Windward

About

Windward is a role-playing game that can be played by yourself or with others in a massively multiplayer environment. The game allows you to generate a procedural world, design your own faction, and engage in activities such as combat, trading, and questing. As you progress, you can upgrade your ship and towns will grow, offering improved rewards and opportunities. However, the game can have its share of bugs and grinding.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+36

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,793 reviews

gameplay196 positive mentions

story126 negative mentions

Relaxing gameplay with beautiful graphics and soothing music.
Offers a variety of activities including trading, combat, and questing.
Great for casual play, allowing players to engage at their own pace.

Repetitive quests and gameplay can lead to boredom after a few hours.
Limited depth and lack of a compelling story or overarching objectives.
Multiplayer experience suffers from a low player base and potential admin abuse.

story
922 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
75%
14%
The game's story aspect is largely absent, with players noting that it lacks a compelling narrative or overarching plot. Instead, gameplay revolves around repetitive fetch quests and trading, which can become monotonous over time. While some players enjoy the sandbox nature and the freedom to create their own experiences, many express a desire for a more developed storyline and varied quest types to enhance engagement.
- “I love this game; it's really peaceful if you just want to trade and do commissions/quests or get right into some good PvP action.”
- “The quest system in Windward offers the players a guiding light that encourages both passive and aggressive gameplay.”
- “With quests ranging from ferrying passengers from town to town, to seek and destroy missions to hunt down local pirates, the opportunity to gain the gold and experience necessary to buy new ships or better equipment are plentiful.”
- “There is no story/campaign.”
- “The quests are incredibly repetitive and lack any kind of meaningful narrative or context.”
- “As it stands right now, windward is a game in desperate need of a storyline, for otherwise it gets old real quickly.”
gameplay
633 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
8%
The gameplay of Windward is characterized by its simplicity and repetitiveness, primarily revolving around ship combat, trading, and questing in a procedurally generated world. While many players find the mechanics enjoyable and the atmosphere relaxing, the overall experience can become monotonous after a few hours, with limited depth and variety in activities. Multiplayer gameplay enhances the fun, but the core mechanics often lack the complexity and engagement expected from a more developed title.
- “Great gameplay that holds up over time.”
- “It's a fun naval game, with fun mechanics, fair systems, and engaging battles.”
- “The gameplay is fantastic.”
- “Very simple and shallow gameplay.”
- “The grind coupled with the boring gameplay makes this a 'meh' experience.”
- “Gameplay never evolves - the same three activities (fighting, trading, questing) follow the basic same pattern in the 20th hour of the game as they did in the 2nd hour of the game.”
graphics
438 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
33%
2%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and optimization, with many users noting that they are visually appealing and run smoothly even on lower-end hardware. While some describe the visuals as simplistic or low-poly, the overall aesthetic, particularly the water effects and environments, is often highlighted as a strong point that enhances the relaxing gameplay experience. However, a few reviews mention that the graphics may not be as impressive compared to AAA titles, but they still hold up well for an indie game.
- “The graphics are amazing, and it never ceases to amaze me what features exist.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the sounds relaxing and the mechanics are simple.”
- “The graphics are sharp, especially the water effects which are gorgeous.”
- “While the visuals seem okay, on close inspection they're very low poly, to cater to the limited capabilities of iPhones.”
- “The graphics are very basic and an old smartphone can run the game (so, increase the graphics so I can zoom in like the Total War series and see more).”
- “The graphics were pretty, but pretty simple; the trees don't move like trees in the wind, they move like kelp underwater, all at the exact same time, same motion. It's just annoying and another wrongness on the edge of your attention.”
grinding
352 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and repetitive, with many players noting that it can quickly become a chore, especially in the mid-to-late game. While some find the grind enjoyable and relaxing, particularly when playing with friends, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, leading to a lack of engagement and motivation. Overall, the game is characterized by a significant amount of grinding for upgrades and resources, which may appeal to dedicated players but can be off-putting for those seeking a more varied gameplay experience.
- “The prevalence of courier quests, unsatisfying combat and rewards, and quickly grindy repetitiveness of the gameplay left me feeling like I was wasting my time and would rather be playing something else.”
- “One of the worst grinding experiences I have ever had in a game.”
- “The game looks great but in its current state offers little content other than grinding for loot and XP for leveling, so I very soon grew bored with the game.”
music
296 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
46%
5%
The music in the game is generally described as calming and pleasant, enhancing the relaxing atmosphere of gameplay. However, many reviewers note that the soundtrack is repetitive and lacks variety, with only a limited number of tracks that can become monotonous over time. While some players appreciate the soothing quality of the music, others feel it detracts from the overall experience due to its lack of diversity.
- “The music, the sounds of the boat and the water, the amazing visuals, it's just beautiful and relaxing.”
- “The music is soothing as well.”
- “The music is relaxing, themed and changes with the circumstances you find yourself in, but it would be nice if there was a longer playlist the game had to choose from as it gets a little samey after a few hours.”
- “Music: 0 out of 10 due to 'just boring and repeats the same tune over and over.'”
- “It was fun for about an hour, the tasks are tedious and there is virtually no sailing aspect to the game; it's a repetitive game and the soundtrack gets old fast.”
- “Windward has many good points, the game itself is an excellent idea but it grows boring very quickly, even the music was amazing at first until I realized it was just the same two tracks on loop over and over.”
replayability
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its procedural generation and customization options that offer near-endless replay value, while others note a lack of depth and limited replayability after reaching the end game. Many enjoy the fun mechanics and variety, suggesting that it can provide substantial entertainment over multiple sessions, especially in multiplayer. Overall, opinions vary, with some rating it highly for replayability and others finding it lacking.
- “The sailing, (re)naming of things, replayability & the battles etc. are just so much fun...”
- “Everything is procedural, so it's got lots of replayability.”
- “Sid Meier's Pirates meets procedurally generated maps with a sprinkle of RPG and multiplayer adds for an infinite amount of replay value.”
- “Not a whole lot of replay value though.”
- “I can say after reaching 'end game' it was unreplayable.”
- “Unfortunately, because of this, it's not a game that I would say is fun if you want to just 'jump in for a few minutes' but instead is probably a far more playable game from the sphere of 'play a few hours at a time and save your game progress'.”
atmosphere
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
27%
9%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, enhanced by a pleasant soundtrack and engaging visuals. Many players appreciate the vibrant and dynamic environment, which encourages exploration and social interaction, although some criticize elements like flying ships for disrupting the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere is described as impeccable, making it a significant draw for players seeking a soothing gameplay experience.
- “Great game atmosphere and engaging gameplay.”
- “Incredibly relaxing atmosphere, controls, soundtrack, and overall game.”
- “The music and the way the sail flaps in the wind as you change directions is very atmospheric.”
- “Flying ships ruin the game atmosphere in my opinion and should be removed since they have an unfair advantage and ruin the experience.”
- “Extremely repetitive, boring game with a somewhat bright atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere and graphics remind me of Civ V, but with a hint of dynamics because of the combat.”
stability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
82%
The stability of the game is mixed, with some players reporting significant bugs and glitches, particularly on Mac and in multiplayer modes, while others praise its overall performance and minimal issues. Many users note minor glitches and occasional control problems, but overall, the game is considered playable and well-executed by a portion of the community. Frequent updates and accessible developers are highlighted as positive aspects that help address these stability concerns.
- “For once buying a new game - this game was a real good investment as it's playable pretty much bug-free and offers a lot of fun.”
- “Runs great, looks great, plays great, but it could be a 10x better game if it simply had 10x more things to do.”
- “The game isn't buggy.”
- “There are bugs and glitches galore for a game that's been out this long and has been forgotten by the dev.”
- “Game is broken and buggy for Mac, needs to be updated.”
- “Buggy, can't play as the mouse is uncontrollable and constantly jumps back to center screen.”
humor
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is widely praised for its quirky and amusing elements, particularly during multiplayer sessions where chaotic battles lead to hilarious moments. Players enjoy the funny NPC interactions and the comedic dialogue, especially when playing with friends, although some note that the experience can feel less engaging in solo play. Overall, the humor is a standout feature that enhances the gameplay, particularly in larger group settings.
- “Good graphics, nice ambient sounds, and funny NPCs comment when you meet them on your travels.”
- “The humor is amusing; it's not uncommon for enemy pirates to shout things like 'the captain's on fire!!'”
- “Where the game really shines are larger battle instances when more people are online, and then things become frantic and hilarious.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
30%
20%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on lower-end systems and features decent graphics without significant performance issues, some elements like random map generation and server latency require further improvement. Players appreciate the fast startup speed and visual appeal, but there are concerns about repetitive audio and the lack of updates for older content.
- “Very fast performance/start up speed.”
- “- Very well optimized, runs like a charm on my fairly potato computer.”
- “This game is pleasant to look at without creating any performance issues.”
- “Since it's quite old already, it will probably never see the optimizations it would need to be less annoying and actually a lot of fun.”
- “The random maps are poorly optimized; I had an area I needed to get to but couldn't because there was no way to get there.”
- “Latency for public servers needs optimization for supporting the amount of players.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of Windward has been criticized as a lazy cash grab, with players feeling that the game lacks depth and fails to deliver on its advertised features like diplomacy, trade, and exploration. Many users report that the experience feels more suited for single-player rather than the multiplayer aspect promoted by the developers.
- “Windward, in sad reality, is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as a lazy cash grab.”
- “Despite advertising diplomacy, trade, and exploration as options, they're not as prevalent as you would think.”
- “I have played this game single player, which is not what the devs recommend in their advertising blurb, and I have played it 'with' a friend, and either way feels pretty much like a solo experience.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a lack of emotional engagement with the game, citing a disconnection from the characters and the absence of a compelling narrative. While the gameplay mechanics provide a functional hook, the lack of personality in the captains and crew, along with a weak overarching story, leaves players feeling indifferent to their quests and trading activities.