How It Starts
Upon starting the game the story kicks in immediately you find out you captains time is up and the crew have nominated you to be the captain, now that is all well and good but the character your playing as does not really know how to be captain, well that is where you come in.
Your first missions will teach you the rope and believe me there is a lot of ropes here to learn (sorry about the ship puns) the game suggest you go fishing in the near by spots to get fish to sell to the village for coin, after a brief spot of fishing that is actually rather enjoyable we have a full hull and have to sell our wares to the nearest village.
Upon opening the village screen you become a little overwhelmed but the game does a very good job at explaining stuff to you and once you get the hang of these menus its actually seriously enjoyable.
The Notice Board
You read that correct the Notice board has a nice array of objectives for you to do, so I thought a section on this would be one to cover as you will find yourself doing a fair few of these missions while your sailing the seas.
First we have Courier Runs to complete these you pick up the mission in one location and sometime take it to one location as seen in the image below, however there are times where you will need to go to multiple locations to drop of cargo. Upon handing cargo to the last place you automatically complete the mission so there is no need to venture all the way back to the starting town to receive payment.
Escort Missions, well we all love a good escort mission within these you will be escorting a ship to another port along the way your likely to encounter combat, after all that is the whole point of needing an escort in the first place right.
Local Bounty, these mission will ask you to remain within the said location that you are currently picking up the quest from here you will need to locate the bounty but don’t worry the game does a really good job of highlighting this on the map in red so you know exactly who you are going after.
The other missions within the notice board are variations of the aforementioned quests. fight pirates, deliver cargo but while maintaining a low profile etc.
The Marketplace
Now this is what I love I am one of those that spent countless hours on Runescape back in the day flipping items at the grand exchange so you can imaging my joy when I see a marketplace that changes depending on the economy. The idea hear is that you would either buy product for a low price in one port and ship it to another port to make a profit or you could source the materials yourself and sell them at the port paying the most, as you can see at the top of the image there is a tax on this and the tax varies depending which port your docked at.
The Combat
The combat consists of circling the enemy ship, which does display its cannon radius to make it a little easier for us to maintain them safe distances, however the game does have a skill tree within it and you will find within the combat tree some little tricks that can be used to get the advantage in combat one of which is a fire barrel that you can hurl from your ship to the enemy setting them on fire. The combat is actually really fun and I can imaging some of the unique builds out there.
What Steam Has To Say About The Game
Now I wouldn’t normally tag the steam page into the bottom of a review however this game is huge the developer have done an amazing job at making this and I want to ensure we show case it the best we can.
New World to Discover: Start as a young, unaffiliated captain with an entire world open for exploration. Every campaign features a unique, procedurally generated map, ensuring no two games are alike.
Play Solo or Co-op: Experience it all alone or sail with friends—the choice is yours.
Trade, Quest, or Wander: Engage in peaceful trading, take on quests for various factions, fish the seas, or dive for hidden treasures. Prefer a quieter life? You can simply sail and enjoy the open waters.
Dynamic World Impact: Towns and provinces need resources to grow. Supplying them leads to prosperity, while faction leaders will involve you in their agendas. Helping one may hinder another, and enough support can even let a faction leader take control of a province—without a single cannon being fired.
Fully Customizable Ships: Build the ship that suits your style—whether it’s a tough juggernaut that can take a beating, a quick schooner that rains fire from afar, or a support vessel keeping allies afloat. Swap out cannons for extra armor and turn your ship into a ramming juggernaut if that’s your thing.
Diverse Talent Trees: As you level up, unlock talent points to enhance Defense, Offense, or Support specializations. Each tree offers unique abilities and sub-paths, and you can mix talents across specializations to create powerful, personalized builds.
Crew & Captains: Expand your toolkit by recruiting crew, mates, and captains—each bringing their skills to your ship.
Upgrade & Expand: The gold you earn isn’t just for supplies—it’s your ticket to bigger and better ships. From nimble Schooners to powerful Frigates and versatile Brigantines. Follow storylines to unlock even more unique ships.
Forge Your Path: Whether you aim to be a feared pirate, a master trader, or a loyal faction ally, it’s up to you!
Designed for Co-op: While the journey is yours, it’s even better with friends. Windward Horizon was built with co-op in mind—so bring your crew, set sail, and experience the chaotic fun together!
Our Thought / Overview
Windward Horizons has a really detailed story and some amazing visuals, each dock has its own markets and stores, different ship have different crew sizes and capacity when it comes to loot. The game delivers a decent coop experience and an even better multiplayer experience. It fun to sail around and gather things to bank that coin at the end of a run. Sailing can seem slow but there are different items you can attach to your ship allowing for different movement builds and varying ship builds. Overall I have seriously enjoyed my time with Windward Horizons a lot more than I thought I would have enjoyed my time with it.
