After our last foray into Diablo 4, Dylan and I have been looking around for what we could play next. We have a lot of ideas, and with lots of demos available on Steam right now, we decided to give Windrose a try. Actually, it unfolded like this . . . I get a text from Dylan saying he's ready to play Windrose, along with this character picture attached:
This was not just a Skip Legday, but a whole gosh-dang Skip Gymday. In my mind, it just looked like a sorry bag o' bones Pirate that needed to be fed, so who better to join Skip Gymday than Julia Child.
Thankfully, Windrose didn't disappoint, and there was a whole slew of things Julia could cook up for Skip in this Pirate-based Survival Game Demo. I was making coconut smoothies and grilled dodo kabobs a plenty!
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this demo, but I came out of it pleasantly surprised. There was a nice quest system tied to our experience, and even a few islands beyond the "tutorial isle" you could get to. Ultimately, it was all about crafting a camp, finding a shipwreck, fixing it up, freeing your crew of jailed buccaneers, and sailing the seas to engage in broadside combat. End of demo.
The combat was satisfying and fun, and t'was also incredibly familiar. To be honest, it felt a lot like a less realistic Icarus crossed with Valheim and a side of Pirate101 (or perhaps Sea of Thieves). Pirate101 you say? Well, not a turn-based story-based game, but that broadside combat alongside Skip felt really good: both of us shooting cannon fire at a ship, get the enemy ship's health low, then dock and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the scallywags on deck . . . you know, THAT part of Pirate101 ship combat.
The Windrose Demo lasted about 7 hours in total, and if there was more to play, we'd still be playing it. I'm going to keep this one on my wishlist and give it a real play when it releases. Let me know if you've played it and what you think!
Happy Dueling!
