In an April 2 PlayStation Blog co-founder of 5 Lives Studios, Mitch Clifford revealedWindbound, the studio’s second project.
5 Lives' last game wasSatellite Reign; a cyberpunk top-down strategy game that released in August 2015. 5 Lives appear to have gone in a completely different direction withWindboundas screenshots show a colorful island-riddled ocean in an art-style similar toRimeandWind Waker. Clifford shared some insight into the game’s story and setting; “Windbound takes place on a long-forgotten archipelago, once home to an ancient civilization. The game begins shortly after Kara—our protagonist—is separated from her fleet during a fierce and mysterious storm”.
Survival appears to be the primary goal of the adventure as Clifford states “the player’s initial motivations are purely survival-focused”. TheWindboundwebsite shares a bit more detail including the ability to craft tools and weapons, hunt wildlife, and upgrade your boat. The site also mentions that “you must set sail when resources become scarce”. Hinting that Kara will be nomadic, rather than searching for an island to call home. She will jump island to island on her quest to rejoin her tribe.
The reveal also shares that building the top-notch ships will be of critical importance. After all, the sea isn’t a peaceful place as Clifford hints at a mysterious creature swimming beneath the waves and warns players; you are not alone. Starting from a grass canoe, players will be able to craft custom vessels to travel from island to island.
It’s very interesting that 5 Lives is creating such a different project withWindboundthan their first outingSatellite Reign. However,Windboundlooks promising thus far, and the trailer definitely gave me someWind Wakervibes. It’s important to note that although this announcement was made on thePlaystation BlogtheWindboundwebsite lists PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC at the bottom. In fact,Windboundalready has a Steam page where users can add the upcoming title to their wishlists.
We are sure to hear have more information about the game here on DualShockers leading up to its release for seemingly all platforms on August 28.
