Every now and again, a game comes along that immediately captures your interest, turning one quick play session into several hours, and Everwind has certainly hit that mark.
The RPG Sandbox Survival shares a lot of similarities with other games in the genre, namely Minecraft and Hytale, but a novel approach, putting a flying ship into the heart of the game, makes exploration enticing and difficult to steer away from.
On several occasions, I’ve told myself, ‘one more island,’ and set a course, only to break that declaration mere minutes later as I spot another point in the distance I want to check out, and soon, hours have gone by.
Exploration Made Worthwhile
One issue I’ve always had around Sandbox games and exploration is the fear of getting lost, or of dying far, far away from home, essentially condemning my items to be out of reach forever. In Everwind, however, that’s not an issue.
Your flying ship becomes your main base and hub, with storage, crafting, cooking, and everything else you need. Whenever you travel to a far-off island, it’s your base that you’re flying through the sky and steering to a new destination. Wherever you arrive, you know you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips.
This, it turns out, is vital, as there’s really no telling what you will find on the next island you visit. I’ve had peaceful areas full of capybara, mysterious half-destroyed houses teeming with loot, and areas where there are plenty of skeletons to fight. I’ve also come face-to-face with a bear, but that didn’t end well for me any of the five times I tried to fight it.
In the tussle with the bear, it quickly became apparent that the weapons I had at my disposal and the armor I was wearing for protection were no match. I needed upgrades and, unlike other games where you can essentially skip forward as much as you want with upgrades, as long as you have the required resources, Everwind requires you to go on the hunt to find recipes.
As such, every new island you visit can result in a big leap forward in your advancement, and there’s really no telling what you will find.
The Perfect Balance
Another issue with Sandbox games I’ve had in the past is knowing what to do. Of course, you don’t want a definitive step-by-step approach, as that’s the opposite of what Sandbox titles are all about, but having some sort of guidance when you get started is important.
Everwind handles this perfectly. In the tutorial, when you start, you’re quickly given a few quests to complete that introduce the mechanics of crafting, cooking, and smelting. Then, you’re given instructions on how to build your flying ship and directed to a destination where you make your own.
From there, tool tips can be found whenever you find something new of note that you have not encountered before, offering detailed guidance, should you want it, but it’s largely down to you to discover. In my eyes, this is perfect, as if I get stuck, I have the answers, but I’m not peddling through basic quest after quest, learning all of the mechanics of the game.
Similarly to Hytale, which released earlier this year, the early access launch is merely the next step on Everwind’s journey, and there’s lots more to come during development. I, for one, cannot wait to see what else lies around the corner.
Have you pre-ordered Everwind? What are you most excited for? Share your thoughts in the Insider Gaming Discord.
For more reviews, check out Insider Gaming’s assessment of Solateria and John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando.
