Published by The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild and developed by Festive Vector, Sail Forth is a nautical adventure game, where players can raise their sails to explore the open seas, upgrade their ships, recruit new crew members and engage in naval battles. This unique indie game is now available on PC, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Beginning the main game, players start off in a small boat with a sail, a set of oars, and not much else. The game encourages exploration to recruit new crew members from small islands and ship wreckages, which can also provide useful supplies to upgrade their ships and weapons, all to go from a tiny boat to a full-sized warship.

Sail Forth has very easy-to-learn game mechanics with its helpful tutorials and simple controls. Sailing across the open seas feels great and there is plenty of it in this game, so no one could complain there is too much water. The naval battles are also fun and can get intense the longer a battle goes. Upgrading and customising your ship feels incredibly satisfying, with plenty of options to improve your equipment and weaponry to suit your playstyle.

The gameplay can be easily compared to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag which had a big focus on naval gameplay and even popularised the genre. Sail Forth is a much more simplified version of that, but simplicity is key.

The art style on the other hand takes some inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, with its cel-shaded graphics and cartoonish presentation. The bright blue water looks bright and vibrant, especially when looking towards the sun, and while character models, islands, and ships may look like children’s toys, it actually fits in perfectly with the art style, making them part of the game’s charm. The open seas may feel a little lifeless at times, but seeing silhouettes of sea life metres below the surface helps make the world feel a little less empty.

Even with the simple graphics style, it, unfortunately, does suffer some framerate drops on the Switch version whether in docked or handheld mode, but still looks great despite the minor drawback. The framerate drops don’t seem to affect the other consoles.

A Free Sail mode is also available for players to freely explore the ocean at their own pace without having to worry about upgrades or face threats from enemy ships. Being out in the open water can be incredibly relaxing and a great way to unwind, even if it’s in a virtual world.

The game’s soundtrack has a very relaxing and calming feel during exploration, with a tribal-like war drum feel during the combat segments, which is quite odd. Overall the music is not what you’d expect from a pirate-themed game, and sounds more like something you’d hear in a massage parlour. Even with the odd choice in music, it somehow just goes with the flow of the game the longer you play, and I couldn’t imagine the game without it. Sadly though, there are no shanties.

Pirate-themed exploration games have been on the rise in recent years with more on the way in the coming months. While there are more realistic naval-style games out there, Sail Forth is a nice alternative that manages to stand out with its simple controls and a bright and colourful art style – perfect for those just wanting to relax and unwind. It’s time to raise your sails and explore the open seas.

Written by: Sammy Hanson