The video provides a positive first impressions playtest of Crosswind, an early alpha pirate-themed crafting survival game, highlighting its smooth performance, engaging progression, and unique pirate elements like boat building, island exploration, and NPC pirate battles. While combat is currently basic, the creator is optimistic about future improvements and excited by the game’s potential to stand out in the survival genre with its multiplayer features and MMO-like social hubs.
The video presents a first impressions playtest of Crosswind, an upcoming pirate-themed crafting survival game currently in early alpha, developed by Crosswind Crew. The creator accidentally gained access to the alpha and shares their initial experience, comparing the game to popular titles like Valheim. The game begins with a classic survival setup—stranded on a beach gathering resources—and impressively runs smoothly with no crashes or performance issues, which is promising for such an early stage of development.
Combat in Crosswind is described as basic and somewhat generic at this point, with the creator noting that it feels less polished than other survival games like June. However, as the game progresses and survival and crafting mechanics deepen, the experience becomes more engaging. The creator believes that with some animation improvements and tweaks, the combat could become more satisfying, and overall, the game’s foundation appears solid and well-built.
A major highlight of Crosswind is its pirate theme and the progression system involving building boats and exploring multiple islands and biomes. Unlike Valheim, where players build their own boats, the early alpha currently gives players a boat, which the creator feels misses an opportunity for player achievement. The game also features a network of fast travel nodes across islands, promising a unique pirate network experience for resource management and exploration. Additionally, there are challenging NPC pirate ships to battle, and the game supports up to four-player co-op, although the creator played solo.
The game’s future plans include PvP gameplay, though the current focus is on solo and co-op PvE progression. There is also mention of Tortuga, a player-based trading hub designed to foster MMO-like social interactions. Crosswind currently has three distinct biomes with unique enemies and bosses, with more in development, alongside multiple ship types for variety. This structure resembles Valheim’s biome progression and boss battles, adding depth and goals for players to strive toward.
Ultimately, the creator feels that Crosswind is more than just a generic survival game with a pirate skin; the pirate elements genuinely enhance the experience and make it stand out in a crowded genre. Despite being new to the game and coming off survival crafting fatigue from other titles, the creator remains excited to see how Crosswind develops. They express optimism for the game’s future and appreciation for access to the alpha, indicating they will continue to follow its progress closely.