Windforge (2014)

Windforge is a mess. The game's only redeeming quality is buried under so many obvious and unforgivable technical oversights that it's not even worth pursuing. Between game-breaking mechanics and game-ending bugs, there are plenty of reasons to spend your time with one of the many better examples of sandbox crafting.

Windforge is the shadow of the game that it should have been. There's plenty of systems here that should be great, but the package doesn't quite come together - primarily due to a lack of multiplayer, but also due to a number of design issues. Those who prefer their sandbox games as a solo experience will likely be thrilled with the RPG elements, while others should probably steer their airship clear of Windforge.

It veers between a showcase for ambitious design and an exercise in endurance as you grapple with the controls and wince at the obvious problems, willing the game to live up to its fantastic premise. But it never quite does.

Windforge feels unnecessary and indulgent, with few, brightly shining moments of fun interspersed. Like those who consider steampunk to be nothing but a fashion aesthetic, the game exploits the genre simply because it can and because it looks pretty. Ultimately, you will sacrifice playability for art style and unfinished ideas.

The inevitable result of a collision between ambition and inexperience. Not recommended unless you feel that Terraria would have been improved by the addition of a cling-film-thick story, airship combat, and a heavy sprinkling of bugs.