I came across this game shortly before its release, and told a friend about it, who said that he and another friend had already planned to buy it. So, I picked it up along with them, and we set up a server.
Sailing The High Seas
It is a lot of fun, and it gave me the same feeling I got when I first picked up Valheim.
Both games are very fun, but style-wise, I think I much preferred the low-poly, almost cartoonish style of Valheim over Windrose's style.
Both games are very different in their look, but the building mechanics are almost identical between the two.
Windrose gives a lot more freedom when it comes to choosing a base. As you head out to explore the large map, you are almost overwhelmed with the possibilities of places to settle down.
Our main base is on a small island, and over the last few weeks we have expanded it very well. There is now a large pier, a lighthouse, and some main buildings/ houses.
The others I'm playing with have done a great job of not only designing their buildings, but also decorating the interiors.
There are plenty of design options, which also allow you to build towns that look like they belong in the game's world.
Gameplay
The gameplay loop in this game is good; there are plenty of quests to keep you busy and exploring, and after some exploring, you find interesting places to set up a camp/permanent base. Then, through levelling up equipment, you require more valuable resources, which makes you explore further.
One thing I noticed is that I have literally no idea what the story of the game is, as I skipped through all dialogue. Essentially, I go to a person with an exclamation mark, talk to them, and they send me to an area of the map to talk to someone, or get something, or fight a ship.
I don't think it's the game's fault that I haven't paid much attention to the story; I think it's playing the game with people. While there is talking going on, it's not a great time to do any excessive reading.
We have all still had a blast playing it together, regardless of how much of the story we have picked up along the way.
Playing Multiplayer
I don't think I would like playing this game alone; it is, without a doubt, more enjoyable with a band of friends.
That goes for survival/ sandbox games in general.
Minecraft is one game I like to play by myself once in a blue moon, but there aren't many other games of this nature that I am compelled to play by myself.
My only regret about the game is that there isn't more emphasis put on players to join together to man a ship.
In the likes of Sea of Thieves, everyone can join one ship and work the canons, help with the sails, or patch up breaches.
In Windrose, everyone has their own and does everything themselves with the push of a button, and it's a missed opportunity to really encourage people to play together.
There are areas where it is required for players to team up for the sake of combat, but it would be nice to have the option to all play together.