Those who may have been critical towards Breath of the Wild’s putrescent artillery will have every excuse to lash out at Kara’s deteriorating defense system. Omitting dungeons, inquisitive puzzles, hellacious boss battles and captivating dialogue, Kara simply traverses across a multitude of parched scenery with encounters that seem like obstacles, rather than spectacles.
With a narrative that strives on castaway vibes, Windbound’s story progression sits stagnant alongside its simplistic callback to Breath of the Wild’s heavy lifting. That’s not the case at all, in fact what you experience from the beginning carries over and becomes the title’s core gameplay loop. Designing your seacraft and drifting off into the deep blue seems like the beginning of an ambitious quest away from the empty shell of the title’s opening phase. Unfortunately, for the aforementioned mechanics, crafting seems to be second nature to Windbound’s humdrum exploration. Hearkening to Zelda’s roots, a small number of ceramic pots are hidden across each island with random items some useful, some are just apparent filler for absolutely nothing. Mushrooms, Kojiberries, and an assorted bag of good can be cooked up by crafting a cauldron and tossing your ingredients in, ala Breath of the Wild. Vegetation and wildlife will become prominent resources for health, however these items will rot over time rendering some useless. Slinging cobble at wildlife may lead to vicious encounters, so be prepared to take on a raging warthog, or mammoth wildebeast in hopes of extracting fresh meats for cooking. Remnants of each piece of nature are collectable for crafting equipment such as coiled grassrope for its use in ranged attacks. The early stages of our adventure see’s Kara explore the lush environments of each enclave, encompassed by slabs of boulder and bedrock. Her will to survive initiates her tribal instincts, crafting a plethora of makeshift appliances and weaponry. Turfed to the mysterious isles, she is left without rations of nourishment, no artillery or tools, but is given the isolated landscapes at her disposal. Portraying Kara, a warrior washed on a string of islands after being separated from her tribe in a relentless thunderstorm. While exhibiting an open world structure may have been its objective, Windbound is essentially a sandbox title with a linear campaign that is only progressive in its overall crafting and survival loop. It’s an odd sensation to experience a comatose microcosm that exudes beauty, yet evokes a lacklustre experience. I admire 5 Lives and their ambitious take, striving to re-invent the action-adventure genre with some decent crafting and concrete storytelling, but the title omits to encapsulate its audience with a desolate and bland overworld that for a majority of its gametime, seems quite barren.
WINDBOUND REVIEWS SERIES
Title’s that strive to lift heavy framework from prominent, notable series and mix them with one another tend to aim for a “quick fix” scheme which rarely leads to an “instant classic”. Its formulation however, is less than to be desired.
For a game inspired by The Legend of Zelda’s Windwaker and Breath of the Wild, it amalgamates many attributes from a myriad of key franchises that have revolutionised our industry.
While I would love to inform those looking to invest their time into this seemingly mystical adventure, Windbound delivers a stunning overture in graphical fidelity but lacks any real depth in its gameplay loop. For a title that looks absolutely gorgeous, and aesthetically above anything leading industry studios have delivered this year, Windbound has unfortunately demonstrated that looks aren’t everything in gaming.
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