Stranded Sails - Explorers of the Cursed Islands
- October 17, 2019
- Alchemist Interactive
- 17h median play time
Get on Steam"Stranded Sails - Explorers of the Cursed Islands" is an open-world, farming-and-sailing adventure game. After a shipwreck, you must explore nearby islands, grow crops, and manage resources to keep your crew alive. Solve puzzles and uncover secrets as you work towards repairing your ship and finding a way back home.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Cloud
NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Reviews
- Charming visuals and relaxing gameplay make it enjoyable for casual gamers.
- The game encourages exploration and has a variety of activities like farming, crafting, and cooking.
- Developers are responsive to feedback and have made significant improvements since launch.
- The energy system is frustrating, as walking and running consume too much energy, limiting exploration.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive and linear, with many fetch quests and little incentive to explore freely.
- Combat is simplistic and lacks depth, making it less engaging for players looking for a challenge.
- story380 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 85 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as simple and linear, focusing on a quest to escape an island, which some players found engaging while others deemed it predictable and lacking depth. While the narrative provides a framework for gameplay, many reviewers noted that it often feels like a series of fetch quests, with minimal character development and a lack of memorable moments. Overall, the story is seen as a pleasant backdrop for casual gameplay, but it may not satisfy those seeking a more intricate or emotionally resonant narrative.
“It's a very delightful homage to the village sim genre, beautiful visuals and a lovely little story.”
“This actually has its own theme, style, memorable characters, interesting mechanics, and intriguing story that encourages you to keep progressing.”
“If you're looking for a somewhat short, very story-driven game, this game delivers.”
“The story is linear, offering you a narrative laid out by the devs. It's also not all that unique but, in the sea of dead relatives leaving you an inheritance of a junk lot, may prove refreshing to some.”
“The actual story itself is too short.”
“The story quests are basically, go there, pick up that, come back, repeat.”
- grinding312 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding the resource gathering and farming mechanics tedious and repetitive. While some appreciate the simplicity and charm of the tasks, others feel that the lack of depth and meaningful progression makes the gameplay feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience. Overall, the game is seen as a blend of exploration and farming, but it may not satisfy those looking for a robust farming simulation.
“There are more boxes of supplies everywhere, so it's not grindy. I don't mind grinding out materials, but this made it so much faster. I love it.”
“This game was a bit grindy, it was tedious to travel between islands, and the combat system was nothing to get excited over... but still I enjoyed this game enough to unlock all the achievements.”
“Everything is tedious and pointless in the end.”
“Farming is annoying, manual, and takes half a day and a ton of energy, building anything that doesn't directly progress story is pointless, exploration and energy management is tedious, and the story isn't rewarding.”
- gameplay174 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and lacking depth, particularly in farming and base-building mechanics. While some enjoy the casual, relaxing nature of the game and its exploration elements, others criticize the linearity and tediousness of the gameplay loop, which often feels formulaic and uninspired. Overall, the game is seen as suitable for short, casual play sessions rather than extended gaming experiences, with some interesting mechanics overshadowed by frustrating design choices.
“The actual gameplay behind the life sim aspects is fun instead of tedious.”
“Gameplay is totally at your own pace and consists of crafting, fishing, cooking, exploring, searching for collectibles, and fighting ghosts.”
“From the style to the gameplay, the devs really wanted to honor the games that inspired this one.”
“The gameplay loop was very monotonous.”
“Such linear gameplay is incredibly tedious and becomes quickly annoying, as you are not allowed to think, puzzle, adventure, find or explore anything, but are always sent from A to B.”
“The gameplay is repetitive and adds only minor changes through the course of the game, and you visit the same 3 islands over and over.”
- graphics104 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and cute art style, with many reviewers noting the beautiful visuals and relaxing aesthetic. While some describe the graphics as simple or lacking depth, the overall consensus is that they are appealing and well-executed, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere. However, a few critiques mention issues like stuttering animations and a flat texture quality, indicating that while the graphics are generally well-received, there are areas for improvement.
“The graphics are really beautiful to look at and it's great to witness how your camp grows and prospers over the course of the game.”
“One of the most amazing things is the graphics for the ocean - beautiful!”
“The setting is great, and the graphics/design are gorgeous (I don't want to gush over this but I absolutely love the art style).”
“Music, graphics, sound design, quest design, dialogue, story, all acceptable but nothing that stands out or is very memorable.”
“The game's aesthetics are charming, but playing this feels overall very tedious rather than fun.”
“I did love the art style and audio, but there are too many major gameplay issues for me to be able to recommend this game.”
- music50 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and fitting well with the overall aesthetic, though it can become repetitive over time. While some players found the soundtrack beautiful and rewarding, others noted that it lacks memorable themes outside of the opening screen. Overall, the music complements the charming graphics and art style, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
“The music is rewarding and beautiful.”
“This game has a beautiful style with a carefully selected music soundtrack.”
“It's not often I get lost in a game purely based on the beauty of its music.”
“The music is repetitive, the art is bad, there is no voiceover, and my eyes end up strained pretty fast.”
“Music - outside of the opening screen theme, nothing was all too memorable.”
“I went and bought a second copy of this game for one reason only - in the hopes that the developer will take those profits and buy a beer on me for whoever was responsible for the musical score in this game.”
- stability16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report a relatively smooth experience with minor glitches that don't significantly impact gameplay, others have encountered more frustrating bugs that detract from enjoyment. The game is currently in open beta, which may explain some of the issues, but developers are responsive to feedback. Players are advised to be prepared for occasional technical hiccups, particularly with interactions and quest updates.
“The game runs great, with no stuttering or hiccups on my system.”
“The game is relatively bug-free, with the exception of occasionally having to stand in a specific spot to interact with something.”
“Also, it's a bit buggy; for example, one of the crew's dialogues didn't update when a quest was completed.”
“I bought the game when it first released. It was a good concept and I was excited to play, although I stopped about 2 hours in due to glitches and gameplay issues that just didn't make it enjoyable. I didn't give up on it though and left it for months to clean up and add extra ideas, and I was glad I did.”
“I wanted to love it, but it just isn't well balanced for gameplay or designed to reward you for exploring, and it's pretty buggy.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as low due to repetitive gameplay, with several users expressing uncertainty about its long-term appeal. However, the promise of upcoming content and updates may enhance replay value in the future, potentially increasing enjoyment for players.
“But they're going to release new content by the end of the year, so that and further updates might increase its replayability.”
“It's much more playable, and I think you can get some decent enjoyment from it.”
“It doesn't have any replay value in my eyes because it repeats itself.”
“Low replay value.”
“I like this game but am not sure about its replayability.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is described as cute and wholesome, offering a pleasant experience without significant emotional depth or stakes, which may limit player engagement. While the mechanics like crafting and cooking are well-designed, the lack of emotional connection to the characters makes it difficult for some players to feel invested in the gameplay. Overall, it provides a satisfying one-time playthrough but may not resonate deeply for repeated experiences.
“It's cute and wholesome, and while I don't plan on playing it again, I was glad to experience it once.”
“It is a wholesome title with no real deaths or major repercussions, and it can teach patience to someone who is clearly not me!”
“If I had any kind of emotional connection to these characters, it would help a lot, but it's hard to get excited about giving gifts to cardboard cutouts.”
- character development6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the engaging character development and design, which enhance the addictive gameplay and encourage continued play beyond initial objectives. The attention to detail in character design adds depth, making the experience more enjoyable and immersive.
“The ones with addictive gameplay loops and fun character development that keeps you playing well past when you've paid off the debt for grandpa's farm.”
“I love the look and character design of this game.”
“So, there's a lot of background detail and character design that went into a position that could be accomplished just as well by a stick with an attached signboard.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as family-friendly and light-hearted, with minimal violence, making it suitable for all ages. Reviewers find it genuinely funny and recommend it for its comedic elements.
“Very family friendly, violence kept to a minimum and kind of funny.”
“The game was pretty funny; I really recommend it.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game features well-optimized tool usage and inventory management that enhance the gameplay experience. Users report smooth performance even on high settings, with no issues noted on systems like the i7 6700k and GTX 1070 at 1440p.
“Tool usage and inventory management are optimized to fit the gameplay.”
“Performance is not an issue in this game; I'm running maxed out with an i7 6700k and a 1070 at 1440p.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game currently features no DLC or microtransactions, making it a more appealing and straightforward purchase compared to many other titles that often include such monetization strategies.
“As of the writing (and editing as of December 2020, thank goodness) of this review, there's still no DLC or microtransactions in sight, which in and of itself makes it a far better and safer buy than other games.”
