Windrose Preview: A Solid Pirate Game Laid Low by a Slow Beginning

Many games blend different genres these days, and the newest one to do so is a pirate adventure that combines survival elements with the challenging combat of ‘Souls-like’ games. Essentially, it’s a game where you play as a pirate, face tough battles, and repeatedly die as you strive to become a legendary figure.

I’ve spent a little over 15 hours with this game so far, and honestly, it feels like I’ve only seen a tiny bit of what it has to offer. It’s a really massive game – like a lot of survival games – but sometimes that length feels a bit much. And let me tell you, it’s tough, especially if you’re playing by yourself. I really had to learn the ropes during those first few hours, and it was a struggle!

After getting the hang of how the game works, I felt much more free to explore and experiment, which was both good and bad. Because the game is launching in Early Access soon, the developers have a chance to make improvements. While a few things could be tweaked, I really had fun playing Windrose and plan to continue doing so.

What Even is Windrose?

Okay, so Windrose is basically a pirate survival game, but with a really cool twist! It takes the challenging, skill-based combat you find in games like the Souls series and puts it into a pirate world. You start by making your character, watching a cool intro, and then you’re dropped onto the map. There is a story, and it’s actually pretty central to how the game unfolds as you play – it’s what drives you forward!

Explore islands, collect materials, defeat enemies, and complete tasks as you progress. Use what you find to build and upgrade your base, crafting better equipment to help you track down those who murdered you and stole your valuable, haunted treasure.

The game offers tons of different weapon combinations, so you’re not limited to the classic sword and pistol – though I personally enjoyed that pirate feel! Whether you prefer big two-handed weapons, crushing blunt weapons, or something else entirely, you can choose what suits your playstyle and build your character around it.

The game features character levels and stat upgrades, similar to the *Soulslike genre. Your weapons become more powerful as you increase related attributes. Once you get a seaworthy ship, a lot more content opens up for you to explore.

The game features everything from shipping cargo and naval battles to, surprisingly, excellent sea shanties. The world is huge, and you’ll spend a lot of time traveling between islands. While it has some flaws, the game is captivating and encourages you to improve your skills so you can fully enjoy its many hours of content.

A Survival Game in the Weirdest Ways

I enjoy the game, but it’s strange that it was marketed as a survival game. It doesn’t really have any traditional survival elements. It does involve collecting and processing resources, which might be what they were aiming for, but beyond that, simply avoiding death is the only ‘survival’ aspect.

Don’t worry about managing temperature, hunger, or thirst – they won’t slowly kill you. You will need to cook and eat food, though, otherwise every fight will be incredibly difficult and require flawless play. Food restores health and can also give you temporary boosts to your abilities, depending on the quality of the ingredients you use.

It’s a bit of an unusual decision, but it fits with the game’s focus on survival elements. While it’s quite different from a game like Grounded 2, the core gameplay feels similar to many survival games: you’ll explore, collect resources and equipment, and then head back to your base.

Honestly, this game isn’t nearly as brutal as a Souls game, and that’s a good thing! That’s why people call it a ‘soulslite’ – it takes the core ideas but dials back the difficulty. I really liked how the survival elements and the Souls-like combat blended together, though I was hoping the game would lean more into the survival side of things. Right now, those parts feel a little bit like they were just added on top instead of being fully integrated.

An Excruciatingly Slow Beginning

My biggest issue with the game right now is how slowly it starts. It’s tough to get the pacing right, especially with a game that blends different genres, but it really becomes noticeable when you finally leave the starting island.

You start with a small boat, and you’ll be traveling quite a distance. It’s slow, which is understandable, but even after upgrading to a larger ship, the speed didn’t really improve much. The ship is only twice as fast as the small boat, but the destinations always seem to be further away, making the travel time about the same.

The most annoying part of sailing is the downtime. Even though having your crew sing songs is fun – it’s actually my favorite thing to do – you often spend the first ten minutes just traveling with nothing to do. You can visit other islands, but it’s more efficient to focus on completing quests quickly since that gives you the most experience points.

Adding to the frustration, you can’t begin fishing until you reach the second area of the game. While it’s not a separate map, going there early is pointless – nothing becomes available until you defeat the first area’s boss. It felt like a missed opportunity to add more engaging activities while sailing, similar to what’s offered in Sea of Thieves.

Combat That Only Gets Better

I found the combat system really engaging, particularly as I unlocked new abilities and customized my character. It let me experiment with different playstyles and gear combinations, and I was constantly motivated to improve and survive longer. The fact that I could freely reset my skills made trying out different builds and weapons a lot of fun, though I always seemed to return to my favorite combination of a pistol and sword – it just felt right for a pirate!

The game is designed to be challenging – most enemies can defeat you with a single hit if you’re not prepared, which can be frustrating. But that challenge also motivates you to improve and overcome obstacles. Thankfully, defeated enemies stay down, even if you die and respawn. This allows you to gradually make progress, so even when things are tough, you can eventually win.

Windrose offers a huge variety of weapons and ways to play, so the combat system is designed to be versatile. Both you and your enemies have protective shields. Breaking these shields stuns your opponent, leaving them vulnerable to powerful attacks. Strong weapons break shields on impact, while all other weapon types can use precise blocking to wear down an enemy’s defenses.

Guns are the most impactful weapon in this game. Getting shot, especially in the face, does a lot of damage and reduces an enemy’s defenses. However, gunpowder is scarce early on, so use it wisely. As I learned the combat system, I found myself dying less often, though getting surrounded and shot by multiple enemies was still a problem.

A Pirate Ain’t Nothin Without a Crew

Okay, so this game is all about player versus environment – meaning you’re battling the game itself, not other players. But don’t think that means you have to sail the seas solo! You can team up with up to seven friends, or even set up your own server so you can play with everyone even when you’re offline. When you play with a crew, things level up a bit differently, but the developers really want to make sure it’s still all about having a good time, which is awesome!

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The game features both shared quests that everyone contributes to and personal quests completed individually. This is great because you don’t have to constantly stick with your friends while playing. Just like real pirates, players have the freedom to explore and pursue their own adventures, even if their crewmates are working on something different.

I really appreciate that this game was built for multiplayer, but honestly, playing solo feels hard. You’re constantly the target, taking all the damage, and there’s no one to help you out if you need a quick heal. Even when you’re just sailing around at the beginning, you’re usually facing groups of three enemy ships, which makes things super tough when you’re on your own.

The game blends challenging combat with survival elements effectively, though I’d like to see the survival aspects explored in greater depth.

While it’s doable solo, the game feels much better with other players. The beginning focuses heavily on gathering resources and surviving, more so than actually sailing or fighting, because you need a lot of materials to progress.

Windrose is a visually appealing game with a strong foundation that promises a lot of potential. As a longtime pirate enthusiast, I really enjoyed the opportunity to experience my pirate fantasies within the game. While there are some areas that could be improved, I’m confident the developers will refine the early gameplay and make it even more enjoyable with a little more time and effort.

Windrose is a pirate game perfect for anyone seeking a challenging, cooperative adventure with friends. I found myself increasingly determined to master the game as I played, and with over 50 hours of content already available in Early Access, it offers fantastic value for your money.

2026-04-13 16:12