Windbound succeeds in how it balances so many different elements. Sometimes it can get precarious - sailing definitely had some moments of exasperation - but more often than not, the world of the game was in harmony, with exploration feeding into crafting, combat leading to rewarding resources, and sailing providing the calm middle. Every aspect works together to provide a winning, endearing experience that makes Windbound a special game on the Switch, especially if you’re looking for a survival game with a little bit of Zelda.

Windbound is an equally intense and relaxed survival experience. This will largely depend on the way we play, but the feeling of exploration is magnificent, always inviting us to discover and solve the different mysteries of our odyssey. Perhaps the combat system and other points can be improved, but of course it is an adventure worth playing.

Windbound is most certainly not the Zelda-lite adventure that you may have expected it to be, but it still manages to pull off an impressively well-made survival experience that’s fun to roam around in for a few hours. The open-ended progression, pleasing art style, and relaxing pace make this one an easy recommendation for fans of the survival genre, though it’s held back from greatness due to issues with repetition. Still, it’s tough to go wrong with what’s on offer here; you might want to give this one a look.

This tedium would be unacceptable in an action game, but Windbound is a survival game. In survival games, death is supposed to mean something. Loss of progress represents the stakes; repetition is the barrier of entry. For players ready to take that plunge, there are some far-and-few-between moments of Windbound which are exhilarating. There’s nothing quite like stalking down the player’s first Gorehorn or Gloomharrow and seeing the game’s possibilities open right up as a reward for some intrepid hunting skills. But that being said, it’s a kind of enjoyment which needs to be really scrapped for and earned, and for most people, I suspect Windbound is going to feel a little too much like work.

Windbound is a survival game with rogue lite components. If the game has good ideas and design, the controls lacks of ergonomy, and the game is quite repetitive.

Neither compelling as a survival simulation nor captivating as a story-based experience, Windbound is all at sea.

Windbound promises so much with beautiful Zelda-like visuals, but visuals alone do not make for a great game. The survival and rogue-like aspects detract from this game’s personality, and a miserable, repetitive search across each level make the game a bore.