Developer Kraken Express has announced that its pirate-themed survival crafting game Windrose has sold more than a million copies since its Early Access release just last week. In its announcement, the studio thanked its players for all the support they have given, and celebrated the fact that the title was able to get more than 200,000 concurrent players at its peak.
“We have just plundered another milestone – 1,000,000 copies, and ‘we’ means ‘you’ – a crew of fine, brave captains sailing the seas of Windrose,” announced the studio. “Moreover, today Windrose has assembled over 200,000 concurrent players!”
“Your support for the game is absolutely astonishing, and your patience while we are working on fixes is truly heart-warming,” continues the message. “While we keep working on the game, we read your reviews and comments, watch your videos and streams, and sometimes, honestly, shed a pirate-y tear of happiness, because now that the game is out, you share our dream of swashbuckling adventure. And there are boars, too, we know, but whatever does not send you flying into the nearest tree, makes you stronger, right?”
Windrose is currently available on PC, and Kraken Express has been quite honest about its Early Access ambitions, confirming that it plans to work on the game for between 1.5 and 2.5 years before releasing the 1.0 update. Ultimately, once everything is done, the studio has said that Windrose will feature around 50 percent more content in 1.0 than it does in its current state, which means more biomes, bosses, enemies, ships, and loot, among other things. The game’s narrative will also be continued through regular updates, before eventually “unfolding into an epic adventure with a satisfying finale.” In its current Early Access form, Windrose‘s story is noted as taking around 50 to 70 hours to complete, depending on playstyle.
The title makes use of an alternative version of the Age of Piracy as its setting, with its core gameplay loop revolving around the “build, craft, survive” formula. Along with this, it also boasts of intense combat, as well as exploration split between land and sea. Its world is procedurally generated with different biomes, while also featuring hand-crafted dungeons and quests.
In Windrose, players take on the role of a captain who has set out to challenge Blackbeard. While things start off relatively grounded, telling the story of survival and revenge, it slowly starts getting more intense, with players getting pulled into larger overarching narratives about conflicts between empires, pirate clans, and mysterious dark powers.
Along with land-based action combat, Windrose also includes naval battles where players will have to make split-second decisions about various aspects, such as whether to return cannon fire or manoeuvre closer for boarding actions. Players will also get to build their own base of operations, which can range from simple shelters to elaborate mansions, and even massive forts. NPCs can then be recruited to help grow the settlement out.
Windrose features solo play as well as online co-operative modes to play with friends, with support for up to 8 players on both self-hosted servers, as well as dedicated servers.
