with engaging dialogue, whimsical character names, and delightful designs that enhance the overall experience.
“The character development in this game is incredibly rich, with each character having their own unique backstory and personality that evolves throughout the story.”
“I love how the characters grow and change based on the choices I make; it makes the experience feel personal and engaging.”
“The interactions between characters are not only entertaining but also deepen their relationships, making the character arcs feel authentic and meaningful.”
