Windward is an indie rpg/sandbox with a simple but at the same time uncommon premise: you take the control of a ship and you explore the seas trading, hunting pirates and fighting for the glory of your faction. This sentence alone probably gave some of you reminiscences of Sid Meier’s Pirates, and with good reason. Don’t be fooled though; Tasharen Entertainment took heavy inspiration from Sid Meier’s naval exploration game but tries to carve its own niche in the theme. So, all aboard the SS Clever Girl to see what this game has to offer.
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The trade system is straightforward and will give joy to any capitalist. Its premise is the classic “buy low, sell high.” This translates in-game by docking in a town, going to the tavern tab to see if there’s a town somewhere that is in need of the goods that you can buy there, buy anything you can store in your cargo, go to a different town to sell your merchandise, rinse and repeat. It starts to feel like a chore after a short while.
The combat is also pretty simple but also really fun. Your cannons fire from the side of your ship towards your enemy and you can activate your ship’s abilities as soon as the cooldown time allows you. Do that until someone sinks. While it can feel too basic at times, there’s a bit of strategy involved. It’s very satisfying when you manage to take advantage of the wind in order to circle around your enemy and take it by the tail where he can’t answer your fire. Your strategy is also affected by the equipment and the crew your ship is endowed. You can decide to favor cannons and ammunitions that go long range, while your skilled captain gives a bonus to your speed, or maybe you go for more powerful weaponry that hit at a shorter range, maybe with some heavy defense on the side so you can go close and personal. Your strategy can also depend on what kind of ship you’re using. A heavy but sturdy galleon will most likely just anchor and turn around shooting anything in range while a corvette will favor hit and run maneuvers.
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The main problem of Windward is that it does not have an actual end goal. Yeah, I know, it’s the whole point of sandbox games not having a defined goal. Sandbox games, though, give you the means to set an end goal for yourself through its mechanics. Windward does not really have that. The mechanics we just discussed just repeat themselves over and over until your faction eventually controls the whole map. It’s just a matter of grinding for better gear to go in more dangerous regions and do what you did until then all over again.
