Sailaway

About

"Sailaway: The Sailing Simulator" is a massively multiplayer sport game that offers both single-player and multiplayer options, including PvP. It brings the world's oceans to your computer with accurate simulations and persistent online world. Contrary to typical games, Sailaway focuses on realism with no targets, goals, or mini games, providing a unique sailing experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+10

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,060 reviews

graphics66 positive mentions

stability62 negative mentions

Sailaway offers a realistic sailing experience with real-time weather and global navigation, making it a great tool for learning sailing principles.
The game has a friendly and helpful community, allowing players to interact and sail together, enhancing the overall experience.
The graphics and sound design create an immersive atmosphere, making players feel like they are truly at sea.

The user interface is clunky and buggy, often leading to frustrating experiences, such as unresponsive controls and difficulty navigating menus.
Many players feel that the game lacks content, such as ports, detailed coastlines, and engaging gameplay elements beyond just sailing.
The transition to Sailaway II has upset many players, as it removed previously available content and locked it behind a paywall, leading to feelings of being scammed.

graphics
184 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
51%
13%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the water and boat visuals as impressive, while others criticize the land graphics as outdated and lacking detail. Many users note significant graphical glitches and inconsistencies, particularly in coastal areas, and express a desire for improved textures and overall visual fidelity. Despite these shortcomings, some players appreciate the realistic weather effects and immersive sailing mechanics, suggesting that while the graphics are not top-tier, they contribute positively to the overall experience.
- “The graphics are breathtaking, and the scenery is real - it uses real world maps, and you have access to the entire world.”
- “The graphics and the sounds are impeccable and give you a full sensation of immersion.”
- “I was shocked as the graphics came on screen, showing detailed enormous waves, wind-driven spray, foam on the waves--exactly as I believe it would look if I were at sea.”
- “The game itself that is here is fantastic for simulation, just don't go to any land masses; they look worse than Flight Simulator 1999 when it comes to graphics.”
- “However, the land graphics are terrible and the buildings look like graphics from my old Sega Genesis.”
- “Good luck finding a way to improve framerate if your machine is struggling to keep up; your best bet is probably lowering the resolution because as far as tweakable graphics, this game has close to none.”
gameplay
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
74%
6%
The gameplay of Sailaway is praised for its realistic sailing mechanics and immersive open ocean environment, making it an excellent simulator for those interested in learning about sailing. However, many users find the gameplay repetitive and lacking excitement, with no physical damage mechanics to enhance the challenge. While the game offers a smooth experience and informative tutorials, it is suggested that potential players watch gameplay videos before purchasing, as the overall experience may become boring after a short time.
- “I think this game (or rather simulator) would be perfect for anyone with a general interest in sailing, someone who wants to learn mechanics and terminology, or a current sailor who is looking to improve.”
- “The great thing about this sim is that it has focused on getting the basics right and now the world is their oyster because they can fine-tune the sailing details, add in more realistic scenery, and take up some of the community gameplay suggestions.”
- “Very informative tutorial and plenty of tips during gameplay, basically all you need to optimize the sails and your speed.”
- “And ultimately, gameplay is a tad on the boring side.”
- “The result is overall boring gameplay.”
- “At most this has an hour or two of gameplay and then you will be bored.”
stability
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, graphical glitches, and server connection issues that significantly hinder gameplay. Many find the user interface clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustration, especially during critical moments like sailing maneuvers. While some players acknowledge that the game is playable, the overall consensus is that it requires substantial improvements to address its stability issues before it can be recommended.
- “Visibility is great, instructions are clear and simple, it's smooth and mostly bug-free.”
- “Game is buggy as hell; I did the round-the-world sailing achievement along with inviting someone onto my boat, and they have not been applied no matter how many times I re-log, uninstall, reinstall, etc. Until these issues are fixed, I shall not recommend it to anyone.”
- “Overall, this is awfully poorly made; the user interface and in-game control are so buggy it's barely usable at all.”
- “Unfortunately, despite several tries, I wasn't able to get very far because of bugs and constant freezes.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The music in the game is generally described as pleasant but repetitive, with many users noting that it consists of just one song that can become annoying after extended playtime. While the option to turn off the music separately from other sounds is appreciated, some players suggest that incorporating more diverse audio elements, like ambient sounds or the songs of marine life, would enhance the experience. Overall, the music serves as a relaxing backdrop, but its limited variety may detract from long-term enjoyment.
- “It's great, you can listen to music or a podcast on the side, the ultimate game for hangovers!”
- “If you want to learn sailing terminology, get educated, and totally relax while seeing nice scenery and the option to listen to an ocean-type song that'll lull you to dreamland in a very pleasant way, this sailing sim is a gem.”
- “Beautiful game – installation went well - graphics are great - controls work well - informative & user-friendly – pleasant music - nice experience.”
- “Music gets annoying after a few hours.”
- “Just ambient sounds annoy after 5+ hours, so setting some own music/ambients in the background.”
- “99% of playtime you just have to hunt a rope with a mouse and fight a terrible UI to get the camera on what you need; the 'invert mouse' option doesn't work, and the music is from 80s porn movies.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some users praise its accuracy as a sailing simulator, particularly for larger boats, others report clunky sailing mechanics and awkward camera views. Additionally, there are mentions of network lag and performance issues even on high-end systems, indicating that further optimizations may be needed. Overall, the experience is described as immersive but could benefit from smoother gameplay and improved performance.
- “It has been optimized really well.”
- “This game is the most accurate sailing simulator I have played so far, especially on the bigger boats like the Caribbean Rose and the new performance cruiser.”
- “Here one needs to be ready for at least some of the challenges and experiences of sailing: working the boat to get the most performance, reading the weather when laying out a course, even dealing with the tedium of long voyages over quiet water.”
- “There are no fast performance boats it seems (unless you delve into user content), the camera views feel awkward... it should feel a lot easier than it is to view your telltales and adjust lines; the sailing process just feels clunky.”
- “The game has inferior performance even on my latest iMac.”
- “- some (network) lags which I cannot explain at the moment (well EA, some work/optimizations to do here).”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
19%
The game lacks a traditional narrative, offering no missions or trading, and instead focuses on providing a realistic sailing experience where players can plot their own journeys and engage in online events. While it effectively teaches sailing mechanics, the environment feels sparse and lacks features that would enhance navigation. Overall, it is seen as a promising early access title for those who appreciate the sailing simulation genre.
- “Its early access for sure, but let me tell you my story.”
- “Some backstory: I am a sailor in real life, having started out on small boats, some under power and others not.”
- “It's fun trying to tack upwind to go see a nearby boat of another player, or plot out your own journey.”
- “There's no ports or harbours to aim for, there's no missions or trading to be done.”
- “What story?”
- “It's still a little rough around the edges, the oceans are a little featureless and the water surface doesn't show the wind, so you can't read it to plot your course.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, with players expressing frustration over the introduction of a "pro" license that requires additional payment for features and content that were previously included in the full purchase. Many feel betrayed after having paid a substantial amount for the game, only to find themselves needing to pay more to access essential features and customization options. Overall, the sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, with players advising against purchasing the game.
- “I bought the full game ages ago, turns out now you have to pay for a 'pro' license to get extra boats and customization; whereas before you had everything. Scummy cash grab from the devs, don't bother buying it.”
- “It brought me to a page where it asked me to pay 20 euros to become 'pro'. In this pro version, it seems you get full access to everything. This is a huge load of BS and I'm not happy about what they've done to Sailaway. They seem to have made it a cash grab even for the ones who helped debug and send reports on things to make it better. I have 7 or 8 boats from before the update, and it won't let me do anything but sail them. This is just a filthy thing to do, charge me to do anything after I've paid a full 40.00 USD for this, and no, I don't recommend this.”
- “Yay, it's realistic, but not, and graphic, we got graphics, completely shitty graphics, and we lost our publisher, and now got to make a 2.0 cash grab.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from its nautical jargon and the amusing stories shared among players, particularly when utilizing the crew feature that allows multiple players to man a single boat, leading to potentially hilarious interactions. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted take on sailing, appealing to both enthusiasts and newcomers.
- “It's a simulator for people that love sailing, therefore you'll get some nautical jargon, learn a few things from others, and listen to interesting and, many times, funny stories.”
- “The crew feature allows you to man one boat with multiple people, which can turn out to be really funny depending on the ships and ship sizes that will be added.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers consistently highlight that the atmosphere and perspective on board are exceptional, contributing significantly to the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere and perspective on board is perfect.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, particularly after a few hours of play, despite overall enjoyment of the game itself.
- “The game is amazing, but it's tedious to learn and becomes boring after a couple of hours.”
- “Grinding feels like a chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay invested in the game.”