I actually like this game and recommend it but I just want the dev to know how much I hate the new heart beat sound effects when interacting with my ship. I just want to mute them

If you are looking for a sim like experience in sailing small to medium ships this game is for you. There are some bugs and glitches (as expected from early aces) but i strongly believe the fun out weights the problems. Highly recommended for anyone looking for that more complex sailing game.

I usually wait on EA games so they have a chance to achieve their full potential (or close to it) before reviewing for fairness but I think Sailwind's come along enough that it's worth reviewing it, regardless of what my two cents are worth. :)

At it's heart, the game's a simplified sailing simulator. There are a selection of boats based on the three major regions of the game (which in turn are themed middle-eastern, Asian and European themes). Each area has 2 main boats: a smaller starter boat, usually with a single mast and a larger advanced boat with multiple masts (but there's a shipyard so you can customize any boat to your heart's content, don't worry). The different boats have different handling characteristics and the themed regions effectively represent different difficulty levels (middle-eastern being easiest and most forgiving and the European one being the most challenging). That said, each region has it's challenging ports and islands to get to. And there are a handful of islands and regions that exist now outside of those three main ones.

As it stands now, there is no "creative" or let's say "Free sail" mode. You need to deal with survival which means earning some coin so you can buy food and water (though you can get fishing gear and fish but there are consumables related to that). So even if all you wanted to do was just sail and deal with the challenges of that, you'll still need to make some money.

There are two main ways of making money in-game: running missions and running goods. There's a dynamic economy for the most part and background simulation that keeps it going without you. Missions are a great way to get some coin without investing in cargo and they also hint at the economies you need to follow to make money if you want to trade goods in the long run.

You can get a bunch of gear for your boat (beds, tables, stoves, lanterns, etc.) at major ports and some ports have unique items. But the core of the game is about you getting to live this life on your boat trading and sailing around.

Sailing itself is largely straightforward if you're not nautically inclined (I'm like a beginner even though I have an interest but I was able to handle it fine...I'm sure there are people with more expertise that would do far better than I do sailing around). There are challenges though since you can get stuck in irons (meaning you're basically pointed at the wind and can't get moving forward) but there are mechanics that you can learn/use to get out of them. Some feel cheaty (you can get out and apply some force to your hull to move you in a particular direction) but you can use legit methods (roll down some sail and reverse your way to a better position).

Navigating at night is definitely something you'll have to learn. There are consistent stars you can use and there are instruments you can get (beyond a sextant) to figure out where you are. Though while you're inside a region, you can usually identify islands by their unique silhouettes on the horizon and navigate without needing the stars. The stars and sun/clock timings are needed if you're going between regions so you can figure out where you are and how far off course you are. :) Just gotta be careful since night time REALLY gets dark and depending on the weather it can be real hard to see distant islands.

Storms and wind changes happen often...and I mean often. Generally, though regions and the areas between regions have a general trade winds. Storms you want to avoid unless you really know what you're doing. There's a recovery function that'll cost you money and may just take you back to where you started so not ideal unless you just have no choice.

All in all, the main reason I wanted to play a game like this was I loved the idea of having my own boat that I could live on and sail around, moving cargo, and just enjoying the environment. So far, especially with a lot of the additions that come about during EA so far, it's really fit that bill. There are still some bugs and there are new features coming but it seems like we're getting closer to release.

tl;dr version: If you like sailing and trading cargo while sailing around a giant ocean, it's worth the pickup. If you're looking for something cozy, then you might want to find something else...