Windrose Early Access Preview: A Pirate's Life Worth Living?

Even for a writer known for a certain aversion to all things pirate, the buzz around Windrose was undeniable. Intrigued by the widespread interest, I delved into the Early Access build, and the experience is, to put it mildly, complex. While the game boasts many commendable aspects, a critical flaw in its combat system threatens to undermine its entire foundation.

The narrative kicks off with the infamous pirate Blackbeard raiding the player's vessel in pursuit of a mystical artifact. A chest wound and a plunge overboard follow, only for the artifact to seemingly intervene, saving the player's life. Awakening on an uncharted archipelago, the player faces the daunting task of reconstructing their ship and reassembling their crew.

The path to this recovery? Lumberjacking, of course! Windrose incorporates survival and crafting mechanics, allowing players to establish a base, personalize their ship, and forge an array of tools, weapons, and attire. Surprisingly, these elements felt far from intrusive. The game wisely eschews a complex web of meters, focusing solely on hunger, which also conveniently provides temporary buffs during exploration.

A welcome departure for this genre is the absence of weapon and tool durability. While the necessity of crafting is often driven by breaking equipment in survival games, Windrose adopts an RPG-like approach. Higher-tier tools are required for rarer materials, but once acquired, they are permanent, fostering a satisfying sense of progression as you advance your gear.

While I typically prefer a freeform drag-and-drop approach to building over placement tied to character position, I must concede that building in Windrose is remarkably convenient and intuitive. Players are afforded considerable freedom in object placement, and the entire structure creation system is designed with the player in mind, proving quite user-friendly.

Now, we arrive at that crucial "one bad thing." The combat, and the systems surrounding it, in Windrose are profoundly disappointing. It's important to note that the majority of my grievances stem from the initial stages of the game. As you unlock skills and acquire better equipment, the experience becomes somewhat more manageable, and naval combat, with its straightforward controls, is actually quite enjoyable.

"I must concede that building in Windrose is remarkably convenient and intuitive."

However, the opening hours are paramount for player engagement, and nearly every combat encounter felt like a reason to abandon the game. The developer claims inspiration from the Soulslike genre, but it seems the only takeaway was that enemies should possess the ability to kill you in a single hit. This is particularly egregious in the early game, where basic creatures like Level One Piglets and Dodos can deplete your health in just two strikes. The game's own Steam trailer even depicts a player being instantly killed by a Level Two Dodo. When facing more formidable foes like zombies and mutant crabs, the situation deteriorates further. Attacking and dodging consume stamina, and once depleted, you're left vulnerable, forced to endure a slow walk while it regenerates, granting enemies a free hit—a hit that, as a reminder, is often fatal.

Furthermore, neither attacking nor blocking feels particularly satisfying. Weapons lack any semblance of weight or impact, feeling as light as feathers. Even with a two-handed Halberd, my strikes felt like papercuts, and attempts to stagger enemies were wildly inconsistent, not helped by the fact that they seemingly don't stagger mid-animation anyway. Blocking offers a limited number of hits before breaking, resulting in damage taken, making it a questionable defensive strategy.

This makes the early game a truly unpleasant experience. At a point where you possess nothing and need to gather resources for rebuilding, being constantly halted by basic enemies capable of ending your life in one blow, forcing you to trek back from your base, is incredibly disheartening. This is exacerbated by the fact that unlocking perks and abilities takes an eternity, as experience is only granted under specific conditions, and basic combat and crafting actions do not contribute to leveling.

"Honestly, I hope Windrose receives further adjustments, as it possesses a truly solid foundation to build upon."

It genuinely made me question why I was subjecting myself to such an ordeal for a decent pirate-themed building simulation. In some respects, Windrose feels tailor-made for multiplayer; a small group of friends could certainly mitigate some of the combat's unfairness, especially when facing hordes of enemies. However, for solo players, the combat requires a RADICAL overhaul and significant rebalancing for me to consider returning.

As CGM's resident Ninja, I can't help but feel a touch of melancholy for the recent state of pirate games. It feels as though Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag established an unhealthy precedent, insisting that pirate games must heavily emphasize the "realism" of ship control, and the trend has only escalated since. Pirates were once romanticized as hard-fighting, hard-drinking rebels who took what they pleased and answered to no one.

However, in games like Sea of Thieves, Skull and Bones, and now this, pirates have been reduced to pathetic scavengers who must spend countless hours punching trees to gather enough wood to even construct a seaworthy vessel, let alone the additional hours required to gather more materials for upgrades. I ask you, how many Ninja games can you name that demand endless hours of monotonous tree punching? Not a single one.

Honestly, I hope Windrose receives further adjustments, as it possesses a truly solid foundation to build upon. Its core gameplay loop of survival and crafting is genuinely satisfying and provides players with a good sense of slow, steady progression. Yet, at present, its combat is so unbearably dreadful that nearly every time I was compelled to engage with it, I felt the urge to shut the game down. It's so close to completion; if it can just overcome this final hurdle, it will undoubtedly be a gold medal contender.

Windrose launches in Early Access for PC on April 14th, 2026.