On February 10, Epic Games Store users will be able to claim a new game: Windbound. EGS will also reveal, at that time, what fans can expect on February 17. One big boon with the Epic Games Store is its general emphasis on smaller titles, like Windbound, allowing fans to find new favorites that they may have skipped over.
In Windbound, players take on the role of Kara who has been shipwrecked on the Forbidden Islands. Players will need to explore, gather resources, craft, work on their ships, and more to survive. It was released in 2020 but may have flown under many radars, meaning Epic Games Store’s release of it could be someone’s first real experience with it.
Windbound: A Free Survival Game on Epic Games Store
The simplest definition is that it’s a survival game. Exploring the islands, hunting prey, creating weapons to defend one’s self, and more are all essential to Windbound’s gameplay, but at the heart of its story is a mystery about the various islands players can explore, as well as their past and their future. Overall, Windbound boasts the following features:
- Diverse landscapes, challenges, and wildlife.
- Shipcrafting and the ability to upgrade boats. Players will need to leave the islands as resources dwindle.
- Deep ship customization and crafting, as players must design their boat to deal with winds, waves, and various sea creatures.
- A full range of tools and weapons to be crafted.
A free update released in 2021 called Windbound: Rise of the Forsaken added new content, including the following:
- The Loathing is a supernatural force that has tainted and corrupted local wildlife.
- New Forsaken Enemies.
- New Melee Combat Moves.
- New Challenge Towers.
Overall, Windbound was partially inspired by Breath of the Wild, while others have compared it to survival games like Don’t Starve, The Forest, Stranded Deep, and so on. Those give a good metric for the experience, with the unique focus on seacraft, travel, and lore-heavy mysteries. For fans of survival games, it’s one worth checking out since it’s free on the Epic Games Store.
Windbound’s Critical Reception
In the gaming industry, it’s worth mentioning that some games are beloved and cherished by communities and individuals no matter the reception. No single game is everyone’s cup of tea. So, while players are encouraged to check it out for themselves, it’s still worth noting that Windbound’s critical reception is considered rather weak.
On Opencritic, Windbound has a Weak rating with a Top Critic average of 65 and only 29% of critics recommending it. Many, as a result, may have understandably passed on it, but nothing beats free. At the very least, if someone has avoided it, they can go back and see how it fares now. If they haven’t heard of it, it’s free and could end up being a personal gem. There’s no harm in trying out Windbound’s survival gameplay.
Windbound will be free on the Epic Games Store on February 10.