I kept having reservations about Sail Forth because it does have some flaws in my opinion. Ultimately though, in the last few days I’ve smashed through over 20 hours of it and am happy to keep going. Despite imperfections it’s got a moreish quality; relaxing, sometimes frustrating, definitely fun.
Setting a whole game on water is unusual enough to be automatically of interest to me. Controlling my boat in a dynamic water and weather system using actual wind currents is an even bigger draw. It’s a giant play pool. The uber wholesome and endearing world is essentially open, but works more like a long series of mini levels with a little backtracking. There seems to be six or seven distinct larger areas which have to be tackled in order. Each broken into about a dozen (bit of guessing there) island groups followed by a boss. I’ve just reached the fourth main area/level. It has penguins.
Highlights of the game for me are the relaxing exploration of new areas, collecting resources, taking photos, customising the weapons on the boats in my fleet (flaming arrows ftw), and the sea battles. The reason why I lose hours to Sail Forth is that I want to fully explore the next new area. Just one more time.
Each area has the same basic components. A race, a target course, merchant, lighthouse, delivery customers, photo ops, fishing spots, skull shrines, forts and boatyards, and a final boss. The third area added a couple more set ups for more battles, and the militant frogs with their nonsense code phrases which made me chuckle. A lot of the dialogue is amusing. The pseudo pirate language can get utterly mental in places with so much slang but it’s all good. Anyhow, there is plenty to do in each area before the boss but it does risk being repetitive. That can be true of the dialogue too. A few more random responses for the repeating events would help make it feel more like something new.
With so much to do in each area and a fairly languid mode of transport the overall pace is slow. Doubly so for someone like me who checks out everything and generally wastes time doing simple stuff. At first I sailed between island groups every time but ended up using fast travel because there is no shortage of sailing. Whilst I greatly enjoy the relaxing nature of checking each nook and bay of a map, in a world so large it takes a long time. I can’t help feeling it would be better to reduce the size of the world and spread the same content a little more densely across it, while also being sure that new events are introduced gradually across the game rather than mostly up front and repeated. In fairness I’m only halfway through and there are signs of that in the third area. There’s just a chance of it getting too repetitive, unnecessarily. But hey, people keep saying that to Ubisoft.
Another part of progression that could do with a tweak is the boats. The main resource is wood. It acts like money and repairs boats. Yes, you can have a fleet of four. Very cool. There’s loads of wood available and because I explore a lot it wasn’t long until I could afford what seems to be the biggest boat. Since then I’ve found blueprints for smaller ones which helps to improve my fleet; it’s good to have some smaller faster ones and I can switch to commanding them for sailing along shallow and narrow stretches. Or in races. Regardless, it felt like I got the big boat a bit too soon. And was able to kit it out with better cannons quite quickly. Each boat has a weight limit, meaning that you need a bigger boat for some of the strongest cannons. It’s left me less impressed with some of the new upgrades in the shop as I’ve leapt ahead so fast and feel a bit OP. I’ve also researched the whole tech tree. Maybe the biggest boat should have been an unlockable at a specific point. That would have worked well with the weight limit for cannons to create a natural progression of weapons. Again though, I’m only halfway and there may be more to come. Enemies are now using lasers, so there is scope for new tech.
My last bit for nitpicking is also the most fun. There’s a touch of jank to the physics and events which can at times frustrate but I wouldn’t want it fixed too much. It adds more flavour. The water physics feel exhilarating to navigate. When a storm rolls in the waves swell, they can get pretty huge, and you should approach them dead on which can lead to quite a jump on the other side. It’s thrilling stuff with the rain and lightning.
An example of how things can combine. The shooting target course is as it sounds. Targets are set up on posts, rocks and moving bars for you to shoot with cannons. There is a time limit. It’s one of the harder bits of the game. So I’m failing and hitting retry, then a storm comes in. Now I’m failing while trying to not get overturned by a giant wave side swiping me. One of the targets is permanently destroyed. The weather improves but my own fleet of boats have decided to sail into the course and are smashing into me. When I get a good run I’m suddenly finding the course near impossible and replay it dozens of times. Then I realise that the last target has been moved out of position by the storm. Really far away. It makes a mockery of the time limit. After fast travelling out and back in the course has reloaded to normal and I ace it in one try.
As frustrating as that might sound, I like that it’s possible. Makes the world feel more alive. Plus I nearly beat the stupid hard target course. There may also be a tide system because I sailed past a character stood on a pier who had previously been fine but was now 95% submerged. Still calm as anything. Cool as a sea cucumber.
I’ve had my boat beached. Trapped under a dead giant crab. Caught in a moving target till it sank. Thankfully you can resurrect lost boats cheaply in the shop. My favourite character is the shop owner, a sea slug in a head bowl with a masochistic desire to pass savings on to you. And then there’s the simple joy of watching one of my AI controlled fleet sail full speed into the fish emporium and seeing the building jump up and backwards from the force. It’s a good job there is no friendly damage from the many collisions of my own boats slamming bow first into me.
Okay, enough teasing the game. These are all dynamic 3D issues that even the biggest game companies have problems with. That a small dev was able to put this game together at all is impressive. And the small amount of jank is as lovable as the silly characters.
Quick note on the graphics. I think they are deceptively simple looking and through careful colour and lighting choices create stunning little vistas. There is a modest photo mode, which is part of the gameplay for earning decorative items, that makes posing for screenshots easy and is a mini hobby in itself.
Sea battles are the best. Perfecting them will mean using all four fingers on the shoulders and triggers. Reacting with sails and guns as quick as possible. Surely the most engaging bit of the game. Alternatively there is room to be sloppy as there are so many resources available it’s easy to keep repairing the boat during battle. Like chugging down extra strong health potions. Planning ahead for position with wind direction in mind adds strategy and keeps things lively. Once you’re in a big boat, pulling alongside an enemy and unloading masses of explosive firepower is very satisfying. Throw in some harpoon action and the occasional boarding to capture a vessel for extra sauce.
Sail Forth has a few flaws, the significance of which will depend on your taste. I’ve got sucked into it with ease. It may be a tad on the long side but a fair amount of the content is optional, so good players could skip a chunk of it. I’m happy to take my time with it. It’s a lovely game to look at and while away the hours.
Available from Steam, Epic, and console stores.
mishmash 